Plein Air Watercolour Painting with Kevin Scully

This one-day course explores the art of painting from nature. Working with views around The Coach House, students will learn methods of capturing natural light, how to mix colours tonally and techniques for working beyond the studio.

The day will begin with a discussion of the things that must be taken into consideration when painting outside, including viewpoints, composition, simplification, light, and shadows. Kevin will then move on to showing the students a selection of his own watercolour paintings that have been created en plein air, and some images by other artists. There will be some discussion about what students are wanting to achieve from the course.

There will be a demonstration by Kevin of a scene that he has chosen to paint, and some suggestions will be made regarding other possibilities from viewpoints in the landscape around The Coach House. Everyone will be free to choose their own subject matter. Favourable weather will allow us to work outside for the whole day, but should that not be the case, please bring some of your own images that can be used as reference material for paintings. There will be several short demonstrations throughout the morning covering specific techniques to help you improve your plein air paintings.

After lunch, Kevin will begin the afternoon session with another demonstration. Everyone will receive plenty of individual attention throughout the course. At the end of the day, we will assess what has been learned and achieved.

Kevin trained at Wimbledon School of Art, and has worked for many years as a successful illustrator in advertising and publishing. He is an award-winning artist and qualified tutor, and experienced in teaching in all mediums. His tuition is relaxed and supportive, and he encourages students to progress at their own pace, whilst learning new skills, and of course to also have fun.

Kevin writes regular articles for The Artist and Artists & Illustrators magazines, and is the author of several books on painting, including Still Life in Gouache, Drawing and Painting on Location, and Landscape Painting. He has been a winner of the Winsor & Newton Painting Prize, and The Clairefontaine Art Award. He teaches on workshops and painting holidays at home and abroad.