Exhibition
Summer Art Workshops
25 Jul 2023 – 12 Aug 2023
RBSA Gallery
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Workshop
Introduction to Oil Painting
1 Aug 2023
Regular hours
- Tue, 01 Aug
- 11:00 – 16:00
Cost of entry
£65
£60 for full-time students, Friends of the RBSA, RBSA Members and Associates, and RBSA Graduate Associates
Address
- 4 Brook Street
- Birmingham
England - B3 1SA
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- The 101 bus runs from Birmingham City Centre down Newhall Street. For timetables and bus stops, please check National Express West Midlands.
- The RBSA Gallery is in walking distance from St Paul's Metro tram stop
- The RBSA Gallery is in walking distance from Snow Hill and Birmingham New Street train stations
Event map
Introduction to Oil Painting Workshop with Caroline Griffin RBSA.
Learning the Basics, Building Confidence: A simple and direct way to either get you started in oil painting or, if you’ve tried using oils before but lack confidence, help get you on the right track with them.
About
Age group and abilities to be taught
- 18 years and above.
- Suitable for all abilities
Course aims and skills/knowledge to be taught
- How to prepare boards/canvas
- Using the palette – paint colours and how to mix them
- Setting out your painting compositionally
- Paint application and mark making
- Cleaning your equipment
- Protecting your work
Course outline for Introduction to Oil Painting Workshop
Below is a rough plan for the morning and afternoon with a view to keeping things flexible and getting the painting going as soon as we can!
Morning activity
- Introduction
- Boards or canvas? Looking at surface preparation, keeping it simple
- Brushes/palette knives and white spirit – getting started
- Oil paint – setting up the palette
- Basic colour mixing and a brief look at the importance of ‘greys’
- A look at the images that you’ve brought with you to work from; thinking about composition
Afternoon activity
- Setting out the painting and ‘roughing it in’ – the importance of working ‘fat over lean’
- You’ll spend the afternoon working on your paintings – the best way to learn and improve is to have a go! The tutor will be there to help and advise you with regards to colour mixing, paint application, which brushes to use, how to clean your brushes between paint application – any questions feel free to ask!
- A brief chat about drying and protecting your work.
- Appraisal – a look at all your lovely work – a general chat about what you’ve learnt; what you’ve enjoyed and what you’ve found difficult.
Materials and equipment required
The RBSA Gallery can provide some basic materials such as paints and brushes, but recommend you bring your own to work with.
- An image to work from (no portraits please) – bring several if you’re not sure.
- Apron to protect your clothes and, importantly, several cotton rags for wiping brushes (poly cotton is fine, just nothing fluffy)
- Medium or large sized jam jar with screw lid – white spirit will be provided.
- Any oil paint, palette knives, brushes etc that you currently use.
- Note: The tutor will be bringing some of their own brushes and palette knives for you to try if you don’t have your own. Basic paint colours will be provided but please bring any you already have.
- A palette for mixing your oil paint.
- If you have a small to medium sized canvas or board that you would like to use, please bring it along – the tutor will provide small prepared boards (not canvas) for this session so don’t worry if you don’t have one.
- Don’t forget you will need to transport your wet painting back with you so bring something that you can carry it in or put it on if travelling by car. A plastic bag is fine for transporting a wet palette home.
Methods of assessing outcomes
- Group discussion and tutor feedback
- Completion of the evaluation form
