Weekend Courses
This spring we are offering in person Saturday courses in Painting, and Developing Painting Practice.
Painting (in person)
Photo: Sandra Smith
Saturday 10:00am – 4:00pm
25 January - 22 February 2025 / 5 Saturdays
Course Tutors: Ian Rowlands, Kate Hopkins, Sandra Smith
Fee: £405
Course Description
This course offers students the opportunity to explore the first principles of painting. Set in Studio 6 in the main Slade building, each week will be devoted to contemplating a particular set of formal issues, with special attention placed on colour and composition. The emphasis of the teaching is to look at painting as a means of articulating form and as a tool for expression and creative imagination. The course explores the idea of perception as the starting point for visual enquiry and includes working from objects and secondary sources. Students can work with oils or acrylic. The course concludes by addressing subjective colour and strategies for developing personal work. It is our aim that students leave the course with a set of criteria helping them to explore ways of representing perceived objects and supporting them in thinking about how they might use these methods of working in conjunction with their own ideas.
Who should take this course?
This course suits a cross-section of experiences from complete beginners to those who are more experienced but would like to re-engage with first principles in Painting. We recommend that students have a rudimentary knowledge of drawing in order to obtain maximum benefit from the course. If you have already taken our Drawing course, this is an ideal follow-on.
Materials
Students will be sent a full materials list to purchase what is needed before the start of the course.
You will need to bring the following materials for the first session:
Masking tape
Paints (oils or acrylics)
Retarding medium (for acrylic paints)
Brushes (a range)
Palette knife for mixing
2 screw top jars (one for clean, one dirty)
Rags or kitchen roll
Extra Odourless thinners (for oil paints- recommended)
Sketchbook (recommended)
Paints (oils or acrylics): Ivory black, Titanium white, Yellow Ochre, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Cobalt Blue and ultramarine Blue.
We will provide easels, palettes, oil painting paper, and Sansodor.
Developing Painting Practice (in person)
Photo Sandra Smith ©Slade School of Fine Art
Saturday 10:00am – 4:00pm
1 March – 29 March 2025 / 5 Saturdays
Fee: £405
Course Tutors: Ian Rowlands, Kate Hopkins, Sandra Smith
Course Description
This course is designed to guide individuals as to how ‘first principles’ can be extrapolated from and added to with further technical and perceptual processes, and how these might be taken forward and integrated into a more sustained body of work. It is suitable for people who have undertaken any introductory courses in Painting and Drawing.
Each session will visit a particular set of formal issues that underpin the nature of ‘building an image’ through Drawing and Painting, and augment these with further perceptual, imaginative and technical approaches to help students take images into compositions. The course begins with re-visiting observational drawing and painting, developing this in terms of tone and colour with the addition of subject matter from secondary sources. This is followed by guidance through processes of paint handling and composition, culminating in tutorials for the development of individual ideas. The outcome will be a body of drawings and painterly studies providing a solid grounding of starts and ideas for personal work.
Who should take this course?
This course suits a cross-section of experiences from complete beginners to those who are more experienced but would like to re-engage with first principles in Painting. We recommend that students have a rudimentary knowledge of drawing in order to obtain maximum benefit from the course. If you have already taken our Painting course, this is an ideal follow-on.
Materials
Students will be sent a full materials list to purchase what is needed before the start of the course.
You will need to bring the following materials for the first session:
Masking tape
Paints (oils or acrylics)
Retarding medium (for acrylic paints)
Brushes (a range)
Palette knife for mixing
2 screw top jars (one for clean, one dirty)
Rags or kitchen roll
Extra odourless thinners (for oil paints - recommended)
Sketchbook (recommended)
Paints (oils or acrylics): Ivory black, Titanium white, Yellow Ochre.
We will provide easels, palettes, oil painting paper, and Sansodor.
General Information
Applicants
Short Courses are open to anyone aged seventeen and over.
STUDENTS UNDER THE AGE OF 18
Slade Short Courses are designed for adults and the students attending our courses usually span a wide range of ages. For those students interested in attending a short course who are below the age of 18 (17+), we ask you to provide the following documents in addition to the application form so that we may consider you:
- A letter from the Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, Head of Year or art teacher at your school stating your suitability for the course and
- A letter from your parent or guardian confirming personal liability and contents insurance has been set up for you.
Booking and payment
To book a place, please go to the UCL Online Store.
Course fee
The course fee covers tuition. The course fee does not include materials, you must supply all other materials yourself. The Slade will supply drawing boards, palettes and easels, as appropriate.
Refunds and cancellations
Cancellations are permitted up to one month before the start of a course, subject to a £25 cancellation fee. Refunds will not be made for cancellations less than one calendar month before the start of a course. Students who do not attend due to illness, personal or professional commitments do not have the right to a refund. For this reason we recommend that students take out personal insurance against any unforeseeable circumstances before the start of their course.
Before you start
Further course details and a materials list will be sent to you before the course begins.
Location
The Saturday courses will take place online or in person. Please check the course information carefully before booking.
Access
If you have any specific access needs, we will need to know about your access requirements in advance. Please tell us about your needs in confidence by emailing sladeshortcourses@ucl.ac.uk or by phone on 020 7679 2317.
Safety
Short Course students are required to sign a Safety Compliance Form as part of UCL Health and Safety regulations.
Further information
Please contact the Slade on 020 7679 2317 or email sladeshortcourses@ucl.ac.uk.
Disclaimer
The information given above is accurate at the time of publication. However, the Slade School of Fine Art reserves the right to cancel or amend courses if circumstances require it.
