Art Next Steps - Beeston Library - Adult Learning

The Art Next Steps course is an introduction to different ways of creating drawn and painted images. Some experience of drawing and painting is useful, but not essential as you will be taught from your own starting point. We will be exploring line, tone and colour through a range of different drawing and painting techniques, focusing on producing images from observation.

During the course you will be introduced to a range of drawing and painting media, techniques and processes that are simple but creative and will enable you to produce observational drawings from a range of subject matter.

Each session will focus on different formal elements such as line, tone, texture, pattern, form and colour which will be explored through both drawing and painting and will act as a steppingstone to the next sessions activities. You will try out different techniques that will extend your existing knowledge and you will be encouraged to experiment with new media to develop your practical artwork further.

You will learn about different drawing and painting techniques and how to use, line, tone and colour creatively through looking at and discussing other artists’ work and by demonstrations, personal experimentation and individual tuition.

By the end of the course everyone will have explored and gained confidence with some essential drawing and painting techniques, produced finished images and gained skills for future art and design work. You will be able to:

• Discuss how other artists have used line, tone and colour to produce creative imagery.

• Using line drawing to describe shape, pattern and texture.

• Using tone to describe form, space and contrast.

• Using colour to explore shape, space and contrast.

• Produce observational drawings and paintings from selected subject matter.

• Become familiar and confident with art and design language and use it to describe your own work.

You will need:

• Apron or big shirt.

• B, 2B, 3B pencils, rubber–WH Smiths, Amazon.

• Range of paintbrushes- pack from The Works, WH Smith or Amazon.

• Scissors.

• Charcoal or charcoal pencils. Hobbycraft, Amazon.

• Set of acrylic paints, The Works, The Range, Hobbycraft, Amazon.

• Water pot.

• A3 cartridge paper pad (at least 140g paper) – (example Daler Rowney A3 cartridge pad yellow and red cover, or Seawhites cartridge paper pad) The Range, Hobbycraft, WH Smith Amazon.

• Palette- The Works, Hobbycraft, The Range, Amazon.

Funding and Fees

If you receive certain benefits, you may be able to take the course for free.
If money is stopping you from enrolling, please visit our funding page to see what help is available.

Living in England

To book and join one of our courses, you must live in England permanently and either:

• Live outside the devolved areas listed below, or

Live inside the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) area (Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire).

You cannot enrol if you live in these devolved areas:

• Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)

• Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

• North East Combined Authority

• South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority

• Tees Valley Combined Authority

• West Midlands Combined Authority

• West of England Combined Authority

• West Yorkshire Combined Authority

• Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority

• York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority

• Hull and East Yorkshire

• Greater Lincolnshire

• Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority

• Cornwall Council

• Lancashire Combined County Authority

• Buckinghamshire Council

Residency Requirements (Additional Information)

If you live in the UK on a visa, we’ll need evidence of your visa to confirm funding. You can upload this when applying, and you’ll need to complete a short questionnaire.

Some exceptions include:

• Your visa must last until after your course ends.

• Asylum seekers must have lived in the UK for at least 6 months while their claim is being processed.

• You are supported by your local authority under Section 23C or 23CA of the Children Act 1989, or under the Care Act 2014.

Anyone who does not meet the funding criteria would need to pay full course fees.