Drawing and Painting Nature Next Steps - Mansfield Woodhouse Library - Adult Learning

This course focuses on the beauty and diversity of nature as inspiration for drawing and painting. You will progressively develop your skills through a range of practical exercises and projects, exploring the principles of drawing, composition, colour, tone and painting techniques. Using acrylic paints and drawing materials, you will discover how to apply contrast, colour theory and tonal values to create expressive and visually engaging artwork inspired by trees, plants, flowers and animals.

Throughout the course, you will be guided through the process of observing, drawing and painting subjects from nature. Through demonstrations, practical exercises and individual support, you will gain confidence in using a variety of drawing and acrylic painting techniques.

By the end of the course, you will have completed a range of nature-inspired artworks and gained the skills and confidence to continue drawing and painting independently.

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:

• Demonstrate increased confidence in observational drawing by accurately recording the structure, form and proportions of a range of natural subjects.

• Apply colour theory and tonal values effectively to create depth, atmosphere and visual impact within nature-inspired paintings.

• Use a wider range of acrylic painting techniques including layering, glazing, texture-building and expressive brushwork to enhance their artwork.

• Plan and develop original compositions inspired by nature, showing consideration of balance, focal points and visual storytelling.

• Evaluate and refine their own work through reflection and feedback, identifying areas for improvement and developing a personal artistic style.

• Develop and implement a marketing plan using at least 3 different channels (e.g., social media, email marketing, and local events) to promote their products. (MARKETING SKILLS).

What you need to bring to the course:

• Pencils – A basic set of pencils (ranging from hard to soft, such as 2H, HB, 2B, 4B, and 6B).

• Paper – A sketchbook or drawing pad (preferably A4 size)

• Erasers – A good quality rubber eraser and a kneaded eraser (for subtle shading and corrections).

• Sharpener – A sharpener for keeping your pencils in good condition.

• Acrylic paint (Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Magenta, Cadmium Red, Titanium White),

• Synthetic brushes, baby wipes

• Acrylic or watercolour paper A3 pad,

• white acrylic gesso,

• 40x 50cm or A4 canvas

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

or

• Live outside the devolved areas listed below

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.