Painting
Painting: book an experience shaped to what you want. Checked providers in the finest parts of the country.
Difficulty
Beginner – Advanced
Duration
A few days to a few weeks
Location
Art studios, cultural centres, the outdoors or creative spaces
Season
All year, most often in the holidays
Painting camps: what are they?
Painting camps are creative programmes where participants get to know artistic technique and ways of saying something visually.
The activities put drawing, colour and composition together with exploring different styles.
Participants make work of their own and learn to look at the world with an artist's eye.
What they are after is invention, imagination and an eye for what works.
Painting camps: the kinds on offer
Drawing
Working on observation, proportion and the sketch.
Watercolour
Exploring transparent colour and the way it flows.
Acrylic painting
Making work with strong pigment and varied texture.
Painting on canvas
Making larger pieces of work.
Painting outdoors
Looking at the landscape and getting it onto the page.
Experimental art
Mixed media and abstract ways of working.
Painting camps: how they work
Learning the techniques
Going over the materials, the colours and the ways of working.
Artistic exercises
Activities for building the drawing and the composition.
Making your own work
Producing pieces of your own.
Talking it over
Discussions about technique and about what the work says.
The final exhibition
Showing the work made during the camp.
Painting camps: who are they for?
Beginners
For those who want to come to painting with nothing behind them.
Children
For building imagination and invention.
Teenagers
For finding a style of your own and the technique to match.
People keen on art
For sharpening the technique and building a portfolio.
Nature lovers
For those who want to paint landscapes and what they see outdoors.
Creative types
For those who use art to say something of their own.
Level of the experience
First discoveries
Getting to know the materials, the colours and the basic shapes.
Building technique
Practising composition, colour and painting technique.
Advanced artistic work
Making complex work and finding a style of your own.
At a glance
The technique
Choose between watercolour, acrylic, drawing or mixed media.
The participant's level
The programme has to be pitched at the artistic experience you have.
The teachers
They can shape how your own style develops.
Materials included
Check whether the paints and the surfaces are provided.
Where you work
Some camps include painting outdoors or themed outings.
The final exhibition
Some programmes put the participants' work on show.
Gear
Brushes
Brushes in several sizes, for different techniques.
Paints
Watercolours, acrylics or other art materials.
Something to paint on
Paper, card, canvas or other surfaces.
An apron
It keeps your clothes out of the paint.
A sketchbook
For ideas, sketches and things you notice.
Personal kit
What you need for the time you are there.
Safety
Safety in a painting camp covers using the materials properly and keeping the workspace in order.
Painting camps: frequently asked questions
No. There are programmes for beginners.
There are camps for children, teenagers and adults.
It depends on the organiser and on the kind of programme.
Watercolour, acrylic, drawing, painting on canvas and mixed media.
Yes. Some camps include time out in nature.
Yes. Some programmes help you build up a body of work.
Building invention and expression through visual art.