Life drawing ​

• You don't need to bring anything specific for this course, but if you have your own favourite pencils etc, please bring them along. 

• We do have some aprons, but depending on how many of you there are, it may be worth bringing your own

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Drawing from Nature - we recommend you bring...

• Suitable clothing and footwear for outdoors and rough terrain. 

• Sunglasses to shield eyes from the glare of paper.

• Sunhat and sunscreen if needed.

• Day-sack for materials.

• Water bottle or coffee flask & chocolate :-) etc.

• Folding stool if you like to use one of them. Or a cushion to sit on the ground. In cool, damp weather, a plastic bag is helpful to sit on directly, or put the cushion in to protect it. Or use a cut piece of insulated camping-sleeping mat that rolls fit in your Day-sack. 

• Basic mono-chrome drawing materials are provided (pencils, charcoal, ink, pens & brushes) but you may also wish to bring your favourite art materials too. Especially if you enjoy working with colour. This is an optional extra.  

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Sketchbook making - you will make this on day one of 'Drawing from Nature':

• Please bring some strudy but not too thick cardboard for the front and back covers of your sketchbook... bring bigger than A3 even if you choose to make a smaller book.

• Bring a generously sized piece of cloth to cover your book with. You may prefer a plain neutral linen, or an exuberantly colourful, patterned fabric. Most kinds of cloth are suitable. It is only important that it is strong, it folds easily, and it does not stretch... one of our students used a colourful tea-towel on a previous course although this resulted in a small sketchbook.

• Plain white thread is provided. However, if you choose a colourful cloth for your cover, you may also wish to bring a reel of complimentary or contrasting coloured thread for attaching the cover as one row of stitches will show on the front and back of the book.  

• Inside most hard-back books there is a beautiful 'end paper'. As an optional extra, you may wish to bring some colourful or pattered paper for making end papers. (Not necessary. Just if you wish.)

• Everyone will create their own unique size and shape of sketchbook. However, as a rough size-guide for buying cloth or end paper, people usually make books that are between A5 and A2 in size, and on average about A4. Size is entirely to suit your personal wish. 

• We will provide good quality acid-free warm-white cotton cartridge paper for your pages. As an optional extra, some people enjoy adding in other kinds of paper which they bring with them. For example

  • delicate rice paper used for calligraphy can look beautiful (available on e-bay)

  • or coloured, textured drawing papers.

  • or recycled packaging and brown paper depending upon the style of book that would suit you.