Woodland Stag Art Workshop - my first date back!
Create your own colourful Stag painting!
This fun and absorbing workshop has three spaces still available! Dont worry if you havent picked up a brush since school! Step by step instruction and lots of personal attention enaures that eveyone takes home an amazing unique piece of art like this lovely one here!
Click here for booking details Paint a stag!
A Stampede of Colourful Highland Cows!
Here are some of the photos from our lovely Highland Cow painting workshop at the weekend. The gallery is a wonderful space in which to relax and paint, with plenty of artistic inspiration all around! Everybody did terrifically well and got on like a house on fire too!
Painting a Colourful Highland Cow
Learning to Paint a Rainbow Highland Cow!
Today is my painting workshop at the gallery Creative Melbourne, in Melbourne Derbyshire. I set up the space yesterday afternoon so that all of the easels and canvases etc are ready to go when we all arrive this morning. We shall be making very vivid Highland Cow paintings I am sure, as Im taking 26 different colour tubes of paint including some sparkly pearlised paints. It will be a small group of six, today painting up in the mezzanine gallery, which is a lovely space to work in, above the art gallery itself which fills two floors below.
Spare Cake
I have baked two cakes for the occasion. Partially because I’m never sure my cake will rise! So I did a ‘spare’ and they both rose beautifully so now we have two. ‘Spare cake’ is surely one of the happiest phrases in the English language.
A Big Hairy Beast
We will be basing our painting loosely on this big colourific chap above, although each piece will be as unique as the artist who paints it. We typically have at least two or three total beginners in my workshops, which is always exciting. I haven’t met any of the artists joining me today, so I will find out about experience levels once everyone arrives. Some attendees are coming from a little farther afield today, so I hope everyone has had a nice journey to get here. I will post photos from the day’s activities later on.
Online and Offline - Art for Everyone
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Recording my first online workshop tutorial
How to Paint a Colourful Snow Leopard
For the past two weeks, I have been very busy as I’m creating my first online painting tutorial. I have been promising to make these for a couple of years but things kept waylaying me. So this time I have set aside a decent amount of time to master the technical side of things. If you want me to let you know when my online courses are available, sign up below.
The past two weeks I have been very busy as Im creating my first online painting tutorial. I have been promising to make these for a couple of years but things kept waylaying me. So this time I have set aside a decent amount of time to master the technical side of things. It has been quite a fun, if daunting experience so far! Im enjoying it. I hope to release the colourful snow leopard mini course this month!
Paint a Highland Cow - Half Day Course
Paint your own cow!
** 2025 Workshop dates are LIVE! Book here https://suegardnerstudio.com/workshops/
My Colourful Rainbow Highland Cow Workshops are always popular, and I have been asked to hold a half day session at Sharpes Pottery Museum in November. This will be a step-by-step painting workshop, on how to create a colourful highland cow from start to finish! Don’t worry if you have never painted since school, beginners and more experienced artists are all very welcome / I simplify the process, breaking it down into fun steps. You can have a pre-drawn canvas too, to allow you to relax and focus on your colour choices.
Painting Cows and Sheep
Cows and Sheep Workshop
I had a wonderful day with this enthusiastic and fun group of artists on Saturday! Many had never really painted since school, and everyone had great fun creating these beautiful original art pieces! More pics to follow!
If you would like to see one of my own Highland Cows with Flowers, click here.
Highland Cow Painting Course.
Enjoying the day
This was the first time we had a workshop at this venue, which is the village hall just near my home. It was a lovely day, we had half the group who had a little experience with different painting media but who were new to acrylics, and half the group were total beginners. It was a bigger group than normal as we had a few reschedulings from another date. A very positive and jovial group of lovely ladies! Here are some photos from the day, and the lineup of moo-g shots at the end of the day.
We went step by step through the painting, with mini demonstrations throughout the day and guidance and encouragement given at every stage. Everyone went home with their own beautiful and unique work of art. Friends were made, laughs were had, techniques were learned and the cake was eaten! Everyone was marked safe from the terrors of the ‘exploding jar of black paint’!
Beautiful new paintings
The next Highland Cow Workshop is on March 4th at Sharpes Museum- places are still available, there will be a max of eight places at this one.
Sharpes Pottery Museum is a lovely cosy venue with a wealth of history and heritage. We are in the Glazing Room, a nice comfortable space. The cafe will be providing a lovely buffet lunch for us and as always there will be homemade cake! Book your workshop here
step by step tuition
Which paint do I use?
I have had a few requests recently asking which paints I use in my workshops. So far, all of my workshop days have been using acrylic paints, because they dry really fast and this allows artists to easily take away their paintings at the end of the day. I have used several different brands of acrylic paint, and these Daler Rowney System 3 are the ones that I have found striking the right balance between quality and affordability. The colours are nice and bright, and there is a good choice. They seem to stay usable in the palette for longer than some of the others, too. I use the big tubs because we get through such a lot of paint, but these are also available in smaller tubes. I’ll share links to the places that I buy mine here here,
Fabulous results in my beginner's art classes - Let your creative side out!
The step-by-step process is the reason my workshops are suitable for total beginners, as well as artists with more experience who want to learn new techniques and tips, all the way through to experienced artists who want a relaxing day painting away from it all, with time to experiment and try something different.
"Absolutely fabulous. Sue, thank you. You teach in an easy way for numpties like me to understand. You made the course so easy, especially doing the cow's nose and eye. I have never painted an animal and at least it does look like one, even though perhaps a bit psychedelic . It was a great day 5/2/2023, today, lovely lunch and cake was had by all. Plenty of drinks, no not gin, but everyone’s cows were marvellous. I shall definitely look for another of Sue's courses to attend."
Follow this link to book one of my courses for yourself. Why not bring a friend? Vouchers can also be bought online to gift, and we have a brilliant two-day hare workshop in the Summer if you want to make a weekend of it!
* Learn to Paint - join me at my in-person workshops
Looking for beginner’s art classes? I teach art workshops for artists at all stages, at my events in Derbyshire and Leicestershire.
Beginner’s art classes.
If you have always thought you would like to have a go at painting but don’t know where to start, why not join me in one of my in-person art workshops this year? I provide all the materials needed, and we follow a step-by-step process to get you from A ( a bright white canvas ) to B ( a beautiful piece of original art).
The step-by-step process is the reason my workshops are suitable for total beginners, as well as artists with more experience who want to learn new techniques and tips, all the way through to experienced artists who want a relaxing day painting away from it all, with time to experiment and try something different.
I have a lovely workshop coming up in March 2023 where you can paint a Highland Cow in Folk Art Style like the one shown here, in progress. This is a technique that involves mindfulness and you will find you really ‘get in the zone’ using different mark-making objects, brushes and stencils to create a totally unique and vibrant painting to take home.
Paint your own Rainbow Sheep!
On March 4th I’m holding a one-day painting workshop in which you can paint along with me, step by step and take home your own original sheep canvas at the end of the day.
The venue is the lovely Sharpe’s Pottery Museum, downstairs in the glazing room. This cosy historic building makes the perfect backdrop for a day of fun, relaxing and learning.
We will have a buffet lunch provided by the onsite caterers, and as always, plenty of coffee and tea and slices of homemade cake are provided.
Beginners and more experienced artists are very welcome, we usually have two or three participants who have never painted before, together with some who have, and are keen to do more. We have even had professional artists join in, for a relaxing day trying out a different medium. For more info and booking details click here
New Art Workshop Dates for 2023
Art Workshops Leicestershire
There is a complete diary of art workshops for 2023 now available to book. The first date is fully booked, however, there are spaces in all of the dates beginning in March with a colourful sheep workshop at Sharpes Museum in Swadlincote. I am running two more colourful Highland Cow courses due to popular requests. I’d like to keep to my usual small groups, so do book nice and early so that you don’t miss out on your chosen date/subject. This year the workshops are six hours long and lunch is included.
Painting workshops Leicestershire
Look at this wonderful forest of owls, created by students at my recent Owl painting workshop day at St Helens Heritage Centre in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire. Believe it or not, this was the first time that half of the group had picked up a paintbrush!
The venue at Ashby is a lovely one, a brand-new building with lovely facilities and french windows leading out to a beautiful garden. This unique building stands at a site of historical significance, as evidenced in the wall displays throughout detailing the links to Ashby’s heritage and honouring some of the historical people. This was the site of a medieval vicarage, although there are archaeological finds going back to the Stone Age
We always enjoy the painting days at St Helen’s, and I have organised some more for next year, including a two-day course on painting hares. Gift vouchers for the workshops are available to buy online for instant download. here
Big Cats Workshop at Sharpes Pottery Museum - a 'Roaring' Success
This was a good day, with a full compliment of ‘ workshop repeat offenders’ :D and amazing results! It particularly tickled me that the vigorous brushwork was triggering peoples' personal exercise monitors into asking 'Are you working out?'
Adding the block colours and then the markings, one step at a time
Beginning with the simple shapes - building a framework
A painting course in Derbyshire.
Derbyshire Art Workshops
This was only the second art workshop to be held in the new space at Creative Melbourne Gallery. Upstairs above the main gallery floor there is a mezzanine that runs all the way around. This is a light-filled area ideal for painting in. We had a lovely day, everyone was very friendly and chatty with each other and it was a mixed-level group, with half beginners and half improvers. Everyone left with a beautiful and very colourful painting in their own style.
I have had some very nice feedback about the workshop and the venue, and hope to hold another one there in 2023.
“Such a fab day with lovely people and loved our Highland cow herd”
“Just a short note of thanks for a most enjoyable day.I felt that I learned so much. You really are an excellent teacher.Time went so quickly.
Nearly forgot the cake was delicious.
Thank you again.”
“Very enjoyable day, many thanks Sue”
Painting Birds - art workshop
A Wonderful Art Retreat, Painting Colourful Woodland Birds
What a lovely weekend spent painting with such a nice group of artists! Sharpe's Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust We were very nicely catered for by Sweet Caroline on both days with a super buffet, and toasties. And of course, there was plenty of cake - artists need to keep their strength up after all. We tried a variety of different acrylic painting techniques. The group all have different levels of expertise in different media so it was a really interesting weekend. Everyone got on really well and gave help, support and encouragement to one another. There was a lot of laughter and joking around, and everyone ended up producing 3 beautiful small paintings (apart from John who was on a roll on day 2 and painted two or three more!) Everyone took a paint kit home with them so they can carry on painting straightaway. I'm hoping they will keep in touch, and show me the results.
Painting Barn Owls
Barn Owls are some of my favourite birds to paint!
Paint with me and create your own owl at my next owl workshops. Beginners and improvers welcome. More info here
If no owl workshops are currently scheduled, I can offer small group workshops, just get in touch
Painting Birds - Workshop next weekend!
Im getting really excited about this now! This will be my first 2 day painting weekend workshop and Im holding it at Sharpes Pottery Museum, one of my favourite venues! This week I will be sourcing as many lovely woodland bird reference images as I can find, so that there is plenty of choice. Each guest will get the chance to paint three small bird canvases over the weekend. We will explore the shaped and markings and habitat of the birds themselves, and place them into beautiful light filled woodland settings from our imagination.
There is still time to join us - information on booking here.
Rainbow Cow Painting Course
I was so delighted to welcome three generations from a family to my Rainbow Cow painting course back in the Spring. Here are the beautiful cow canvases painted by the ladies who were daughter, mother and grandmother. None of them had picked up a paintbrush since school, and they all thoroughly enjoyed finding their creative talents once again. Painting is so therapeutic, and it’s available to everybody, you don’t need masses of equipment to start, and like any skill, the more you do it-the more skilful you become. It’s really quite addictive too!
Highland Cow painting demonstration
A painting in progress, Cow with flowers
I am available to give demonstrations and workshops for art clubs and groups. Get in touch for detailsThis week I am getting ready to give a demo at a local art club. I like to take along some sample pieces, as well as painting one ‘live’ for the event.
A painting in progress
Derbyshire Art Workshop - 21st August - Paint a Kingfisher canvas at Castle Donington
My next available workshop is a Kingfisher one, and there are spaces. This is a new venue at Castle Donington and Im really looking forward to it!
