Arts Derbyshire

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Painting Without Fear @ Our Crafty Place

Event details

A 4-Week Confidence-Building Painting Course

This session is part of a 4-week courseBooking covers all 4 dates.

Book the full course here

The Course

Maybe you haven’t picked up a paintbrush since school, or perhaps you’ve always wondered what it would feel like to try painting again. This four‑week course invites you to play, explore and rediscover your creativity in a relaxed, supportive space.

This course welcomes complete beginners and anyone who feels unsure where to start. It’s not about being “good” at painting … it’s about experimenting, noticing and enjoying the process.

You’ll be part of a friendly group of like‑minded people, exploring colour, texture and mark‑making together in a calm, encouraging environment.

Throughout the course, your tutor, the lovely Kate Smith will guide you step‑by‑step, offering demonstrations, gentle support and plenty of room to experiment.

By the end of the four weeks, you’ll feel more confident with paint, more playful in your approach and more connected to your own creative voice.

What we’ll do each week

First Week – Abstract Texture Experiments

An introduction to playful, pressure‑free painting through abstract textures. We’ll explore: • Salt effects • Bubble wrap printing • Cling‑film textures • Cookie‑cutter stamping This first week is all about loosening up, experimenting and discovering what paint can do.

Second Week – Leaf Painting & Watercolour Play

This week, you’ll explore colour, flow and movement through leaf shapes and water‑based techniques. We’ll explore: • Wet‑on‑wet and wet‑on‑dry painting • Flooding with water • Watercolour crayons and wax‑resist candles • Masking fluid with cotton buds • Masking tape shapes You will experiment with how water, pigment and texture interact to create beautiful effects.

Third Week – Line Pictures & Metallic Finishing

We will be producing mini A5 line pictures and finishing them off with metallic gold, silver and black pens

4th Week – Flowers, Observation & Letting Go

In the final week we will be painting flowers from still life flowers & plants. And for the final flourish .. drawing the flowers/plants without looking at the paper!

What you’ll gain by the end of the course

  • A stronger sense of confidence with paint
  • A relaxed approach to creativity and “mistakes”
  • New techniques and ideas you can keep using
  • Social connection and shared encouragement
  • A renewed joy in making art … without fear

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