Paint Your Pet
A beloved pet can bring boundless joy into our lives and be the perfect subject for a painting.
In this workshop, you'll learn how to capture the character of a dog, cat, cow, or rooster (or any other kind of animal friend), creating a one-off gift for a loved one or a treasured memento for yourself.
Whether you're new to art or a more practised painter, you'll learn some simple, stress-free techniques for creating character-filled pet portraits.
We'll explore all of the elements of design - shape, space, form, line, value, colour and texture - in four different styles. On day five, you'll pick your favourite and perfect your final piece.
Students will take home a range of artworks of their furry or feathered friends. They'll also take home some new composition skills, a good chunk of colour theory and the confidence to keep playing with paint.
AGE: Suitable for ages 16 to adult
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner to Intermediate - Suited to those who are new to the course area or may have little or no experience. Also suited to those who have some experience, but are looking to learn new techniques and explore more complex projects.
SCHEDULE: Full Days - Monday 13 to Friday 17 January 2025 - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
VENUE: Bellingen High School
A beloved pet can bring boundless joy into our lives and be the perfect subject for a painting.
In this workshop, you'll learn how to capture the character of a dog, cat, cow, or rooster (or any other kind of animal friend), creating a one-off gift for a loved one or a treasured memento for yourself.
Whether you're new to art or a more practised painter, you'll learn some simple, stress-free techniques for creating character-filled pet portraits.
We'll explore all of the elements of design - shape, space, form, line, value, colour and texture - in four different styles. On day five, you'll pick your favourite and perfect your final piece.
Students will take home a range of artworks of their furry or feathered friends. They'll also take home some new composition skills, a good chunk of colour theory and the confidence to keep playing with paint.
AGE: Suitable for ages 16 to adult
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner to Intermediate - Suited to those who are new to the course area or may have little or no experience. Also suited to those who have some experience, but are looking to learn new techniques and explore more complex projects.
SCHEDULE: Full Days - Monday 13 to Friday 17 January 2025 - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
VENUE: Bellingen High School
A beloved pet can bring boundless joy into our lives and be the perfect subject for a painting.
In this workshop, you'll learn how to capture the character of a dog, cat, cow, or rooster (or any other kind of animal friend), creating a one-off gift for a loved one or a treasured memento for yourself.
Whether you're new to art or a more practised painter, you'll learn some simple, stress-free techniques for creating character-filled pet portraits.
We'll explore all of the elements of design - shape, space, form, line, value, colour and texture - in four different styles. On day five, you'll pick your favourite and perfect your final piece.
Students will take home a range of artworks of their furry or feathered friends. They'll also take home some new composition skills, a good chunk of colour theory and the confidence to keep playing with paint.
AGE: Suitable for ages 16 to adult
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner to Intermediate - Suited to those who are new to the course area or may have little or no experience. Also suited to those who have some experience, but are looking to learn new techniques and explore more complex projects.
SCHEDULE: Full Days - Monday 13 to Friday 17 January 2025 - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
VENUE: Bellingen High School
course info
Please read all course information below before purchasing tickets for this event.
-
DAY ONE
Map-it-out Monday:
On day one of the Paint Your Pet workshop, we'll map out our goals for the week ahead and begin to plan our portraits.
We'll study the photos of our beloved pets and determine the details that matter most. We'll play with compositions, explore shapes, space, form and lines, and learn some clever sketching skills along the way.
DAY TWO
Tonal Tuesday:
With our designs mapped out, we'll spend a day focusing on tone and values.
We'll master the art of mixing gouache to a milky smooth consistency and explore the range of greys we can achieve with two little tubes of paint.
Our achromatic artworks will help us see how tone matters and how contrasting values can add depth and drama to our work.
DAY THREE
Whimsical Wednesday:
We'll banish our black paint and play with patterns and colour on day three.
We'll study the values we achieved in our grey-scale work and create colourful, playful versions of our pet portraits.
DAY FOUR
Thoughtful Thursday:
On day four, we'll get a little more serious, exploring realistic colour matching and texture techniques.
We'll focus on the features specific to our pets and look for ways to capture their personalities on paper.
DAY FIVE
Freestyle Friday:
On our last workshop day, we'll pick our favourite painting style and work on our final piece.
We'll learn when to put down our paints and look at how mounting and framing our artwork can make magic happen.
We'll practice photographing our work and prepare an exhibition to end the day.
-
Please bring the following on your first day of class:
Photographs of pets (bring plenty of photos and we’ll work out together which ones will be best to paint)
2B pencil
4B pencil
Eraser
Hot pressed watercolour block -300 gsm - 9 x 14” or 12 x 12”
Green painters’ tape (for masking up paintings)
White gouache
Black gouache
Red or magenta gouache
Blue or cyan gouache
Yellow gouache
Cup and saucer (or water vessel and palette)
Washer and/or paper towels
Flat brush size 2
Flat brush size 8
This class has an extra materials cost of $25, which is payable directly to the tutor.
Once you book your ticket, the tutor will be in touch to arrange payment.
Cost of $25 includes:
A grey scale value finder
A fan deck filled with delicious colours and accurate colour descriptions
Butter Paper
Fineliner
-
If you’ve never drawn or painted before, Selina will share her tried and tested methods for getting started.
If you’re a more experienced artist, Selina will offer some extra activities to stretch your skills. She’ll make sure you leave the class with a few more tools in your belt and will guarantee you won’t be bored.
YOUR COURSE TUTOR
Selina Zwolsman
In my career as an interior designer, I've seen many rooms brightened by art and houses transformed into homes with meaningful wall hangings.
I know a painting or illustration can spark joy and bring a day-changing smile to the homeowner and their guests. But I have an even greater appreciation for the mental health benefits that creative hobbies like painting and drawing can bring.
For this reason, my ultimate goal is to encourage others to pursue all kinds of art as fun and relaxing recreations.
