Develop your skills in landscape drawing with local artist and Colchester Art Society President, Simon Carter.

Join Simon for a day of intensive study into landscapes, working in the grounds of Firstsite (weather permitting) with a delicious lunch included. 

Learn the key stages of drawing a landscape, focusing on how we observe and record it on paper, and then how we can use those drawings to work from, initially in larger drawings and then in paint.

Throughout the day you will explore creating landscapes with different mediums including graphite, pencil, watercolour and charcoal.

These workshops are suitable for ages 16+.

Basic materials are provided No experience necessary, just an enthusiasm to learn the foundations of landscape drawing and observation in an intensive one day study.

10:30am – 5:00pm. Lunch included.

What to expect?

We begin by looking at some examples of artists’ work that might inspire us.

You will draw directly from the landscape surrounding Firstsite, either venturing outside or in case of wet weather drawing through the gallery windows, making a good number of fast, loose and energetic small drawings.

Our group will then move to the studio where we look at these small sketches and start to make larger charcoal drawings from them, learning about our initial drawn responses. 

Rather than work towards a polished finished piece we will try to keep the whole process open, exciting and energetic.

We will then break to enjoy a fantastic lunch in Firstsite’s cafe.

Students finish the day with a group of small observational drawings, one or two larger drawings and one or two paintings on paper. 

About the artist

Simon Carter is an artist and curator who was born in Chelmsford, Essex in 1961. He studied at Colchester Institute (1980–81) and then North East London Polytechnic (1981–84).

His work is in national and international collections and he regularly exhibits in solo and  group shows including solo shows with Messum’s in London and Wiltshire.

​Simon is well respected as a curator; and in 2021 he co-curated Life with Art: Benton End and the East Anglian School of  Painting and Drawing at Firstsite.