Painting: Colour Workshop

In this course, Mary will present the principles of colour contrast. The course involves finding colour by painting and then making some personal collages with the knowledge gained. The initial focus of attention is on learning and seeing colour and then exploring the creative and imaginative possibilities. 

You will work on a small scale with gouache colour, firstly by painting and then by collaging. Mary will guide you through a series of practical exercises that develop your awareness and understanding of the qualities and characteristics of colour.

Learning how to use colour and how to organize your thoughts around it is helpful for so many reasons! This colour workshop is both a challenging and enjoyable experience.

You'll have a dedicated shared studio with enough space for you to develop your skills, and the studios will be open from 09:00-21:00 each day. On the final afternoon, you'll come together with students from our screen printing, colour etching and drawing courses for a private view and opportunity to discuss your work.

It is useful to have some familiarity with brushes and paint but this is not essential, and Mary has worked with students of all ages and abilities.

Mary is a practising painter with over 30 years of teaching experience here at Falmouth University. Much of Mary’s understanding and use of colour has been developed during her years of painting, with some key principles of Colour Contrast derived from the work of Johannes Itten in the Basic Course at the Bauhaus.

Feedback from previous students:

“The Colour and Composition projects gave me greater confidence and control of paint, colour and tone. Essential learning for an illustrator.”

“The simple exercises introduce you gently to a basic understanding of colour, which is very useful for people who fear working with colour (like me).”

“Helped me so much with understanding how colour works. Really helped to push and develop my work.”

This is an outline of what to expect for the week.  Each day will include lunch, with time to socialise with your fellow students.

Day 1

After an introduction to the principles of colour contrast with written handouts and visual examples, you’ll start by working with paint brushes and gouache at a small scale focusing on Tone and Temperature. In the afternoon, you’ll work on improvised painted paper collages with the limited colour palettes discovered during the morning’s session.

Day 2

Trip to St Ives. A day for looking and drawing in sketch books during visits to Porthmeor Studios and the Tate St Ives.

Day 3

Back in the studio, day 3 will focus on Complementary Colour, again working with gouache and brushes followed by collaging.

Day 4

We’ll research paintings to work from. The day will then be spent making tonal studies followed by differing ways to use colour – which is more exciting than it sounds!

Day 5

The final day will focus on Colour Inventories, searching paintings to find colour palettes to then use freely either with collaging or to make your own final painting.  In the late afternoon the course will conclude with a mini-exhibition / Private View of your work with our other Art Week course participants and a chance to celebrate your achievements.

Where will the course take place?

Lamorva, Falmouth Campus  

Nestled away just a stone's throw from the centre of town, our Falmouth Campus is composed of industry-standard facilities, relaxed learning spaces and a vast subtropical garden. 

On our campus, you'll be within walking distance from Falmouth's bustling high-street and you'll also be just up the road from Gyllyngvase Beach. 

The campus is close to a large public car park and also just a short walk away from Falmouth Town train station if you're using public transport from Penryn, Truro or further afield.

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