Workshops
5 Days | 5 Steps | 5 Video Lessons
Paint Along with Me
5-Day online painting courses, with daily video lessons
Included in Membership to Sophie’s Art School
How Do Workshops Work?
Workshops are small courses that consists of 5 lessons. They are intended to be taken over the course of 5 days. You can take these workshops in your own time of course, but would it not be more fun and more beneficial to do them together with your fellow students? Hook up with some fellow students and share the learning. Workshops consist of, just like most courses in the art school, video lessons that you can watch at any time.
Five Daily Video Lessons
Follow the Five-Step Method
Fast Track Learning!
Workshop Library
Portrait in Pastel
Still Life in Oils
Landscape in Pastel
Pets in Pastel
Self Portrait Pastel
Florals in Pastel
Portrait Drawing
Portrait in Oils
Dressed Figure in Oils
Florals in Oils
Every workshop has the same structure:
Schedule
Every workshop consists of 5 daily video lessons in which I share the progress of my painting. You can then follow along yourself. Post your progress in the forums to get some encouragement and feedback from your fellow students.
(Sunday: welcome, reference photos)
Monday: Setup and underpainting
Tuesday: Colour Block-in
Wednesday: Refining of big shapes
Thursday: Details
Friday: Finish
Is it live?
The videos are pre-recorded and so available whenever you need them. You can watch and re-watch the lessons at any time.
Materials
For oil painting workshops, you can use any oils (or acrylics) that you have or like and any colours that you want. Use whichever canvas is your favourite. Don’t go too big as we only have 5 days; don’t go too small unless you like tiny details. Feel free to ask any questions.
For pastel painting workshops, use any hard or soft pastels you have and a good quality sanded paper (Colourfix, Mi-Teintes Touch, Pastelmat, Uart, etc) that can take many layers over 5 days.
Reference Photos
I will provide some reference photos for you to work from, including the one I am working from (so you can paint along if you like). Feel free to use your own reference material, or if applicable, set up your own model or still life. If you take the workshop again some time, just paint something different and go through the same lessons; you will see how much you’ve improved!
Join Today
Workshops are included in membership to Sophie's Art School. As a member you get access to all workshops, courses, and more. Cancelling takes just 2 clicks, so you could even join for just one workshop (but I bet you'll want to stay!). More info on membership can be found here.
Have fun
Sophie’s Art School is not all about existing skills or how ‘good’ you are, it’s about the joy of learning together! We are all here to share our love of art and to improve our skills. Don’t worry if you are a total beginner of if you just think you’re not very good. Nobody gets judged on their skills and we’re all here to support and share. Workshops and courses are suitable for beginners as well as advanced painters as we work around some fundamental painting techniques that suit all levels.
Watch Some Videos
The (slightly shortened) first lesson of the Landscape in Pastel workshop
Trailer for the Portrait Drawing workshop
Trailer for the Florals in Pastel workshop
Comments Received On Past Workshops
"I enjoyed it very much. My first experience with pastels in a "real" project and the workshop provided a lot of great information (use of, variations of, purpose of different varieties, mediums, etc) that was invaluable."
"Yes, I enjoyed the workshop immensely. Your instruction is very clear, your feedback is helpful and you answer all our questions patiently. It was nice to go through all the different stages together."
"The workshop was great. The videos were nice and short but helpful and gave a useful amount of work. It was easy to tell when to stop and wait for the next stage. Lots of people shared their work and commented which made it seem like a group project."
"Absolutely loved it. I enjoy working with others and this felt like we were doing it together as a group as much as one can "virtually." But most of all I enjoy learning from someone who obviously has a great deal of knowledge and is a gentle, kind soul."
"Yes it was great. Liked the daily build up approach with clear instructions and the video was cool ! Good demo and could go back and watch again if need be. So good to get feedback from you at each stage. Nice to see others' progress and exchange comments."
"I felt really part of something that was helping someone (you) and mutually supportive with others, and at the same time develop new skills and confidence. I did not need to leave the house, park the car, get over group angst, I could do things like shopping/mow the lawn/as useful breaks. A week long residential art treat in my own home. Feeling enthused to keep up painting at home now."
"Loved this workshop! I liked that it was short and very focused and I could see results quickly. Your daily videos were just the right length to give good guidance and not overly long. Your comments on our posts during the week were helpful and very encouraging. They offered specific suggestions for improvement which I appreciated."
"I thought it was fabulous ! The relaxed feel to the videos and the community exchange. It was very valuable to get daily feedback and encouragement as the week progressed. Knowing that I would post my work at the end of each day made me try that bit harder. Great to watch Sophie do her painting, develop my skills and pick up some tips. The anticipation of awaiting the next day's video post was fun!"