Beginners – Northshore School of Art

Beginners Drawing and Water Mixable Oil Painting

“Water mixable oil painting is kind to the body and generous in expression. It carries the depth of oil, while welcoming the unexpected beauty of water. It is a medium worth discovering — even if only once.”
– Ako Lamble

Little and Often.

Written by Ako Lamble

My beginners class is focusing on “Little and Often” “Repetition”. I will help you setting up the system so you can draw/paint daily for just 15min. It’s much more beneficial to do it for 15 min daily than for 2hours weekly.

Improving drawing skills is very important in my class. Drawing enhances the way we see the world around us, conditions us to capture the details. Furthermore, drawing can improve our memory.
You will spend first 2-3classes on drawing (Shape, Tone, Edge) then move on to the water mixable oil painting.

Why Water mixable oils

I had to stop oil painting more than ten years ago because I could not tolerate turpentine. Even when I tried odourless alternatives, I still experienced uncomfortable sensations in my mouth and throat.

As a result, my focus naturally shifted to watercolour, a medium I still deeply love and continue to work with. However, when I first encountered water mixable oils, everything changed.

I realised that water mixable oils were not simply a replacement for traditional oil painting, but an entirely new medium in their own right. They allowed me to combine the depth and richness of oil painting with techniques I had developed through watercolour.

For example, you may be familiar with the principle of “dark to light” in oil painting and “light to dark” in watercolour. In traditional oils, highlights are usually created by applying white paint over a darker base.

In my practice with water mixable oils, however, I often use watercolour techniques such as lifting colour and revealing the white of the canvas to create highlights. What began as an experiment has proven to be both effective and expressive.

In this class, I would like to share how I use water mixable oil painting in my own work, and how this medium can open new possibilities for painters coming from different backgrounds.

Suitable for;

Absolute beginners
People who have done watercolour or acrylic and are curious about oil
Those who love drawing but want to bring depth and richness into their work
Anyone who wants a slower, more tactile and satisfying painting experience

We will cover;

Drawing with pencil to learn how to see shape, value, and edge
Understanding your art materials: water mixable oil paints, canvas/boards, brushes, sealed palette containers to keep paint workable for longer, and mediums
Setting up a simple, portable art kit
Drawing an egg using a monochrome palette to learn the four types of edges: hard, firm, soft, and lost
Developing a 15-minute daily drawing and painting habit
15 min daily drawing & painting habit.
Painting techniques, including working from dark to light, negative painting, glazing, dry brush, lifting, and more
Introduction to colour mixing
Preparing canvas and boards with gesso
 Learning from great painters around the world

Art Materials

You may need to invest some money to set up your art kit, but my aim is to help you do so with confidence.
I have spent many years testing a wide range of art materials, investing both time and money, so that I can offer clear and practical guidance before you make any decisions.

If you already have art materials, please bring whatever you have to class. There is no need to purchase anything new until we have discussed it together.

You do not need to prepare everything at once. The materials listed below will be introduced gradually over the course of the term.

Artist-quality water mixable oil paints (Holbein Duo, Winsor & Newton Artisan)
Brushes: Bristle filbert, bristle bright, small round brush
Palette: Sealed container with clove oil
Watercolour paper: Arches smooth & Medium
Canvas and board
Canvas pads
Mediums: including Water mixable Linseed oil
Varnish

Day and Time

Tuesday evening: 7 – 9pm (2hours)

School Term Dates

Please see the School Calendar: Click Here

Fee

2hour class: $480 per term (10 weeks)
2hour class: $65 per casual class

Teacher

Ako Lamble

Class Limit

12 people

Private Tuition for Drawing and Watercolour

“Some say watercolour is difficult to do. I disagree. It has been used by young children to seniors for long time.
I believe you would say ‘Why didn’t I do it before?’
”
– Ako Lamble

It is like a cooking.

Written by Ako Lamble

To me painting with watercolour is like a cooking.
Mixing water and pigments, placing the mixed colour liquid on paper (wet paper / dry paper), waiting for drying, and placing another mixed colour liquid on it ….

The procedure can be taught to the point according to the recipe, but this is something you need to do it repeatedly until you really get how it works. No short cuts.

That’s why my beginners class is focusing on “Little and Often” “Repetition”. I will help you setting up the system so you can draw/paint daily for just 15min. It’s much more beneficial to do it for 15 min daily than for 2hours weekly.

Improving drawing skills is very important in my class. Drawing enhances the way we see the world around us, conditions us to capture the details. Furthermore, drawing can improve our memory.
You will spend first 4-5classes on drawing (Shape, Tone, Edge) then move on to the watercolour painting.
I also introduce “Line & Wash” in the class. It helped me to get rid of feeling intimidated towards watercolour painting when I started.

Once you put the line and splash the colours on, it looks great! It motivates you to keep going until you get used to handling the water and pigments.

I will teach;

Child (8yo and over)
Adult

A few examples of what you will learn in my lessons

Drawing with a 2B pencil to learn to see shape, value and edge.
Drawing the simple subject perspective correctly. One point perspective, two point perspective.
Learn about your art materials: Watercolour tubes, watercolour papers, watercolour brushes, palettes, a pen & ink, water-soluble graphite, sketchbooks …
Setting up your mobile art kit.
Continuous line drawing and wash.
Drawing an egg with line and wash, one colour: learn 4 kinds of edge (hard, firm, soft, lost).
15 min daily drawing & painting habit.
Watercolour technique: Wet in wet, negative painting, wash, glazing, dry brush, lifting, masking, erasing, scratching, salt, tissue, splatter, brooms and more..
Draw with 2B pencil and paint with watercolour a simple object like an apple: How to see the shape, edges, light & shadow and colours.
Introduction of colour mixing.

Process. Watercolour painting of lilies by Ako Lamble

Art Materials

This is something I need to show and explain a lot about in the first class. You might need to invest some money to set up your art kit. I have spent time and money to test all sorts of materials so that I can give you some advise before you make a decision.
Bring to the class whatever you’ve already got, don’t buy anything until we discuss about it.

You don’t need all of them at once, but these are the ones I would like to introduce to you over the term.

Artist quality watercolour tubes
Watercolour brushes: Round, Flat and Dagger
Palette: travel size
Watercolour paper: Arches smooth & Medium
Sketchbook
Fountain pen & ink / Water proof pen / Water soluble pen
Water soluble graphite / carbon
Watercolour pencils

Day and Time

Please contact Ako to arrange the day

Fee

In our studio: $95 per hour per student
At YOUR home: $100 per hour per student

Teacher

Ako Lamble

Beginners Drawing and Watercolour

“Some say watercolour is difficult to do. I disagree. It has been used by young children to seniors for long time.
I believe you would say ‘Why didn’t I do it before?’
”
– Ako Lamble

It is like a cooking.

Written by Ako Lamble

To me painting with watercolour is like a cooking.
Mixing water and pigments, placing the mixed colour liquid on paper (wet paper / dry paper), waiting for drying, and placing another mixed colour liquid on it ….

The procedure can be taught to the point according to the recipe, but this is something you need to do it repeatedly until you really get how it works. No short cuts.

That’s why my beginners class is focusing on “Little and Often” “Repetition”. I will help you setting up the system so you can draw/paint daily for just 15min. It’s much more beneficial to do it for 15 min daily than for 2hours weekly.

Improving drawing skills is very important in my class. Drawing enhances the way we see the world around us, conditions us to capture the details. Furthermore, drawing can improve our memory.
You will spend first 4-5classes on drawing (Shape, Tone, Edge) then move on to the watercolour painting.
I also introduce “Line & Wash” in the class. It helped me to get rid of feeling intimidated towards watercolour painting when I started.

Once you put the line and splash the colours on, it looks great! It motivates you to keep going until you get used to handling the water and pigments.