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Learn how to develop a drawing and turn it into a finished painting. This course builds drawing skills by focusing on proportion, shape, value, and line, then guides you through transferring your work to canvas and developing it in clear, structured stages. Students may work from their own reference or use provided material, and complete a finished painting developed from their own drawing. A controlled dry brush approach is used to establish value and introduce colour, first in monochrome and then with a limited palette. This creates a stable foundation for confident finishing. Suitable for beginner to intermediate students. No prior painting experience is required, though some drawing experience is helpful. (OAS is a solvent free environment.) Please bring a table cover as well as what's on this OAS Materials List - From Drawing to Painting
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Are you ready to trade your brushes for the bold, sculptural energy of the palette knife? Join me for a Monday afternoon, when I'll take you through the complete oil palette knife process from start to finish. Whether you are looking to break away from traditional brushwork or want to master the art of impasto, this workshop will provide you with the techniques and confidence to create high-energy, textural landscape paintings. You will complete one full painting in a single afternoon. We will break down each landscape into manageable, logical steps, focusing on blocking in values, building light, and applying those signature textural marks. I will provide clear, ongoing demonstrations throughout the workshop. You will leave the workshop with a finished piece of art and a deeper understanding of how to approach your future landscape paintings. Palette Knife with Maria Iva list of supplies for OAS workshop July 2026
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Whether you're new to watercolor or looking to strengthen your painting skills, this 8-week course will help you develop confidence through a variety of engaging subjects and techniques. You will explore watercolor fundamentals including brush control, color mixing, washes, layering, glazing, texture, and creating light and depth. Using botanicals, birds, butterflies, florals, fruits and vegetables, charming cottages, landscapes, and other everyday inspiration, we'll learn how to simplify shapes, build form, and create balanced compositions. Along the way, you will discover techniques for painting fine details, expressive watercolor techniques, and beautiful watercolor effects while gaining a deeper understanding of color and composition. Each class introduces new concepts and projects designed to build skills progressively, allowing you to develop your own artistic style while completing a collection of finished watercolor paintings by the end of the course. Click HERE for the SUPPLY LIST
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Have you ever wondered if you can paint flowers without any prior pencil sketching — and still create soft, beautiful impressions of the blooms you see around you? Join me for this joyful and beginner-friendly 3-hour watercolor workshop where we’ll explore how to paint florals in a loose, expressive style using simple brushstrokes and effortless watercolor techniques. Together, we’ll paint a variety of flowers including roses, peonies, tulips, cherry blossoms, poppies, and anemones while learning how to build delicate petal shapes, flowing forms, and fresh botanical compositions directly with the brush. This workshop is designed to help you let go of perfection and enjoy the relaxing process of painting freely and intuitively. You’ll learn how to layer colors softly, create movement in your florals, and bring life to your paintings with expressive watercolor marks — all in a fun and approachable way. Whether you’re completely new to watercolor or simply looking for a creative summer experience, this workshop is warm, welcoming, and inspiring. Come alone or bring a friend along and spend a lovely afternoon painting beautiful blooms, experimenting with color, and discovering the joy of loose floral watercolor painting. Click HERE for the SUPPLY LIST
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Join Maia for five summer mornings to enjoy a wide variety of art projects. Play with many mediums, colours, and textures, just for FUN! These bright and distinctive pieces are perfect for creativity and dexterity / motor skill development, as well as confidence boosting, since the products are all so impressive. All materials are included, just dress for art!
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If you are new to art, begin your journey here! Relax and enjoy as you discover the freedom inherent in watercolour. In this course, Diane will lead you to learn and control the fascinating interaction between water, paint, and paper. Focus on handling edges, backgrounds, negative painting; learn how to add washes, layers, and texture. From florals to landscapes, you will have fun learning the techniques needed to create a successful watercolour painting while you develop your own style. You will love Diane’s demonstrations and enjoy lots of individual attention. No pressure, just fun! Beginner Watercolour Materials List
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Fluid Art, is a fun and expressive way to get creative! It might just be the creative art form that you have been looking for. No experience is necessary! Come join us, as you play and experiment with acrylic paints in this fun interactive workshop. In this course, AJ will teach you the fundamentals of fluid art: making pouring medium and mixing acrylic paints while experimenting with multiple ways of creating fluid art, including open flip cup, imitation stained glass, chain pulls, strainer flowers, and blow outs. Be captivated by the process; the colours, and the magic and movement. You will have an opportunity to transform four 12×12 canvases and one glass vase/dish into beautiful abstract art that you will be proud to display. fluid art materials list
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Spend a fun few hours immersed in the magical world of Cyanotype with this interactive workshop. This unique form of camera-less photography dates back to 1842 and uses sunlight, treated paper and found objects and botanicals to create striking deep blue images. Participants will learn the steps to creating their own images, exposing them to the sunlight and watching them develop to reveal unique works of art. Suitable for any experience level. This workshop will take place both indoors and outside so participants are encouraged to bring a hat and water.
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Join OCAD grad (a.k.a. 'art nerd') Megan for five mornings of paintings inspired by iconic artists. A variety of mediums will be used to create pieces in the style of Picasso (cubism collaged faces), dot painting (Yavio Kusama), Pop Art (incorporating bright colours), Van Gogh's Sunflowers (impressionism, using tissue paper), and a step-by-step landscape from the Group of Seven. All materials are included, just dress for art!
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This workshop takes the Plein Air (outdoor painting) approach and applies it to the urban environment with the intention of revealing to students the fresh beauty and excitement to be found in these unconventional places. The goal of the workshop is to develop the best painting and design techniques for successful Plein Air painting. Materials are not included in the workshop fee; a list will be posted here soon.
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Out of stock*** This is very probably the only BEGINNER class Shelley will teach this year at OAS.*** In this crash watercolour course, Shelley will share watercolour basics and best practices for wannabe watercolourists and the importance of simplification. Learn about materials, washes, wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, colour mixing, negative/positive painting, layering and some pretty cool textures. Through a series of exercises and small paintings, you'll gain a better understanding of the medium and the building process to create paintings of which you can genuinely be proud. Watercolour Boot Camp Materials List
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Out of stockYou've had a chance to try watercolour but are still struggling with a few things right? Shelley will help you plan your paintings for optimum results, conquer those brush marks in your washes, balance your values correctly, get clean rich colour or bright sparkling highlights that glow with life or create a dramatic effect. With a little guidance, you'll learn to overcome the trouble spots through a series of small paintings and discover ways to make your watercolours clean and fresh-looking! Gentle critiques will help you develop a better understanding of the medium and fall in love with the watercolour painting process. Watercolour Intermediate Boot Camp Materials List
