This unique two day course is an opportunity to learn how to make your own artist's charcoal and experience a dynamic drawing experience in the woods, working from nature.

The course has been developed by and is led by Veronica Hudson, assisted by Guy Mallinson. Veronica is a professional artists with some 30 years experience of working in a variety of mediums, her greatest love being working with the extraordinary, versatile medium of charcoal.

Over the two days you learn to select and make your own willow charcoal using ancient traditional methods employed by artists over the centuries and easy to do back at home. It is a very enjoyable, satisfying process to then be drawing with charcoal that you've personally made.

Veronica teaches a variety of mark-making techniques, exploring and discovering all the possibilities of charcoal. As she says, it is a wonderful medium in that it can have the versatility of both painting and drawing, enabling artists to produce anything from abstract expressive work to highly accurate sculptural drawings.

We work in the woods either under cover or out in the elements, as the weather permits. Whether you are keen to learn some drawing skills from scratch or to improve on an established ability, this is a wonderfuly opportunity to enjoy the experience of drawing 'in nature', helped by Veronica's expert but friendly tuition. She can guarantee that the combination of working with wood in the woods will produce creative results for everyone, novice or experienced artist, that will surprise and excite.

Essential Information:

The course is for adults only, and costs £250.00 + VAT (£287.50) per person, including materials and delicious lunches, tea and coffee, biscuits and cake. Tools are also supplied for your use during the course within this price.

The days run from 9.00 (tea and coffee) for a 9.30 start and finish at approximately 5.00pm. As well as stopping for lunch, we break for tea, coffee, biscuits and cake during the morning and afternoon. We promise not to work you too hard! It's a really good, simultaneously relaxing and productive time.

We aim to stop at approximately 5.00 p.m. on both days. If you are arranging to be collected then any time after 5.15 is good. However, at the end of day two we like to sit down for a glass of something ... so rather than miss out, it's best to plan for 5.30 onwards on the second day. Of course, whoever is collecting you is welcome to come down to the woods, any time after 5.00.

Sturdy footwear should be worn and although we can all comfortably work under shelter should it rain, it is worth bringing suitable clothing for the short walk across the meadow to the woodland workshop, and this path can get muddy. Full directions are supplied on booking.

If you have any questions or need further details, please feel free to contact me, Guy Mallinson, direct: guy@mallinson.co.uk.

Course Day Gallery

Photos taken during the first 'Making & Drawing With Charcoal' course, April 2008.