Saturday 26th July
10.15-3.15pm
What is our relationship with nature, and especially our gardens? What do they mean to us? What is our connection to the land we tend and the plants we choose versus the plants that arrive on the wind?
Inspired by my drawing 'The Artist' my self portrait with poppies I'm offering a
one day workshop will feature a sitter immersed in my blooming beautiful July garden, offering you a rich visual feast to inspire and draw or paint from. Capture joyous Daisies, zinnias, nasturtium, marigold, cornflower and poppies all towering and exploding around the sitter.
How do we capture setting—and what does it add to atmosphere, emotion, and the presence of the sitter? What story does a scene like this tell? And how do we approach it?
Join artist Jennifer Robson for a day of drawing, painting, and interpreting your own portrait from a live sitter, set in the lush summer growth of July.
Capture the presence of a human bean in the bonnie bright daylight, surrounded by nature.
This super-friendly, welcoming class is set in my lovely garden (weather permitting!). Bring your own materials and work in whatever medium you fancy—oils, acrylics, watercolour, charcoal, or pastels. Basic materials are provided, and paper will be available to buy.
You can explore independently or be guided through the process with thorough, knowledgeable demonstrations from me, your tutor.
I have a wealth of experience teaching and sharing the practice of life drawing and portraiture. I adore nature and love being in it—drawing, gardening, and now combining both passions by bringing the body and the landscape together in my modest garden this summer.
This is a rare opportunity to spend a full day making a portrait en plein air.
Suitable for everyone—from complete beginners (even if you’re nervous but want to try), to intermediates refining their style, to seasoned artists doing their own thing in good company.
Please note: This workshop is weather dependent. If Scottish weather has its way and we can’t be outside, we’ll move into the studio—and bring the nature indoors with the sitter! If it’s truly diabolical, the class will be postponed.
Fingers crossed for sunshine!
Portrait in the Garden - Saturday 26th July 2025
What makes a good portrait? How do you achieve likeness? How do you prevent wonky eyes and achieve convincing proportions? How does studying the anatomy of the face help your drawing? How do you achieve accuracy yet still retain expression and style? How do create emotion, drama and atmosphere? How to capture presence and essence of the sitter?
Suitable for complete beginners who want to give it a go, amateurs who want to learn, seasoned artists who want to do their own thing in good company.