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Paint Wild Scotland
Master the art of painting wildlife in the stunning surroundings of the Cairngorms National Park with two of the UK’s top wildlife artists – Chris Rose and Darren Rees.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Field sketching, looking and understanding through observation
- Animals in action, birds in flight
- Keeping your art kit portable and working at a comfortable size
- Fundamentals of landscape
- Composition and planning
- Recession, depth and perspective
- How to capture light and mood
- Giving a landscape identity
CHRIS ROSE
is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed wildlife artist who specialises in painting wildlife within the landscape. He is secretary of the Society of Wildlife Artists.
DARREN REES
has been painting wildlife for over 20 years and is one of the UK’s most highly respected nature artists, as well as an experienced naturalist and tour guide.
TRIP OVERVIEW
The landscapes of the Cairngorms simply beg to be explored and painted: looming peaks, ancient forests, sparkling lochs and remote glens. And these inspiring landscapes are alive with wildlife – crested tits, red squirrels, badgers, pine martens, capercaillie, mountain hares, crossbills, red deer, divers, and golden and sea eagles.
Join two of the UK’s leading artists Chris Rose and Darren Rees, from the prestigious Society of Wildlife Artists, on a seven-day BBC Wildlife painting course in the Cairngorms to learn new skills and master familiar ones.
This special holiday has been exclusively designed for readers of the magazine, and editor Sophie Stafford will be joining the party in Scotland.
Learn the basics of composition and animal anatomy in the studio, then discover how to bring landscapes to life and capture wildlife in action in the field.
With a group of only 12 participants, everyone will enjoy one-to-one tuition – so whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, you’re guaranteed to learn something new.
PLUS every participant will receive a free painting kit (worth £120) containing all of the materials you need for the course, courtesy of Great Art.
FULL ITINERARY
Day 1
Make yourself at home at The Steading – our home for the week – which nestles in woods by the River Feshie beneath the Cairngorms. There is no shortage of inspiration here! Dinner is followed by a look ahead at the week’s activities.
Days 2–7
Our itinerary for the six full days is flexible and will always take into account the vagaries of the Scottish weather. We will explore some beautiful landscapes where we will learn to paint in the field.
Locations include the sheltered waters of Uath Lochans and Loch an Eilein, surrounded by Rothiemurchus Forest, one of the last remnants of the Great Wood of Caledon that once cloaked the highlands of Scotland.
The area is home to crested tits, red squirrels and capercaillie. An evening visit to a mammal-watching hide will hopefully give us the chance to watch pine martens and badgers in action.
The wild and remote Findhorn Valley cuts through the Monadhliath Mountains in a series of spectacular rocky buttresses. We are sure to encounter red deer and feral goats here and will look for dippers, mountain hares and eagles.
One day we’ll head over to the west coast of Scotland at Gruinard Bay where offshore skerries, dazzling white sands and turquoise waters provide endless possibilities for art – and hopefully we’ll see otters, divers and white-tailed eagles.
During the evenings we will enjoy presentations, masterclasses and show-and-tell sessions in which we will review the week’s sketches and paintings.
Day 8
After a delicious breakfast, we say farewell.
STOP PRESS
The Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) is offering one young artist the opportunity to join our Reader Holiday this September for free.
The selection panel is looking for a young artist aged between 18 and 30 who would benefit from this exciting opportunity. They will need to submit a portfolio of working sketches and field studies that show energy and emerging talent.
Deadline for applications: 25 June 2012
Read more details about the SWLA Paint Wild Scotland Bursary.
Practical techniques for painting in the field
- Keeping your art kit light, portable and handy
- Working within a time frame
Fundamentals of portraying landscapes
- Underpinning painting with drawing
- Composition and planning
- Developing a visual shorthand
- Achieving recession and depth
- Colour, tonal and linear perspective
- How to mix colour
- How to give a landscape identity
- How to capture light and mood
Wildlife in the field
- Introducing field sketching
- The principle of looking and understanding through observation
- Drawing as a tool for learning
- Getting closer: how to make wildlife come to you
- How to use binoculars and telescope for intimate viewing
Animals in action... and at rest
- How to use gesture drawings
- Thumbnail size sketches for a subject in motion
Animals in their environment
- How to avoid problems of perspective, scale, light and colour
In the studio (evenings and during bad weather)
- How to turn raw materials into paintings
- Pooling sketches from the field
- Using other reference material, for example, photos and videos
Understanding animal anatomy
- Notes on basic anatomy
- Looking at detail – understanding fur and feathers
Where: The Steading, Ballintean, Glenfeshie, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland
When: 29 Sep-6 Oct 2012
Cost: £895 per person (includes full board, local transport and tuition – no single supplement)
To book and for full terms and conditions contact Speyside Wildlife (details below)
Only 12 places available – so don't delay!
