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Sunday Watercolours Workshop: Painting Birds in Watercolours
Morning session- 10-12.30pm
Lunch 12.30-1.30pm
Afternoon session- 1.30-4pm
All Materials Provided
Join us for a focused and rewarding Sunday workshop dedicated to painting birds in watercolours. Inspired by both natural history illustration and contemporary botanical painting, this workshop will explore how to capture the character, colour and structure of birds through careful observation and the luminous qualities of watercolour.
The day centres on one of the most important skills in watercolour painting: learning how to build a painting gradually, from delicate, transparent washes through to richer, more pigmented layers. Through demonstrations and guided exercises, Sophie will help you develop confidence in creating depth, texture and light without losing the freshness of the medium.
Whether you are new to the medium or looking to refine your technique, you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of layering, colour and observation, as well as a couple of finished bird paintings and the confidence to continue exploring the subject at home.
A full-day watercolour workshop exploring birds, colour and layering techniques. No experience necessary – beginners welcome!
We’ll begin the morning by studying the form and proportions of birds through a series of drawing exercises. Looking closely at reference material, we’ll explore how to simplify complex shapes, establish accurate proportions, and create strong preparatory drawings that provide the foundation for a successful painting.
From there, Sophie will demonstrate how to approach a watercolour painting using light, transparent washes. You’ll learn how to prepare your paper, preserve areas of light, and build the first layers of colour with confidence. Particular attention will be given to colour mixing, understanding feather structure, and creating subtle transitions between tones.
We’ll explore how the first washes establish luminosity, allowing the white of the paper to remain an active part of the painting.
Lunch 12.30pm–1.30pm
Enjoy lunch at the Farmer’s Market on our doorstep.
In the afternoon, we’ll develop our paintings through successive layers, gradually introducing stronger colour, deeper tonal values and finer details. The focus will be on understanding when to work wet-in-wet and when to allow washes to dry before building the next layer.
Sophie will demonstrate how to move from broad areas of colour to more controlled, drier applications of paint, creating texture, definition and the intricate surface qualities found in feathers. You’ll learn how to use pigment concentration, edge control and glazing techniques to create depth while maintaining the transparency and luminosity that make watercolour such a unique medium.
By the end of the day, you’ll have a greater understanding of how professional botanical and natural history painters build complex subjects through carefully observed drawing and layered watercolour techniques.