Drawing & Painting Course: Beginners

Learn drawing and painting skills with our drawing courses and painting courses in Sydney!

Discover an enriching daytime course offering a comprehensive introduction to observation-based drawing and acrylic painting. This course provides a clear and well-structured introduction to working from observation, with a focus on developing practical skills in drawing and painting.

Initially, students will learn essential techniques for analysing and drawing different shapes, proportions and angles from studio still-life sets, with a focus on creating the appearance of three-dimensional objects on paper. You’ll then be introduced to colour mixing and acrylic painting techniques, building an understanding of how to work with colour, tone and form.

By the end of the course, you’ll have gained practical foundational skills and approaches to drawing and painting, giving you a solid starting point for independent projects at home or for progressing to further classes requiring prior experience.

Please refer to the What to Bring section for details of the materials required for each session.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, you will have explored concepts and techniques such as:

• Develop the ability to observe and accurately draw three-dimensional objects, shapes, and angles.
• Learn essential pencil and charcoal techniques to create effective lines, shading, and tonal values.
• Gain confidence in mixing and applying acrylic paints to achieve a broad range of colours.
• Practice brushwork, palette knife use, and other skills for handling acrylic paints effectively.
• Build foundational skills to create independent drawings and paintings or progress to further courses.

Course content

During the course, participants will work with techniques and ideas such as:

• Drawing from observation using a variety of drawing techniques
• Use of pencil and charcoal to create line and tone
• Painting using acrylic paint on paper, learning to mix and match a broad range of colours from a simple base set
• Paint handling, brushwork, palette knife use, etc.

The learning will be experienced step by step, with an emphasis from the tutor on meeting the learning needs of every individual. You will be informed and encouraged every step of the way.

Intended audience

Who is this drawing and painting course for?

This course is for absolute beginners. Anyone looking to learn drawing and painting basics in a structured and dynamic way would benefit from this course.

Course venue

Rozelle Campus

2A Gordon Street, Rozelle NSW 2039 (corner of Gordon St & Victoria Rd in the grounds of St. Joseph's Church)

Course materials

What to bring to class

• A3 spiral-bound sketchbook
• 2B pencil
• 2x medium charcoal sticks
• eraser and pencil sharpener
• 2-3 cloth rags (eg, old tea towel, sheet, etc, cut to 30cm squares)
• Your tutor will advise you in class if any other materials are needed throughout the course

We provide acrylic paints, brushes, plus one sheet of canvas paper per session.

Additional information

Please note the following

• Closed-in shoes required
• Please wear old clothes
• Long hair must be tied back
• Content may vary slightly depending on class pace, participant interests, and instructor approach.