Course Description

This cheerful two-day workshop focuses on painting a trio of hens in watercolour — full of character and charm, and all achieved with just three colours and black.

All materials are provided.

Day 1 – Getting Started

We’ll trace the chickens onto watercolour paper to focus on painting rather than drawing accuracy.

You’ll explore colour mixing, wet-into-wet washes, and soft transitions to build your underpainting.

Day 2 – Layering, Detail & Finishing Touches

We’ll deepen tones, strengthen shapes, and bring out personality and texture.

You’ll learn layering, tonal control, mark-making, and expressive detailing.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll have:

• A completed painting of three lively chickens

• Confidence with a limited-palette approach

• Stronger control of tone, layering, and brushwork

Schedule: 9.30am–5.00pm each day

Price: £295 (includes homemade lunch, fresh coffee, and home baking)

Quirky Workshops, Swallow Barn, Penrith, CA11 0UT

 

The workshop will take place in Swallow Barn – a beautiful first floor converted studio accessed by a flight of stairs.  Students are asked to use the free car park provided in the village centre and enjoy the short walk to the Workshop venue – perhaps alongside the racehorses from the local stables, on their way to the Greystoke Castle gallops.  A few parking spaces are available on site for those unable to walk the 300yds, (please reserve upon booking) and some limited on road parking closer to the venue are also available. Greystoke Craft Garden and Barns is a peaceful, rural and creative venue offering an inspiring range of art, craft and heritage courses ~ Quirky Workshops ~ from a C17th farmhouse which was once part of Greystoke Castle estate, in the lovely village of Greystoke. We are just 5 miles from Penrith, the Eden Valley, and Ullswater, on the northern fringes of the Lake District, in beautiful Cumbria, northwest England.

Please note that as this is a joint venture with Quirky Workshops, so the cancellation policy is different from those courses run by me at any other venue.

If you need to cancel your place on a workshop:  If you tell us more than 8 weeks prior to the workshop date, you can transfer to another workshop, (subject to availability) upon payment of a 20% admin fee and any balance due. Alternatively, you may revert your booking to a credit that must be used within one calendar year. In both instances above, a 20% admin fee is applicable and must be paid with 48 hours of requesting the change, and Quirky Workshops must be notified of that payment as soon as possible. Both must take place before the 8-week period preceding your workshop date. If you wish to cancel with less than 8 weeks ’notice, your payment is non-refundable and non-transferable. However, if we manage to re-sell your place at any stage, we will issue a credit of 80% of your course fee, that can be used towards another workshop taking place within the calendar year. As always, the very best solution is to tell us as soon as possible, but also consider finding someone else to take your place. Just inform us of the name change and any dietary requirements before the day. Unfortunately, refunds are not available for this collaborative workshop.

Local Accomodation

If you’d like to extend your creative workshop with a local stay, there are several charming options nearby. Consider unique B&Bs in ex-castle properties like Stafford House or Beech House, or stay at the Boot and Shoe, a cozy pub in Greystoke offering tasty food and comfortable rooms. Visit greystokevillage.co.uk for a full list of accommodations, and don’t forget to explore options on Airbnb as well.