Joe Dowden - Workshops

Watercolour Workshops

One day courses with Joe Francis Dowden, held on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

(Itinerary also published on Events page)

Book now by phoning 01903 237096 / 0788 799 8499 Or email here - joe@joedowden.com

All abilities are catered for
There are printed workshop notes
Easy to follow one step at a time demonstrations
One to one teaching
Special hints, tips & insights
A good quality image to work from

Painting by Tony White - Click for Larger Version

If you want to paint for the first time or develop your ability, or if you have felt discouraged in the past, this is probably one of your best opportunities to learn to produce beautiful paintings in watercolour. These watercolour classes are “stand alone” – each one aims to help you produce a complete painting in one day. Any one of these classes can give you techniques to use in all your paintings. Choose which you would like to do – numbers are limited so they are subject to availability. Look at the “past events” tab under “events” on this website, or click here to see past workshops, and groups of painters with their paintings. I base what I teach on my own professional paintings and what I have learned as a painter over the years – see the galleries on this site.

Workshop Details:

Saturday Daytime Workshops 10.00am – 4.00pm
Held at Findon Village Hall - off the A24 - North of Worthing, West Sussex. BN14 0TA. The hall is in the main street through Findon. (Click here for location - will open in New Window)

Wednesday Afternoon Workshops 1.30pm – 6.00pm
Held at Sompting Community Centre, Loose Lane, BN15 0BG. Loose Lane is off West Street Sompting, between Lancing and Worthing south of the A27. (Click here for location - will open in New Window)

Cost: The fees are:

£45.00 for the Saturday classes
(a £10 deposit will be required per person)

£30.00 for the Wednesday classes. - Special offer "Bring a Friend" £50 for two people booking together.
(a £10 deposit will be required per person)

Click here for a Sample Workshop - Boat on a Shingle Beach............

Click here for Old Workshop Details & Images (Opens in New Window)

Workshop Gallery
(Click on any of the images above for a Gallery of all my Workshop Paintings)

The Course Dates

Saturday - Findon Workshops	Wednesday - Sompting Workshops

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SATURDAY January 9th 2010 “Winter Barns”. A snowy scene of old clay tiled barns – nestling in a winter landscape. The methods for creating this in Watercolour.	WEDNESDAY December 2nd 2009 “Little Bridge over Snowy Stream” Old Masonry Bridge over a winter stream. Water, landscape & snow.


SATURDAY February 6^th 2010. “Mediterranean Village Scene”. Sunshine, warmth and a few tricks to solve the challenges of putting the viewer into the scene. Paint architecture and a street scene simply.	WEDNESDAY February 3rd 2010 "Boat on a Tranquil Lake" One of the most popular scenes. A boat on a tranquil twilight lake. Very straightforward watercolour painting.


SATURDAY March 13^th 2010. “Worthing Sunset, Beach and Figures” It can be easy to put figures into a scene. Here is how to create the scene and put people into it. Simple techniques for beach, sea and sky.	WEDNESDAY March 3rd 2010. “Worthing Sunset, Beach and Figures” It can be easy to put figures into a scene. Here is how to create the scene and put people into it. Simple techniques for beach, sea and sky.


SATURDAY April 3rd 2010 “Bluebell Woodland” How do you paint a carpet of Bluebells on a forest floor? Here are easy techniques to achieve this in a day.	WEDNESDAY April 7th 2010 “Bluebell Woodland” How do you paint a carpet of Bluebells on a forest floor? Here are easy techniques to achieve this in a day.

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SATURDAY May 1^st 2010. “Boy Fishing” A picture of tranquility and alertness. The solutions to figure painting, and a few other hints and tips. As with all the workshops this is a step by step class with one to one guidance and simplified steps.	WEDNESDAY May 19th 2010 “Worthing Pier at Sunset” A golden scene, wet sand, ebb tide and sun setting over the pier. Master washes, light and water.

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SATURDAY June 5th 2010. “June Poppies in a Meadow” When a farmer sets land aside for a year or two, the result can sometimes be a staggering display of poppies, a harvest for an artist, but how do you paint it, and how do you get that extraordinary impact? There are a few helpful guidelines. Do you know them? Come and find out.	WEDNESDAY June 9^th 2010. “Sheep and Lambs”. Mother sheep looks on as she guards two little lambs on the edge of beautiful green rolling hills and fields. The challenges of animals and landscape both solved.

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SATURDAY July 3^rd 2010. “Cornfield and Barns” Half hipped red clay tiled roofs, Elm timbers, and the rural architecture of a disappearing landscape. For some these barns are a reminder of childhood - long afternoons in sizzling heat, long grass hissing and the bees buzzing near the field margins where soon to be harvested wheat and barley swayed in the sun.	WEDNESDAY July 7th 2010 “Sandy Beach on a Sunny Day”. Paint a sunny day, wind blown surf, wet sand, sky, sea and figures including a mother and child. Here are the methods for making these this real.

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SATURDAY September 4^th 2010. “A River” I discovered and mastered these techniques while painting along Surreys glittering ribbon of streams, rivers, millponds and lakes. Come along and see how to paint water and make it look wet.	WEDNESDAY July 21st 2010 “Wednesday Field Trip” A day out painting in the countryside. Full facilities, food, cover and parking. Meeting place to be announced.

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SATURDAY October 2^nd 2010. “Autumn Lake Scene – Derwent Water” Based on my painting trips to the Lake District. Try out some techniques for painting glorious Autumn (Fall) colours. Deep wet looking water and distance are all shown while you follow one step at a time.	WEDNESDAY September 8^th 2010 “Beach, Breeze and Sparkling Sea”. Bright sun, wind blowing and sea sparkling in the sunshine. A father and two children play on the water’s edge. Paint the breeze.

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SATURDAY January 8^th 2011. “Old Bridge over a Stream – Snow Scene”. A lovely old masonry arch across a shallow woodland river, a timeless scene as the river winds through an arch which has been trod by generations. More recently this scene was chosen by Hollywood for its rural charm. Step by step help and encouragement.	WEDNESDAY October 6^th 2010 “Autumn Lake Scene – Derwent Water”. Based on my painting trips to the Lake District. Try out some techniques for painting glorious Autumn (Fall) colours. Deep wet looking water and distance are all shown while you follow one step at a time.

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	WEDNESDAY November 3rd 2010. “Boy Fishing” A picture of tranquility and alertness. The solutions to figure painting, and a few other hints and tips. As with all the workshops this is a step by step class with one to one guidance and simplified steps.

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	WEDNESDAY December 1^st 2010 “The Winters Path”. It is near sunset, and a lone figure walks a snow laden farm track, his cottage visible in the distance. Home fire smoke ascends and a light burns inside.

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WEDNESDAY
Date to be announced “Municipal Scene”
Fort Dunlop, Birmingham. The Travelodge Hotel looms behind acres of cars glinting in the pay and display. Security guards check drivers into the contract parking. Refuse collectors in yellow Hi Vis jackets empty wheelie bins and a road sweeper, a Johnston VS800 built at their Curtis Road plant in Dorking, hoovers its way down a service road. Car parks, tarmac, peak caps, security cameras - how to render them all in watercolour.


	WEDNESDAY Jan 12^th 2011. “Lane with Puddles”. How to put puddles in a painting. Paint shallow water to wet your wellies in. How to make it real – simply.

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	WEDNESDAY February 2^nd 2011. “Mediterranean Village Scene”. Sunshine, warmth and a few tricks to solve the challenges of putting the viewer into the scene. Paint architecture and a street scene simply.

	Image to follow
	WEDNESDAY March 2nd 2011. “Worthing Sunset, Beach and Figures” It can be easy to put figures into a scene. Here is how to create the scene and put people into it. Simple techniques for beach, sea and sky.


	WEDNESDAY April 6th 2011. “Shallow Woodland Stream”. Shallow rippling water and reflections. River bank, woodland, foliage, foreground and water.

How the Courses Work

Here is how the courses work.

A demonstration is followed by the class painting under guidance from the tutor until that stage is complete and we move on to the next. This is repeated until the painting is complete.

Teaching is from 10.00 am to 4.00pm with a lunch and tea breaks for the Saturday classes and 1.30 pm to 6.00pm with tea breaks for the Wednesday classes. The venues are spacious, with plenty of tables and a kitchen for refreshments, which consist of tea, coffee, biscuits etc.

Paints from scratch
Joe Dowden produces a painting from scratch in stages with full explanations.

Joe has a friendly relaxed way of teaching. We start with a demonstration of the initial stages of the chosen painting. After each demo, all have the opportunity to follow along and complete that stage, while Joe gives each individual some one to one tuition.

This is followed by a demonstration of the next stage, while the group takes a break from painting and watch how the next step of the painting unfolds. The class follows each demonstration, with the practical task of taking their very own painting toward completion, under the artist’s expert guidance.

Designed to build confidence. Everyone is enabled to get a result by the end of the day. You will find not only do you complete a painting, but you will be able to put into practice what you have learned in all your work. There are also numerous tricks, tips and techniques to be learned. You can benefit from Joe Dowden’s professional insights.

He also comes equipped with a painting of the same scene done earlier. With plenty of large coloured prints of this painting, or a photograph for each painter to work from, everyone can see what they are working toward achieving. A very well prepared course.

So how will you remember what you learn?
The answer is in the final touch - printed detailed course notes, which are done for every class, and are written while the original demonstration painting is produced. With numerous additional tips and concepts, and step by step explanations written with the same level of expertise Joe has employed in his numerous art books, these aid the memory when the day is over. (Sample course included on this page)

Each class is subject driven. You get to complete that particular subject on the day. You can use what you learn in all your work. Through practice under confident and friendly tuition you can achieve much. The hope is that you will be able to use what you learn in all your work. The classes are logically arranged in a progression of subjects, but each is “stand-alone”. You can go to one, all, or anything in between.

Happy Painting

Joe Francis Dowden

December 2009