Oil Painting Workshop

Ash Lab Art Studio is running a guided oil painting workshop at Silvan House Studios on Saturday mornings this autumn. It's a seven-week course, with sessions on 17, 24 and 31 October, then 7, 14, 21 and 28 November. Each one runs from 10:30 to 12:30, so you're in and out in two hours and still have the rest of your Saturday.

It's pitched at beginners and intermediate learners, and they're quite explicit about who that includes: anyone who hasn't painted for years, and anyone who's never picked up a brush. There's no pressure to be 'good at art' here, and everything is introduced step by step, so you don't have to arrive with any particular level of confidence. It's a small-group setting, which makes it a bit easier to ask questions as you go.

Over the seven sessions, the course works through the fundamentals of traditional oil painting. You'll cover colour theory and mixing, brush techniques, composition, and how to handle light and shadow. From there, you'll apply those basics to landscape and still life painting, with the aim of helping you develop your own painting style rather than just copying a set image. It's a proper introduction to the medium, from the very first mix of paint through to finished pieces.

All the materials are provided, so you don't need to turn up with your own paints or brushes. The cost is £40, which covers the full course. You'll find Silvan House Studios at 231 Corstorphine Rd, Edinburgh West EH12 7AT.