Life Drawing in Oils

A new five-week course focusing on life drawing in oils – all the techniques you’ll need to successfully paint the nude in this bold and expressive medium.

This is an intensive and thorough course in oil painting, with many step-by-step demonstrations to illustrate the basic techniques. Not only will you learn how to successfully paint the nude, you will also pick up useful tips and hints which will be helpful to the beginner and the more advanced painter.

The tutor will introduce the Zorn palette and the Spanish palette, both ideal for painting flesh tones. Participants will be talked through the creation, organisation and application of the palettes.

FOR THIS COURSE, ALL PARTICIPANTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE SOME OF THEIR OWN MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT.

These are as follows: Oil paint in the following colours as a minimum - black, white, yellow ochre, cadmium red, cadmium yellow, ultra-marine blue and burnt umber. We will use whiter than any other colour.

Plus: odourless turpentine, flat brushes and an all-important rag! Although this is a basic stock of colours, a lot can be achieved with them, and if you really want to paint in oils, then you will need to invest in paint anyway. You will also need to bring a canvas or canvas board to each session.

Other materials such as charcoal, pencils, palettes and paper will be provided.There are also brushes at the centre that you may use if you wish.

In addition to actual painting techniques, this course has plenty of useful information on materials and equipment and how to prep for a painting.

Each session will look at a different way to begin and progress an oil painting, and the five-week course will end with a single more ‘finished’ painting of the nude.

Tutor Scott Bridgwood is a working artist with over 30 years’ experience after graduating from Chelsea School of Art in 1992. He worked and taught art in Rome (Italy) for 10 years before moving to Leicester. It was during his time in Rome that he developed his passion for drawing/painting the human form, which continues to the present day. Scott has taught at Attenborough Arts Centre for nearly 20 years. He also teaches Life Drawing at De Montfort University and from his home studio in Leicester.

Participants must be aged 18+.

The course will run for five weeks on Wednesdays 10am - 12:30pm, starting on 3 September and ending on 1 October 2025.

If the course/workshop you’d like to book is sold out, we do operate a waiting list - simply contact our box office team on / and ask to be added to the waiting list. We’ll then contact you if a place becomes available, with absolutely no obligation to accept it if you’ve made other plans!

Please ensure that you agree to our updatedTERMS & CONDITIONS before booking as courses/workshops are non-refundable in some circumstances.

We aim to make all our sessions as accessible as possible and carers/PAs are very welcome - just remember to book their free place when you book your session. If you'd like to talk to us in advance of booking or attending your sessions to discuss your access needs, our Box Office team is here to help! Email, pop in or call, open 7 days a week.

We have four blue badge parking spaces outside Attenborough Arts Centre, plus double yellow line roadside parking very close to the building for blue badge holders for up to three hours if our parking spaces are occupied.
Free parking for all customers is available after 5pm on weekdays and all day at weekends in the University of Leicester car park next door to Attenborough Arts Centre on Lancaster Road. The closest public car park for parking at all other times is Victoria Park, 5-10 minutes walk from us (near De Montfort Hall).