The Basic Elements

Communicate ideas and moods using the four basic elements that make up all pictures shape, colour, application and tone.

This course is aimed at adventurous newcomers to art and those with experience who want to develop skills and ideas.

All pictures contain CATS - colour, application, tone and shape! By working in relationship with each other these four basic elements are how your pictures might communicate ideas, tell stories and express moods and atmosphere.

Through the course students will be given advice and demonstrations about how these elements might be used in a representational or abstract way.

Tutor Pete will give advice and demonstrations about how these elements might be used in a representational or abstract way. Over the ten weeks of this course you will have the opportunity to work in a variety of painting and drawing media and styles, often combining media.

Each week (or two depending on the project) the tutor will demonstrate the potential expressive qualities of each of the four elements to make pictures which are bold or subtle, flat or spacious, dramatic or quiet, energetic or still. Sometimes the demonstrations will be quite abstract in nature but you are welcome to work more realistically or from your memories, imaginations or previous work/sketches. Projects will include basic colour theory, creating space and textures, working graphically or freely and using contrast and similarity.

The tutor will provide visual reference material (usually landscape photographs) and you are encouraged to bring your own to make your work more personal.