Suffolk SketchFest’s inspiring artist tutors include:- Mary-Anne Bartlett, Claudia Myatt, Mark Boyd, Maxine Relton, Lorna Hamilton, Paul Green, Hilary Geelan and this year we welcome Ian Sedge too…! We’re here to share our knowledge, experience and skills of drawing and painting outdoors – and to celebrate the River Deben.
Please register and choose your events in advance on the booking form HERE.
Remember to check your timings as you book so your timings don’t clash!
Workshops last 50mins, demos 30mins, sketching walks last 50mins! Half day workshops last 2.5-3hrs.
Please note that there may be more than one group per workshop and time slot, and that tutors may change.
09.00-10.00 – Welcome, meet the tutors and registration Included in your registration fee is one free Sketchwalk with one of our tutors, as well as the outdoor music and storytelling events on Friday and Saturday evening! It’s going to be a fun few days of sketching outdoors!
From 09.00 – 45mins of one-to-one tuition and feedback on your artwork. 4 sessions available during the day £30 You can book 45mins of one-to-one tuition with one of our tutors. Choose from these subjects:- the natural world, boats, landscape – and you can discuss with us in advance which media you want to work in – watercolour, pencil or acrylic! Or simply come with an open mind! Limited availability.
09.30 – Demo: Intro to Drawing £10 Learn a few practical techniques to get you started and boost your confidence for painting outdoors. Led by Ian Sedge / Maxine Relton
10.00 – Demo: Scale and size in artworks £10 A fast burst of distance and perspective to celebrate these gorgeous views – watch and learn how to show distance and scale in your art in a few bite-size demos. Led by Lorna Hamilton / Art Safari artists
10.00 – Demo: All Shipshape – Boat basics £10 Boats aren’t as difficult as you think! There are a few tricks to have up your sleeve for a successful boat – on its own or in a scene. Led by Claudia Myatt / Art Safari artists
10.00 – Workshop: Intensive exercises for observation £15 Concentrating on different ways of seeing, your tutor will show you eye-opening techniques to make your observation faster and will also make you faster at putting what you see down on the page. The river will never look the same again! Led by Mary-Anne Bartlett / Art Safari artists
10.00 – Workshop: Sketchbook techniques £15 Learn great sketch-booking techniques. Our river is full of activity and this workshop is all about showing the rhythms of this tidal river, picking out key elements and embellishing them. This workshop brings words, lines and colour together. Led by Ian Sedge / Maxine Relton
11.00 – Demo: Café Culture £10 Join our artists at one of the riverfront cafes as they demonstrate how they use their café time – maybe for new observation, or for completing half-drawn sketches, for catching moments when others ’aren’t’ looking – and learn some of the tips of the trade. To make the most of the demo, please buy your coffee beforehand. Led by Art Safari artists / Maxine Relton
11.00 – Workshop: Moods of the River – exploring colour £15 From bustling harbourside to quiet creeks where only the curlew call – landscape sketching is all about capturing the feeling of a place using all the artistic tools available. Led by Mary-Anne Bartlett / Claudia Myatt
11.00 – Guided sketching walk FREE Bring a sketchbook and join us for a walk! This is a way of opening your eyes to this area of natural beauty and we hope you’ll learn sketching techniques that you’ll use forever. On this 50 minute stop/start walk, you’ll be surprised at how many images you will come back with. Your tutor will guide you and help you if you’re stuck. (Distance covered will be less than one mile along the river wall) Led by Mark Boyd / Art Safari artists
11.30 – Workshop: Nature Journaling for everyone £15 Nature journaling is all about packing a sketchbook page with your observations. We lead you through a process of questioning and observations to further understand this area of outstanding natural beauty and to create lively inquisitive pages with nature notes and detail. Led by Lorna Hamilton
12.00 – Demo: An expanse of Sky in watercolour £10 Suffolk skies are always fun! Low landscapes make for huge skies – and dramatic paintings! Watch how artists paint skies – using different techniques to create perspective with clouds and a dynamic background to any watercolour. Learn the watercolour techniques used by outdoor artists. Led by: Mary-Anne Bartlett / Ian Sedge
12.00 – Workshop: Unusual Drawing Tools for landscape £15 Picking up an unfamiliar drawing tool leads us to make exciting new marks. This workshop introduces a range of unusual tools to broaden your expressive mark-making. The intrigue of new pens, quills, feathers and sticks will take you into a new world of landscape sketching. Led by Maxine Relton
12.30 – Demo: Collage – Drawing with Scissors £10 Watch how to cut and create collage while you are outside – Matisse on the go! This direct method is exciting and makes you simplify your shapes and observations, creating fantastic results. Led by Mark Boyd
13.00 – LUNCH TIME
13.30 – 16.00- Half Day Workshop: Boats and Harbours £40 Relax into a longer workshop to learn about sketching and painting our maritime heritage. During this session you will be guided through the process of painting a harbour scene, using a series of your own sketches. Led by Claudia Myatt / Ian Sedge
14.00 – Demo: Landscape & the Tide Mill (sketching with watercolour) £10 The iconic Tide Mill features in thousands of paintings – and it’s always worth painting again! It’s bright white and beautiful and we’ll show you how to tackle this much-loved building. Led by Mary-Anne Bartlett
14.00 – Workshop: Feathered friends – birds of the Deben £15 Let your ideas fly after you have learned the simple methods of drawing birds. This workshop aims to give you the confidence to sketch, redshanks and oystercatchers on your shores and swans and ducks in the river. Led by Mark Boyd
14.00 – Under 16s Workshop: Nature Journaling £15 Intro to outdoor sketching for youngsters – learn the techniques of nature journaling, creating pictures and learning about the natural world. Led by Lorna Hamilton
14.30 – Workshop: Exploring curiosity and wonder in nature £15 Create playful and inquisitive sketchbook diary pages of the river, with guidance on what to look for, how to make nature notes and how to store the sense of wonder on paper. The Deben’s area of outstanding natural beauty gives inspiring subjects for nature sketching. Led by Lorna Hamilton / Mark Boyd
15.00 – Guided sketching walk FREE Bring a sketchbook and join us for a walk! This is a way of opening your eyes to this area of natural beauty and we hope you’ll learn sketching techniques that you’ll use forever. On this 50 minute stop/start walk, you’ll be surprised at how many images you will come back with. Your tutor will guide you and help you if you’re stuck. (Distance covered less than one mile along the river wall). Led by Hilary Geelan
15.30 – Workshop: Exploring Brushstrokes A guided exploration of gestural marks and general stroke vocabulary, using Indian ink and a wide range of brushes on both sides of a large sheet of paper which is then folded into a book. Materials supplied. Led by Maxine Relton
15.00 – Workshop: The Art of Conservation £15 Use this thought-provoking hour for a deeper understanding of the conservation issues facing the River Deben. On your sketchbook pages you may focus on migration, water levels, mud flats and reed beds to give deeper meaning to your paintings. Led by Mary-Anne Bartlett
16.00 – Demo: Skekching swallows and swifts £10 Woodbridge summer skies are alive with the sound of swifts, especially in recent years as numbers have increased due to residents and businesses encouraging them with nesting boxes on buildings. Learn how to draw them by watching this demo. Led by Mark Boyd
16.30-17.00 – Throwdown FREE Bring your sketches and a cup of tea. Show others, share ideas and to talk about what you have seen and picked up today. This is an untutored session, though our tutors will try to be around!
17.00 – Music event FREE Woodbridge is brimming with musicians – and we have some special salty ones for you to play sea shanties and ballads. Sketch while you watch, or sit back and enjoy. Bring your own stool.
17.00 – Workshop: Tide Mill – Sketching inside the mill £15 Woodbridge is fortunate to have a fully working tide mill on the quayside and we have arranged a private opening for SketchFest participants in small groups. You will be able see and sketch the workings of the mill as well as the mill wheel and the views from the deck. You can also buy some freshly milled flour! Led by Claudia Myatt / Maxine Relton
18.00 – Al fresco Supper £20 Only 40 tickets available for our al fresco supper – join us for bubbles + a yummy vegetarian or meat choice.
From 9am – 45mins of one-to-one tuition. Ask us for availability!! £30 You can book 45mins of one-to-one tuition with one of our tutors. Choose from these subjects:- natural beauty, boats, landscape – and you can discuss with us in advance which media you want to work in – watercolour, pencil or acrylic! Or simply come with an open mind! Our tutors will wear masks. Limited availability. Only 4 sessions available during the day. Led by Mark Boyd, Mary-Anne Bartlett, Lorna Hamilton, Ian Sedge
08.00 – Early Birds £15 Join us for a birding walk with your sketchbook before the day really begins. It’s a great time of day to listen, observe and sketch. Led by Art Safari Artists
09.30 – Demo: Intro to Drawing £10 Learn some exciting new techniques for improving your drawing skills, gain your own artistic voice in unique mark-making in outdoor sketching. Led by Mark Boyd / Lorna Hamilton
09.30 – Demo: Black and White for Nature £10 Sticking to black and white in an image is fun. We take you through a simplification process that you will be tempted to use through the whole sketchbook. Striking and graphic, this really works! Led by Maxine Relton / Ian Sedge
10.00 – Workshop: Intensive exercises for observation £15 Every time you look you take in more information – concentrating on ways of seeing, your tutor will show you eye-opening techniques to make your observation faster and will also make you faster at putting what you see down on the page. The river will never look the same again! Led by Mark Boyd / Mary-Anne Bartlett
10.00 – Half Day Workshop: Wire Sculpture bird drawings £40 Learn the art of making birds from coloured wire to create delightful sculptures. Sketching in three dimensions with wire is a great way of stretching your mind and your observational skills. Materials supplied. Led by Paul Green
10.30 – Workshop: Starting with colour £15 Learn to play with your colours, start with a dot of ultra-marine, burnt sienna and yellow ochre and mix the colours of the natural world around us. Enjoy the way colour affects composition and appeal. Led by Lorna Hamilton / Maxine Relton
11.00 – Workshop: Botanical Art on the go From reeds to sea lavender, seaweed and salt plants, seedheads to grasses, the landscape here has plenty for us to focus on. Learn the skill of botanical observation and illustrative technique. Led by Hilary Geelan
11.00 – Demo: Cafe Culture £10 Join our artists at one of the riverfront cafes as they demonstrate how they use their cafe time – for new observation, or for completing half-drawn sketches, for catching moments when other’s aren’t looking – and learn some of the tips of the trade. To make the most of the demo, please buy your coffee beforehand. Led by Art Safari tutors
11.00 – Guided sketching walk FREE Bring a sketchbook and join us for a walk! This is a way of opening your eyes to this area of natural beauty and we hope you’ll learn sketching techniques that you’ll use forever. On this 50 minute stop/start walk, you’ll be surprised at how many images you will come back with. Your tutor will guide you and help you if you’re stuck. (Distance covered less than one mile along the river wall). Led by Ian Sedge
11.30 – Demo: Composition and Colour mapping £10 Learn a few tips on how to select a scene, where to place the horizon and how to create good compositions from the views around you. Also learn the wonderful tricks of colour mapping. Led by Mary-Anne Bartlett / Art Safari artists
12.30 – Workshop: Line and wash £15 Combine pen lines and watercolour washes to create lively and effective sketches. Sketching pens will be available to borrow and to buy as you learn a few tricks of the trade. Led by Ian Sedge / Mark Boyd
12.30 – Demo: Mark-making – the twist of a pencil £10 Learn how to explore the quality of line, the strength of tone and that wonderful feeling of release as a pencil finds its mark. Led by Lorna Hamilton / Hilary Geelan
13.30 – Demo: the colours of mud (watercolour) £10 The muted colours of nature can be challenging to paint without your palette turning to the wrong kind of mud. Learn a few tips on how to capture the subtle and ever-changing colours of the tideline and salt marsh. Led by Mary-Anne Bartlett / Maxine Relton
14.00 Demo: Waders and waddlers – redshanks, swans and oystercatchers £10 Wildlife is part of our river. We learn a few great tips for how to draw birds, and how to put them into our landscapes. During the demo we’ll also learn about the birds and their habits and how to react and listen to this beautiful birdscape. Led by Mark Boyd / Lorna Hamilton
14.00 – Workshop: Black and white Concertina Sketchbook £15 Stick to black and white to develop images of the river in a flowing concertina sketchbook, ideal for sketching on the go. Each page has its identity but can be seen as a visual narrative when open, connected by the simplicity of line and monochrome. Led by Maxine Relton / Ian Sedge
14.00 – Half Day workshop: An Artist’s Compass £40 Spend an afternoon concentrating on views from the points of the compass, noticing changing light and shadows. Settle into your painting and relax into composition, colour-mixing and layering your observations. With 360 degree views from the river wall, you can choose to look inland or out to the river. Led by Hilary Geelan
14.30 – Under 16s Workshop: Nature Journaling £15 Intro to outdoor sketching for youngsters! Nature journaling is all about packing a sketchbook page what you see and get excited about. We go through questions and observations to understand the river more. We aim to create lively inquisitive pages with nature notes and detail. Led by Lorna Hamilton
15.00 Workshop: Waterbrush landscapes £15 Revolutionize your outdoor sketching with a waterbrush and watercolour. You will learn how to mix colour, create washes, find interesting defining lines so you can enjoy a new way of working outdoors – without pencils, without waterpots. We’ll concentrate on a Deben landscape. We have waterbrushes for you to borrow. Led by Mary-Anne Bartlett / Ian Sedge
15.00 – Demo: Placing people in landscape £10 Learn how to put people in landscape. Our river is a place for walking, sailing, swimming and kayaking – and so let’s put people in our paintings! Led by Maxine Relton / Art Safari artists
15.00 – Guided sketching walk FREE Bring a sketchbook and join us for a walk! This is a way of opening your eyes to this area of natural beauty and we hope you’ll learn sketching techniques that you’ll use forever. On this 50 minute stop/start walk, you’ll be surprised at how many images you will come back with. Your tutor will guide you and help you if you’re stuck. (Distance covered less than one mile along the river wall). Led by Mark Boyd
15.30 – Workshop: Marker Pens for Powerful Composition £15 Using a single broad black marker pen, we aim to pick out only the darkest shapes of a chosen outdoor scene, ignoring all light values and half-tones. Disregarding the identity of individual objects and trying to see only the linked shapes of darks is not something our brain is used to doing but it’s a valuable skill to learn. It teaches us to see and connect shapes into a coherent whole and create strong compositions. Materials supplied. Led by Maxine Relton / Ian Sedge
15.30 – Workshop: Maritime Details £15 Knots, chains, anchors, rudders, halyards, portholes, buoys, baggywrinkles, so oh much more – make pages of nautical details from the boats on the quays Led by Mary-Anne Bartlett
16.00 – Demo: A Conversation with your painting £10 Allowing ourselves to have a conversation with a painting permits us to move into our feelings and towards abstraction. You will find yourself expressing yourself more, moving away from painting solely what you see so that your artwork comes from inside you. So satisfying! Led by Ian Sedge
17.00 – Storytelling event FREE TO PARTICIPANTS Put down your brushes – come and join professional storyteller Anne Pitcher as she weaves a tapestry of tales, capturing the ebb and flow of the river’s wildlife and people, past and present through story.
From 9am – 45mins of one-to-one tuition. Ask us for availability!! £30 You can book 45mins of one-to-one tuition with one of our tutors. Choose from these subjects:- natural beauty, boats, landscape – and you can discuss with us in advance which media you want to work in – watercolour, pencil or acrylic! Or simply come with an open mind! Our tutors will wear masks. Limited availability. Only 5 sessions available during the day. Mark Boyd, Claudia Myatt, Maxine Relton, Mary-Anne Bartlett, Lorna Hamilton
08.30 – Early Birds £15 Join us for a birding walk with your sketchbook before the day really begins. It’s a great time of day to listen, observe and sketch. The River Deben is home to many species of wading bird including curlews, lapwings, egrets and godwits. Learn how to draw birds from life with this demo from an artist who specialises in all things feathered. Led by Mark Boyd / Art Safari Artists
09.30 – Demo: Suffolk Skylines and marsh rhythm £10 This is all about learning to look at landscape differently. In this demo we focus on one view, playing the whispering repetition of the reeds against a more definite stark architectural horizon line. Led by Maxine Relton / Mary-Anne Bartlett
10.00 – Half Day workshop: Sketching Walk £40 Explore the riverine landscapes and estuarine wildlife of the area of outstanding natural beauty by walking along the river wall to find quiet painting spots where you can paint for longer. Led by Mark Boyd
10.00-12.30 – Half Day workshop: Make your own Sketchbook Come into the studio for this workshop to learn how to make your own Coptic bound sketchbook. Materials supplied. Led by Hilary Geelan
10.00 – Demo: the colours of mud (watercolour) £10 The muted colours of nature can be challenging to paint without your palette turning to the wrong kind of mud. Learn a few tips on how to capture the subtle and ever-changing colours of the tideline and salt marsh. Led by Claudia Myatt / Mary-Anne Bartlett
10.30 – Workshop: Black and white Concertina Sketchbook £15 Stick to black and white to develop images of the river in a flowing concertina sketchbook, ideal for sketching on the go. Each page has its identity but can be seen as a visual narrative when open, connected by the simplicity of line and monochrome. Led by Maxine Relton / Ian Sedge
11.00 – Demo: Cafe Culture £10 Join our artists at one of the riverfront cafes as they demonstrate how they use their cafe time – for new observation, or for completing half-drawn sketches, for catching moments when others aren’t looking – and learn some of the tips of the trade. To make the most of the time, please buy your coffee beforehand. Led by Art Safari artists
11.00 – Workshop: Be wild, be creative £15 Take an exciting approach to looking at the river and its nature – being bold with your marks and your painting style. Using innovative approaches to make your sketches of this natural environment more contemporary, fun and full of character, you will come back with a series of ideas and sketches. Led by Ian Sedge / Mark Boyd
11.30 – Demo: How to draw boats £10 Woodbridge harbour and the river is full of all sorts of boats, but you don’t to be a sailor to draw convincingly; it’s all down to observation. Learn a few tips to help tackle a subject that can seem daunting. Led by Claudia Myatt / Maxine Relton
11.30 – Workshop: People, ice-cream and dogs £15 Let’s look at the people that walk along the river wall! Take time to explore the landscape of the area of outstanding natural beauty, concentrating on the river wall and how to place your wildlife or people realistically into your paintings to make spaces breath. Led by Lorna Hamilton
12.00 – Workshop: Kingston Water meadows £15 Inhabited by cows and birdlife, full of interesting plants, flanked by willows on one side and the drainage ditches below the river wall, the Kingston watermeadows could be scenes from Constable. Spend time sketching them with us. Led by Mary-Anne Bartlett
12.00 – Guided sketching walk FREE Bring a sketchbook and join us for a walk! This is a way of opening your eyes to this area of natural beauty and we hope you’ll learn sketching techniques that you’ll use forever. On this 50 stop/start walk, you’ll be surprised at how many images you will come back with. Your tutor will guide you and help you if you’re stuck. (Distance covered less than one mile along the river wall) Led by Lorna Hamilton
12.00 – Workshop: Vibrant Colour and line drawing – Urban Sketching style! £15 Work with intense colour in an exciting workshop to explore the strong shapes of the riverfront, using details of the barges and houseboats for your sketches. Graphic and illustrative this is a style that tells of being present! Use inks or watercolour. Led by Ian Sedge / Maxine Relton
13.00 – LUNCHTIME
13.30 – Demo: Expanses of Sky – big brush watercolour We’re famous for our Suffolk skies! Flat landscapes make for huge skies – and make dramatic paintings! Watch how artists paint skies – using different techniques to create clouds and a dynamic background to any watercolour. Learn the watercolour techniques used by outdoor artists. Led by: Mary-Anne Bartlett / Ian Sedge
14.00 – Workshop: Water and Reflections £15 The most appealing subjects can be the most challenging. An introduction to how light and water work together and the ways you can capture these ever changing illusions in lines, tones and shades. Led by Mark Boyd / Maxine Relton
14.00 – Demo: Scale and size in artworks £10 A second chance for a fast burst of distance and perspective to celebrate these gorgeous views – watch and learn how to show distance and scale in your art in a few bite-size demos. Led by Lorna Hamilton / Hilary Geelan
14.30 – Demo: Placing people in landscape £10 A second chance to learn how to put people in landscape. Our river is a place for walking, sailing, swimming and kayaking – and so let’s put people in our paintings! Led by Maxine Relton / Ian Sedge
14.30 – Demo: Simplicity in watercolour £10 Complicated riverscapes, boat clutter and a confusion of noise can be simplified. Watch how an artist whittles down a busy subject to a calm scene that captures the serenity of a beautiful place. Led by Claudia Myatt / Mary-Anne Bartlett
15.00 – Throwdown FREE Bring your sketches and a cup of tea. Show others, share ideas and to talk about what you have seen and picked up today. This is an untutored session, though our tutors will try to be around!
15.00 – FINAL GATHERING & PRIZE GIVING FREE All participants and all SketchFest tutors
There are many tempting places for coffees and treats, breakfasts and lunches along the river wall – we will let you choose where to go while you take your breaks.
Bring your own sketching materials – we’ll send you a list of the essentials in advance
Please note that we may have last minute changes to the tutors. All of our events take place outdoors in the fresh air, whatever the weather.