Birds of the Marshlands

Art Safari is delighted to have artist Brin Edwards in their Woodbridge studio for a three-day art workshop on sketching birds.  The course will be held... Read more

£295 per person
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Date
03 Jul - 05 Jul 2025


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Location(s)
Art Safari Studio, Minsmere, River Deben at Woodbridge
Suffolk


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Workshop content
Drawing, watercolours


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Tutor(s)
Brin Edwards

Sketching Birds from Life - spend three days concentrating on birds of the Deben and Minsmere, with intensive studio time as well as time in the field

Art Safari is delighted to have artist Brin Edwards in their Woodbridge studio for a three-day art workshop on sketching birds.  The course will be held at the Art Safari Studio in Woodbridge, at RSPB Minsmere and along the River Deben in Suffolk.

Brin welcomes artists and birders of all artistic abilities, including beginners.  He will tutor by sharing his knowledge and demonstrating a variety of drawing and painting techniques. You can expect to come away from this course with a greater knowledge and understanding of field sketching birds.

Learning from Brin and his passion for the feathered kind, you can embark on new ways of depicting birds and other wildlife. Brin often uses a vibrant and lively style by building up a picture using areas of bold flat colour.  He teaches you to give an impression of the subject without fussing over fine detail. Whether in pencil, watercolour or acrylic, this understanding of areas of tone and colour is exciting to learn.

“The ideas for my pictures relate to direct observation and often a spit-second glimpse of a bird will set in motion an idea for a composition. Sometimes an image will arrive, fully formed in my head and will demand urgently to be resolved but often ideas will rattle around for some time before I commit them to canvas.”

There will be emphasis on honing observational skills for sketching birds when working from life, out in the open even when they move around.   There will also be time in the studio for demonstrations and working on sketches and watercolours.

Join us for brilliant days of sketching out in the field and in the Studio at Art Safari HQ. You will have a chance to meet the team here.

We will have convivial evenings together in local restaurants in our home town of Woodbridge.

We will be spending much of our time in the field looking at water birds so please pack suitable outdoor clothing and sun protection – remember it can hot or still be wet and windy in May!  If you have binoculars or telescopes, please bring them, but don’t worry if you haven’t got any.

Artist’s materials to bring:

  • A4 or A3 cartridge paper sketchbook or pad (also available for sale in our shop)
  • A4 or A3 watercolour pad (300gsm NOT surface)
  • B, 2B and 4B pencils or charcoal sketching pencils if you prefer.
  • Putty rubber & mixing palette, water bottle
  • Box of Watercolour paints or Acrylics if this is your preferred medium
  • If you are used to working with coloured pencils or pastels then bring those too.
  • If you are a member of the RSPB please bring your details for our visit to the Minsmere Reserve
  • Folding stool

Itinerary

Day 1Woodbridge Art Safari Studio and Deben River
Day 2Minsmere RSPB reserve
Day 3Woodbridge Art Safari HQ and Deben River
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£295 including VAT.

Includes: art tuition, refreshments.

Excludes: art materials, Minsmere RSPB reserve entrance fee, lunches/dinner – please bring a picnic, or money to purchase a café lunch.

Transport is not included, we will lift share to Minsmere to reduce vehicle numbers. Pub suppers on Friday and Saturday together.

Places must be pre-booked using the form below or by calling us on 01394 382235

ACCOMMODATION: 

Woodbridge is a picturesque Market Town on the Deben Estuary with a good selection of pubs, restaurants, cafes and shops.  Find out more about the town on the Visit Woodbridge website.

Here is a small selection of places to stay which Art Safari guests have enjoyed:

The Station Guest House – 01394 384831

The Crown Hotel – 01394 384242

Hill House Hall – 03194 383890

Seckford Hall – 01394 385678

There are many more options available, including holiday cottages – have a look through Suffolk Secrets and Suffolk Hideaways for holiday rental cottages in the area.

ENQUIRE NOW ON 01394 382235 or [email protected]