B0498 - Explore: oil painting – extend and experiment

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Start Date: 13/01/2027      End Date: 17/03/2027        Start Time: 18:00      End Time: 21:00        Hours per Week: 3.00      No of Weeks: 9
Fees:      £216.00 (tuition)     £379.00 (overseas)     £90.00 (concessionary)
Tutor: Mark Batley        No of Places: FULL - click to check
Shadwell Centre

Course Overview

Course Overview
This course supports you to develop ideas through sustained experimentation, building on your technical skills while exploring different ways of working with oil paint. You will adapt techniques, combine processes and begin making more independent creative decisions.
Testing and experimentation will continue with short exercises. There will be focus on developing your work over time, exploring a theme, subject or question across multiple weeks. This allows ideas to evolve through layering, revision and reflection.
You will deepen your understanding of oil painting processes, including layering, surface development, colour relationships and compositional choices.
Through sustained practice, you will build confidence, resilience and focus, with wellbeing supported through engagement in purposeful creative work.
What you might explore
• Developing oil paint handling: layering, thickness, blending
• Colour relationships and palette control
• Composition, rhythm and movement in painting
• Still life, landscape, abstraction or personal themes
• Preparing surfaces (grounds) and building paintings in stages
• Revisiting and developing work over time
• Looking at historical and contemporary painters

What will you learn and be able to do?

What will you learn and be able to do?
* Develop ideas through sustained experimentation in oil painting, working on a subject or approach across multiple sessions.
* Adapt oil painting materials, techniques and processes (e.g. layering, colour mixing, brushwork) to suit different intentions.
* Revise and rework paintings, responding to reflection, discussion and feedback.
* Make more intentional decisions using colour, tone, composition and paint handling.
* Discuss your creative decisions with increasing clarity, referring to both process and outcomes.
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Entry requirements

Entry requirements
There are no entry requirements except a commitment to attend each week on time and develop skills learnt outside of class time.
Prosp User 8

Equipment required

Equipment required
You will need to provide most of your own materials. Materials required will be discussed in the first session.
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How will you know you are making progress?

How will you know you are making progress?
You will have an ‘Individual Learning Plan’ where the course learning outcomes are shown and
where you can set individual learning goals and monitor your own progress against these.
You will need to evaluate your own progress and manage your time.
Your tutor will give ongoing feedback and will keep you informed of your progress.
Prosp User 12
At the beginning of the course an initial assessment takes place to identify your level of
experience knowledge or current skills.
The tutor will carry out informal assessments to check your understanding, there is no exam.
You will complete a self-assessment at the beginning, middle and end of the course.
Your tutor will let you know how you are getting on throughout the course to you will help you
work to your full potential.
At the end of the course you will receive written feedback.
Prosp User 11

Progress opportunities - your next steps

Progress opportunities - your next steps
You can progress to Explore: Oil Painting – Developing Personal Direction (Term C). Please see our website 'Idea Store - Learning' for further information on a range of Visual Arts courses or speak with your tutor. Your tutor will support you in researching these and other courses outside of Idea Store Learning.
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Other info

Other info
We have high expectations regarding attendance and punctuality. We expect 100% attendance for all scheduled sessions and that you do so punctually and are ready to start learning at the start of the class.
We acknowledge the rare occasions when that will not be possible, please inform us before the class by emailing ideastoreadmin@towerhamlets.gov.uk.
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Extra Support

Extra Support
If you have declared a learning difficulty, disability or support need whilst enrolling and you require support/assistance in class or to complete your course, please discuss your needs with your tutor at the first lesson.
If you intend to take an examination and feel you have an additional learning need or special requirements, you must declare them to your tutor within the first 2 weeks of your course. If you are studying in an online group, then you can arrange a one-to-one online discussion with your tutor, after the session, or by email. Where we aim to make reasonable adjustments to support our learners, please note we are unable to provide any type of in class or in person support if your course takes place online.
Prosp User 14