From Reference to Masterpiece

Laying the foundation for a great painting from reference material

With Linda M Anderson

October 25

1-4pm

Turn your reference photos into paintings that reflect your own artistic vision. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to choose reference photos with strong lighting and value structures, then explore how composition and design can help you move beyond simply reproducing what you see.

You’ll consider the intention behind your painting: why you want to create it, who you’re creating it for, and what reactions or feelings you hope to evoke. You’ll also explore colour choices and painting techniques that can help engage the viewer and strengthen your interpretation of the subject.



Before putting brush to canvas, you’ll discover the value of pre-planning through thumbnails, experimenting with values, shapes, and composition to build a strong foundation for your finished painting.

$35

Painting with Words

With DK Eve

November 1

1-4pm

I’ve written a lot of bad poetry. I didn’t grasp the concept until taking several workshops with Juan de Fuca Poet Laureate Wendy Morton. As we walked her scenic, forested grounds, staring over the ocean to draw inspiration, it occurred to me that writing poetry is much like painting. It’s more than telling a story in a concise and rhythmic form. In this workshop, we’ll look at words in a new way and be guided in creating poetry, with activities to suit all writing levels. Whether you’re a beginning beginner looking to start or a seasoned poet wanting inspiration, this workshop will help you find and apply words in fresh and fun ways. Everyone will create their own original poetry.

What you need: something to write with such as a notebook and your favourite pen, or a laptop.

About DK Eve:

Presenter DK Eve is grateful to reside in traditional territory of T'Sou-ke people. She is a visual artist and writer who draws on Vancouver Island’s characters and settings in award-winning poetry and short prose published in several literary journals and anthologies. Her poetry has won awards in Vancouver Island Regional Library’s Poem in Your Pocket contest (2021) and Delta Literary Arts Society Poetry Contest (2022) and is featured in Where We Reside and Still Breathing (Sooke Writers Collective 2022 and 2025), Art and Word (Sooke Arts Council 2018), and Sea & Cedar Literature & Art Magazine (VIRL 2025).

$25

Colour Mixing to Paint the BC Coast

With Robin Woodworth

November 8

1-4pm



Experiment with colour mixing from 6-8 pigments to paint West Coast landscapes in a lively way. A limited palette helps us learn faster how to depict the light effects, values and colours that we see outside. Partly mixing two single pigments and maybe a bit a third gives us richer colour to apply while avoiding mud.

Robin will show how to achieve a greater sense of light in your paintings using the full range of value and colour contrasts.

About Robin:

Robin has been painting with acrylics for 20 years plus 25 years of watercolour before that. She’s experimented with oils. She paints outside and in the studio and sketches wherever she goes.

Questions? Contact Robin at:

woodworthrobin@gmail.com

250-884-1737

Supplies to Bring:

2 small canvases or panels - 9x12” is good. Larger than 12 x 16” takes too long.

Paper to experiment with colour mixing

Water vessel or other as needed for your painting medium

Paper towel or rags

3 brushes - a 1” flat, a medium flat or round, a liner or rigger brush

Your paints - a cool and warm of each primary (yellow, red, blue), an earth like burnt sienna or transparent red oxide and white if painting with acrylics or oils. Most painters in watercolour reserve the white paper as their white. 

IF you can, please bring Quinacridone Magenta PR122 as your cool red and Pthalo Blue Green Shade PB15:3 as cool blue. Together, these pigments can mix very transparent darks that contrast well with opaque mixes including white for sunstruck areas. 

Robin will bring some glazing liquid and soft gel to try out for acrylic mixes that dry with clearer colour than mixing with water alone. Both give more time painting outside.

Robin’s Colour Mixing Palette - one example of a limited palette

Benz. Yellow Light PY175

Yellow Ochre PY43

Cadmium Red Light PR106

Transparent Red Oxide PR101

Quinacridone Magenta PR122

Ultramarine Blue PB29

Pthalo Blue Green Shade PB15:3

Titanium White PW6

Single pigments work best for colour mixing. These are rated Lightfast 1 by Golden Acrylics. Benz Yellow Light is their substitute for Hansa Yellow Light which showed problems in lightfast testing. Pigment codes help you identify the same pigments across different manufacturer’s names. For example, Windsor Newton watercolour Windsor Yellow is a Benz Yellow.

$35

Watercolour Christmas Cards
With Linda M Anderson

November 15

1-4pm

Get creative for the holiday season by making your own watercolour Christmas cards! In this workshop, Linda Anderson will guide participants through creating festive cards using watercolour techniques. A selection of templates suitable for all levels of ability will be provided, giving you inspiration and a starting point for your own creations.

This workshop is also a great introduction to watercolour for those who are new to the medium. Whether you’re trying watercolour for the first time or already have some experience, you’ll have the opportunity to create your own unique cards to share with family and friends this holiday season.

$35

Instagram Basics for Artists
With Beth Cougler Blom

November 22

1-4pm

Would you like to feel more comfortable using Instagram to share your art and connect with others?

In this hands-on three-hour workshop, we'll explore what you want Instagram to do for you as an artist, what might be getting in your way, and how to develop an approach that fits the time and energy you actually have.

You'll get oriented to the basics of Instagram, explore ideas for what you could share, and learn simple techniques for taking more useful and interesting photos of your artwork. You'll have time to practice taking artful photos before learning how to turn one into an Instagram post, including writing captions, tagging and mentioning others, and scheduling posts. We'll also explore ways to interact and connect with others on Instagram.

Bring a smartphone or tablet you use for Instagram, with the Instagram app installed and an account you can access. Bring along 2–3 small pieces of your art if possible. You won't be required to publish anything on Instagram during the workshop if you don’t want to.

You'll leave with more confidence using Instagram and a manageable plan for how you'd like to use it to support your art practice.

About Beth:

Beth Cougler Blom is currently the Social Media Volunteer for the Sooke Arts Council. In her professional life, she is a learning designer and facilitator who has been running her own business for more than 15 years. She regularly uses Instagram and other social media to share her work and connect with clients and communities.

$35

Winter Collage Cards
With Doreen Carscadden

November 29

1-4pm

Spend a few creative hours making two winter-themed cards using collage. Capture your feeling of winter through colour, pattern, and images that speak to you.

A wide variety of collage materials will be available for you to choose from, or feel free to bring paper, images, colours, and patterns from books, magazines, or other sources that inspire you. Please bring your own scissors.

About Doreen:

Doreen Carscadden is a mixed media artist who enjoys creating with others and sharing the joy of creative exploration.

$35

Heritage Christmas Ornaments
With Linda M Anderson

December 6

1-4pm

Get into the holiday spirit by creating your own beautiful heritage-inspired tree ornament!

In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to prepare a blown egg for decorating, choose from a selection of transparent paper designs, and apply your design using gloss medium. Finish your ornament with fancy ribbon and glitter varnish to give it a festive sparkle.

No previous experience is necessary, and all supplies are provided. You’ll leave with a unique, old-fashioned-inspired ornament to hang on your tree or give as a special holiday gift.

$35