Exploring the Art of Landscape: Our 8-Week Oil Painting Course in Mollington

We’ve just wrapped up another enriching 8-week beginner oil painting course at the Five Villages Hall in Mollington—and what a wonderful experience it’s been! Over the past two months, 10 enthusiastic students explored the foundational techniques of landscape painting using oil paints, and the results were as varied as they were beautiful.

Starting with the Basics

The course began with an introduction to using the grid method to accurately sketch landscape compositions to scale—a helpful technique for beginners to gain confidence in drawing. From there, we applied burnt sienna underpaintings, a traditional approach that helps establish tonal values early on while reducing the glare of a white canvas. This made it much easier for students to judge colour temperature and value throughout their painting process.

Building Layers, Growing Skills

Each week added a new technical layer:

• Brush handling techniques

• Colour mixing from a limited palette

• Working with light and shadow

• Using glazing and layering for depth

• Final refinements and compositional tweaks

Our aim wasn’t just to teach technique, but to encourage each student to develop their own artistic voice. Demonstrations showed multiple approaches, and students were encouraged to try what resonated with them—resulting in paintings that felt deeply personal and unique.

From Blocking In to the Final Touches

By the midpoint of the course, all students had blocked in their full compositions—with tonal structure firmly in place. The final four weeks focused on adding texture, adjusting contrast, and refining details.

In the last two sessions, we shifted to individual 1-on-1 coaching, allowing each student to focus on the specific needs of their painting. Whether it was improving a sense of atmosphere, fine-tuning perspective, or enhancing colour harmony, this personalised support helped bring each piece to life.

A Shift in Scale and Confidence

Many of our students had previously taken our still life course, and it was clear how much they benefited from working larger and looser this time around. The landscape format offered a new kind of freedom, and it was a pleasure to see them embrace the broader canvas with enthusiasm and growing confidence.

Looking Ahead

A huge congratulations to all 10 students for their creativity, commitment, and progress. Your paintings reflect not just technical growth, but genuine personal expression—and that’s what art is all about.

We can’t wait to continue the journey with you in our upcoming bird oil painting course. Here’s to new challenges, more beautiful work, and the joy of painting together again!