FLOWERS IN MIXED MEDIA | AINE DIVINE

Taking Bookings

20 Jun

Dates: Wed 23rd & Thur 24th Jul 2025
Times: 10am-5pm
Location: Enniskerry
Skill Level: all levels welcome

Please see detailed workshop information below

If this course is fully booked or not currently scheduled, go ahead add your name to the waiting list HERE

Payment plans available contact us directly

aBOUT THE WORKSHOP

Welcome to this 2 day flower painting workshop. A joyful subject.

In this workshop we will look at ways of describing the floral still life set-up in acrylic and collage. You will be encouraged to find your way in with loose expressive marks. Remember “You can make a wild goose tame but you can't make a tame goose wild.”

I will demonstrate how you can break down the information into simple shapes and describe the liveliness of the set-up in swift moves of a rag and large brushes. Scumbling on dry paint, splashing wet paint. In this way we will gradually ease our way into the painting process.

You will have the opportunity to use collage. It’s a lovely addition and brings new colour and pattern options. The ink and pastels bring liveliness and variety to the surface.

Throughout the workshop Aine will give regular inspirational and energetic demonstrations showing how she uses all these materials. The focus is on being truly attentive to this beautiful subject and engaging a spirit of playfulness.

- Explore flower painting using acrylics and collage in a fun, expressive way.
- Learn to break down a floral still life into simple shapes and dynamic compositions.
- Work with energetic and loose mark-making to capture the liveliness of the subject.
- Experiment with expressive techniques like:
  - Using rags and large brushes
  - Scumbling dry paint
  - Splashing and layering wet paint
- Incorporate mixed media elements like collage, inks, and pastels to add texture, colour, and vibrancy.
- Understand how to balance wild spontaneity with structure in your painting process.
- Enjoy regular demonstrations by Áine, offering tips, techniques, and artistic inspiration.
- Focus on attentiveness to the subject and bringing a joyful, intuitive energy to your work.
- Ideal for artists of all levels who want to loosen up and explore floral still life in a fresh, creative way.
2 day workshop
Easels, boards, tables and water containers will be provided.
Please bring masking tape and kitchen roll.
In my demonstrations I will use ink, oil pastels, stencils and a selection of collage papers along with acrylic paint. (See my colours below)
Along with the equipment list below, you are invited to bring any art materials you already have that could be used in mixed media painting. (Maybe there are materials gathering dust that you’ve never used!)
I’ll bring paper enough for everyone to buy at €3 per sheet.
Expect to use one or two sheets each day.
Mixed Media Equipment List
Acrylic Paint in these colours
- Hookers or Jenkins green
- Sap green
- Lemon yellow
- Cadmium red
- Crimson
- Ultramarine blue
- Cerulean blue
- White
- Vandyke brown (or burnt umber)
- Any Violet or Purple
- Yellow ochre (optional)
  
  Indian ink,
  Any pastels to make a drawn line over the acrylic - for example;oil pastels, caran dache watersoluble pastels, or simple children’s crayons.
  Collage paper - for example;Wrapping paper, old paintings, wall paper samples, old maps or books/catalogues. (You may love or hate collage….so no need to bring loads of collage paper, I’ll have some to share)
  Stencils (completely optional- I’ll have some to borrow, mine are mostly leaves and flowers)
  
  Other Supplies
- A tear off palette for acrylic (freezer paper taped to cardboard backing is a cheap and effective alternative, it comes in rolls)
- Rags, masking tape and a set of these flat craft brushes from Royal and Langnickel
- You may have plenty of brushes for acrylic, feel free to use your own. Here are the two sets that Áine uses - Royal & Langnickel 12 longhandled Brush Value Pack. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Royal-Langnickel-RSET-9315-Handle-Variety/dp/B005H159GW
- Royal and Langnickel large area flat brushes set-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Royal-Langnickel-Golden-Taklon-Synthetic/dp/B0018MD600