Capture the quiet beauty of winter with pen, ink, and watercolour wash.
Join landscape artist John Harrison for a creative day exploring the expressive technique of pen and wash – a blend of detailed ink drawing and delicate watercolour tinting.
You’ll begin the day with a step-by-step demonstration of John’s distinctive line and wash style, with a focus on the importance of drawing and sketching as the foundation of strong visual work. John will break the process down clearly, sharing tips on how to simplify complex scenes and add character through line.
Then, it’s your turn. Working from high-quality reference photos supplied on the day, you’ll be guided through creating your own winter landscape featuring buildings nestled in the natural environment – capturing both architectural form and seasonal atmosphere.
This workshop is open to all, though some prior drawing or painting experience will help you get the most from the session.
Click below to find out what to bring.
What to expect
Time at ArtisOn is designed to take you away from it all and provide the environment, the time and the guidance you need to create. You can expect a warm welcome, skilled and friendly tutors plus the chance to meet like-minded people keen to share ideas and experiences. You can even leave us to clear up the mess! There will usually be two workshops going on and we encourage everyone to mingle and be nosey about what the other workshop is up to.
Arrive in time to meet other participants over a cup of tea or coffee and biscuits before beginning your session at the appointed time. There will be a mid-morning break for refreshments and a chance to talk over progress with others. Lunch is usually around 12:45 for about 45 mins – you can expect a homemade 2 course lunch. The main course will be delicious but don’t overdo it as the puds are usually worth waiting for! There will be a further afternoon break with the most wonderful cakes from Roots & Fruits Home Bakery, a North Yorkshire micro-bakery producing handmade bread and cakes. All food and refreshments are included in the price of the workshop.
Finish time is given as a target – there are occasions when the session may overrun so do let us know if you need to be away promptly.
We aim for your day to be a real treat… of course you could always learn a new skill in a shed or a draughty village hall with a curly sandwich, but we want you to have more fun than that! So we make it a day being looked after, with good food, good company and great inspiration!
What you’ll need to bring with you
You will need your watercolour paints, good quality watercolour paper or pad ( at least 300g with a rough finish, or cold pressed, definitely not Hot pressed- which will be too smooth), brushes, a 2B pencil and a waterproof ink pen or two. John will have his preferred brand of ink pens available to buy on the day.
