Online Art Courses
EVERYONE CAN LEARN TO DRAW AND PAINT
We offer online drawing courses in Line, Tone and Coloured Pencil, with do it yourself (DIY) and tutored options and DIY online water-colour painting courses. Everyone can learn to draw and paint and take time out from the busy mind syndrome that has become such a hall mark of our modern world.
Are You Wondering About Learning to Draw?
Are you wondering about learning to draw, remembering the joy you felt as a child creating your first tree with all the red apples, your very own house with the chimney and the shiny sun?
I vividly recall learning how to put curtains on the windows of my house and drawing myself as a princess gazing out onto the garden at the grass stalks and the red and pink flowers all in a row. This is my adult version!
Yours might have had a boat on the lake or a car in the driveway! What about that super hero; what about your favourite cartoon or film character?
We all drew when we were kids, we loved it. We shared our discoveries with one another, admired each new encounter, explored new media; we became completely absorbed… remember those big, fat school crayons, the oil pastels, felt-tip pens and that marvel of marvels, the graphite drawing pencil.
What happened?
If I enjoyed it so much, why did I stop?
At some age, usually about ten, you stopped; someone may have said something critical about your horse. “That doesn’t look like a real horse!” “You can’t draw.” You might have agreed and thought your drawing looked dumb.
It wasn’t your fault. Nobody knew you weren’t doing anything wrong. You had simply reached an age when you were no longer satisfied with the simple symbols of your early childhood.
You wanted to draw a real horse – you wanted it to look like a real horse. At this stage in your cognitive development you needed to be taught how to “see” with your artist’s eyes, so you could draw a horse that looked like a real horse, not the symbol horse of your early childhood.
How wonderful it would be to draw a real horse!
You can learn how to draw a real horse.
Yes, you can learn to draw that horse, the flower, the fruit, the landscape, the portrait. Everyone can learn to draw – it’s no different than learning any other skill, if you apply and consolidate the techniques and strategies you can do it.
You can do it by learning how to see with your artist’s eyes. You already have them, you look through them every day, everyone does; you just need to know how to activate them. In these courses I share simple techniques which enable you to access your right hemisphere; your artist’s eyes.
“The amazing thing this course is doing for me, is teaching me to see! I walk the gardens here at Parkward almost every day. It now takes me about five times as long because I keep stopping to marvel at the contours of the plants and I have noticed that each duck in the flock has different colours and patterns on it’s feathers. It is beautiful. Thank-you Kimbra” Marg Schrader
But do I have the skills?
Yes! If you can throw a ball, drive a car or write your name, then you have all the skills to learn how to draw.
I teach people how to draw, interactively online and face to face in private classes and workshops. I’ve taught for many years in tertiary institutions and with private students, and have built up an extensive repertoire of, techniques, strategies and skills.
“Joining Kimbra’s “Drawing for Absolute Beginners” private class was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Her classes are the highlight of my week.”
My courses include all the professional secrets that have made me an award-winning artist. They’re here in easy-to-follow, step-by-step progressions that take you through the fundamentals of realistic drawing.
I took the long road but you can take the short road because I’ve used my years of experience to devise a course that targets and solves the issues, taps into your creative centre and gives you a transformational experience of moment-by-moment artistic discoveries.
“I’m REALLY enjoying drawing, I know I’ll get better. Thank-you Kimbra”
Why learn to Draw?
• Drawing is excellent for brain health. Every time you draw, your brain builds neuronal pathways.
• You will use more of your brain. It has been said that the left hemisphere, or thinking brain, comprises about 20% of our brain function, whilst the more visual right hemisphere comprises the other 80%. Drawing enables you to activate the potential of your whole brain.
• Drawing activates Alpha brain waves which are slow, calming and meditative; it’s a natural stress reliever. When you’re drawing all your worries disappear, your thoughts are still there, but they pass through your mind like clouds in the sky. You don’t attach to them.
• Drawing enables mindfulness. We are consciously focusing in the present, aware of what is arising moment by moment.
• It is a source of pleasure. Many of my students draw regularly for pleasure and give their drawings away to family and friends or frame their work and display it in their homes. Check out the student gallery on my website!
• You get to discover your creative potential – drawing is inherent, like singing and dancing.
What if I get stuck?
In the interactive courses I’m here with you every step of the way to guide, encourage, support and extend you.
I’m available with all my experience and expertise throughout the duration of the course. You can ask as many questions as you like and I’ll give you in-depth explanations and do specific drawings just for you, targeting all your needs.
If you do like to work on your own, my DIY courses may suit you. They are tailored to cover all your needs, including the possibility of getting stuck! If you do get stuck, part of the course includes the option for you to send me one free email with questions and I will address any issues that come up.
I am never negative or judgmental, my mission is to extend you, to give you techniques that will enable your learning. I’m here to support you and to help you be your very own greatest supporter!
“Thank-you for your feedback and explanations. Knowing that I’m not doing anything wrong helped me relax and enjoy the process!”
My courses have proven value.
“Hi Kimbra, thank-you so much for your detailed explanations. They really help. I took your suggestions on and drawing is so enjoyable!”
“Thank-you for the great feedback. I especially loved seeing your drawing and reading your comments.”
“I love the way the mindfulness exercises do slow me down enough to observe.”
“I talked to LH just as you say, breathed, did my best to see everything as just abstract lines etc and the flower turned out better than LH expected!”
“Kimbra is such a lovely person and generous teacher. I love how Kimbra makes sure you are comfortable and understand all the topics. Kimbra is very gentle and was only too happy to give explanations as often as I needed them. I enjoyed the course and am happy with what I achieved.”
“Yay, I’m so impressed I managed to draw this…never thought I could.”
“I managed to draw these flowers and I think they are amazing. Thanks for your help and encouragement.”
“I kept wanting to turn the page around to finish the donkey’s head, but resisted and it worked!”
“Kimbra’s courses are fun and relaxed. She is always positive, nurturing and encouraging. With Kimbra I find not only can I draw but I have a better self belief that I can do it and other things I put my mind to.”
“I have learned how to relax, which my husband thinks is unbelievable as typically I couldn’t sit still for two minutes”.
THE FOUNDATION DRAWING COURSES
There are three foundation courses to get you started and give you fundamental drawing techniques and strategies. Each course has a series of straightforward steps, showing you how to draw in line, tone and colour. You will find more information on each course in the drop down menu under ‘Courses’ and in the ‘Details’ section in the boxes below.
Line or Linear Drawing
When you draw in line, you draw the outlines around objects. The art word for outline is contour; to begin with I teach you how to see and draw contours. You draw in line using a graphite pencil.
Tone Drawing
When you draw in tone you do a linear drawing first and then shade it. The art word for shading is tone. Tone just means the way light and shadows fall on objects. When you draw in tone you get three dimensions – your drawing looks real! It’s magical watching your drawing take on a life of it’s own when you add tone. you draw in tone using a graphite pencil.
Colour
You do a linear drawing first and shade it using colour. This is the final step towards realism. The same principals you use in tonal drawing are applied to colour, so you have the opportunity to consolidate what you know and move on into the exciting world of colour.
In this course the transition into colour is straightforward because you will be drawing with coloured pencils, which behave in the same way as graphite pencils. There are beautiful art coloured pencils on the market now – there is more information on them in the course.
THE FOUNDATION WATERCOLOUR COURSES
There are three foundation watercolour courses. Expanded details are in the ‘Details’ section in the boxes below.
Watercolour For Absolute Beginners
Getting started is often the most challenging aspect of painting. Where to begin? In this course, you begin with a list of materials and how to set up your desk. You start right at the beginning! Most people believe watercolour is the hardest medium, I don’t believe that and I have painted with all mediums. It does have a specific nature however and if you learn to work with it, it will work for you. Like the drawing courses, these painting courses are all about getting results, so to get results with watercolour you want to understand its beautiful nature.
Our first course shows you how to mix just the right consistency of paint to water to achieve light tones, mid tones and dark tones. I show you how to lay down perfectly flat washes. One of the issues people have with watercolour is they use the same techniques required for acrylics. If you do this, you get light and dark streaks, dry patches and ‘cauliflowers’. Just what you don’t want! I give you simple techniques to completely avoid these potential hazards and get the results you want – subtle lights, luscious darks and flat, smooth washes.
I teach you the basic techniques above with ‘wet on dry’ and ‘wet on wet’; two fundamental watercolour approaches which give very specific results.
Glazing For beginners
In this second course you build on your learnings and I teach you how to ‘glaze’ with watercolour. This means laying flat washes over the top of light washes that are ‘bone dry’ to deepen tones and colours and create depth and that glorious glow, so specific to watercolour. I show you how to do this without lifting the paint underneath and creating streaks. Again you go through this process with ‘wet on dry’ and ‘wet on wet’ to create the beautiful subtle effects of professional watercolour artists.
I give you some basic colour mixing theory with the three ‘primary’ colours and using ‘complementary’ colour to create certain effects.
Bringing it Together With Autumn Leaves
In our third course, I show you how to paint simple, stylized but authentic autumn leaves by using the techniques you learned in the first two foundation courses. You will find out how to paint straight edges, fine lines and pointy tips without smudging and going over the edges.
I will also extend you with a new technique called ‘layering’. Layering is similar to glazing in that you are going over light, dry washes, but in this case you can use very dark tones to create fabulous shadows.
Watercolour is my favourite medium, I have come to love and respect it and have learned to honour its beautiful nature. I teach face to face students how to paint and know that it is just a matter of getting started and applying the techniques. Below are some paintings done by one of my students after only one year of tuition. She had never drawn or painted in her life and when she began to learn to draw several years ago, believed she would never be able to. I teach the same material in my online courses.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be able to draw and paint. You have hours going by without even knowing it, you get so lost in the work. I would be perfectly happy just drawing and painting all day if I could.”
Read below for the extended details of each course.
Intermediate Courses
I am in the process of creating intermediate courses on still life, birds, perspective, landscapes and portraits, teaching you how to get results with proportion and hence, realism. They will all build on and consolidate learnings from the foundation courses. Watch this space 🙂
I’m here to open the door.
I’m here to open the door to that internal artist who got lost all those years ago. I know how it feels, mine got lost for a while too. I understand the yearning. It’s never too late, the right time, is always right now.
You can sign up any time for the DIY Line and Tone courses and get started on your artistic journey, the specific set of teachings, crafted over the years to get you started and give you the skills to draw whenever you feel like it.
You can pre-enrol here for the interactive courses. They are exclusive and run only a few times a year, so you can sign up now and we will ensure you a place and keep you posted.
Give the artist inside you this empowering gift or gift it to one of your loved ones.