Drawing Workshops with Amanda Watson
Come and enjoy this retreat-style drawing workshop with me in my studio. Over the course of the day we will explore the behaviour of various drawing mediums and surfaces, experiment with processes and application techniques, and enjoy the experience of high-quality materials. The workshop is limited to four people and together we will enjoy expanding our drawing experience in the ambiance of my working studio.
The workshop is designed to look at techniques that capture the likeness of the subject matter including observational, and blind-drawing, using line, tone, shape, as well as expressive gestural mark-making. It is a time to be adventurous with our drawing and to enjoy learning new things.
I will provide the materials that will make drawing so enjoyable including a range of hot-pressed, cold-pressed and weighted card, as well as some of my favourite materials and pigments. Along the way I’ll share some of the things I’ve found most helpful and enjoyable when making drawings.
By the end of the workshop you will have become knee-deep in drawings, conversations, and drawing encounters, and have experimented with a range of materials and techniques. You’ll leave with at least one gorgeous-frameable developed drawing to inspire when you get home. I hope that you will find it to be an expansive and meaningful time.
2026 Workshop Dates
Saturday 27th June, 10am-4pm (FULL)
Saturday 25th July, 10am-4pm
Saturday 29th August, 10am-4pm - Geared towards beginners
Saturday 26th September, 10am-4pm (three places left)
Places per workshop: 4
Cost: $290 per person [Includes materials].
Location: Amanda’s Studio, 2 John Street, Raglan.
To register please use the contact form below to request a registration form.
*If there is not a full class then it’s possible that the workshops may be postponed.
A little bit about me
Alongside being an artist for thirty years (BFA, MA) I’ve taught workshops in Nelson and in Kirirkiriroa, as well as fine art papers in WINTEC Te Pūkenga’s Media Arts degree programme, given talks at tertiary art institutions in Aotearoa New Zealand and in the United Kingdom. I’m a member of the AAANZ [Art Association of Australia and New Zealand], and the ANZAAE [Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Art Educators], and enjoy being part of the research community at the Waikato Institute of Technology, and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Visual Art Practice.
“Really enjoyable, friendly workshop, accessible to different levels of ability and not at all intimidating. Would recommend to anyone with an interest in art.”
“Thanks Amanda for the excellent well planned and organised drawing workshop you held recently in your lovely studio environment where you you took us through a great assortment of of exercises exploring various materials and processes , ( some of which I hadn’t used or done before), so by the end of the day we felt we had had a very positive experience, an enjoyable day, gained valuable information, added to our skill set and all expressed we would like to return to do more. ”
“I thoroughly enjoyed the Drawing Workshop hosted by Amanda. Amanda provided a delightful space for the day, as well as a most enticing array of tools, papers, ideas, and objects to inspire. Amanda was encouraging, and inspiring - all in all, a jolly good teacher. I really enjoyed the day, and have been enthusiastically creating since I returned home.”
