Creative space with art and design workshops

Everyone has the potential for creativity — but finding time to focus and develop it can be challenging with our busy lives. WITT’s suite of exciting art and design workshops are designed for anyone with an urge to paint, print or explore digital design.

From abstract acrylics and botanical watercolours to wood block printing, screen-printing on t-shirts, or diving into Photoshop design — WITT’s experienced, award-winning tutors will share their expertise and passion in a series of five one-day workshops over the coming months.

Hibiscus, hydrangea or harakeke? Botanical Watercolours is the first, taught by Philippa Berry-Smith, a designer and Senior Creative Arts tutor at WITT. Participants will discuss painting composition, learn about water control, brush handling, and colour mixing, as well as how to build a painting using layered washes. All materials are supplied, and you’ll take home your botanical watercolour painting on paper at the end of the day.

Unleashing a free spirit of expression and being innovative with colour - Philippa will also teach the next workshop, Abstraction with Acrylics.

“Abstract painting allows for a much more experimental way of building images,” she says. Composition, mixing colour, and working with acrylic painting techniques are covered, along with different ways of simplifying and abstracting your image.

An expert digital designer, Philippa is excited to teach the Photoshop for Beginners course in October. “It’s suitable for beginners and anyone wanting to explore new digital techniques in their photography or graphic design,” she says.

With the goal of creating an unreal or surreal image, participants will learn about compositing techniques such as selections, layers, clear-cutting, transformations, and changing colours, before printing their image.

If you’ve had a hankering to create your own design for a t-shirt, award-winning printmaker and Senior Creative Arts tutor Mark Raymer’s two courses are ideal. His September course, T-Shirt Screen-printing, focuses on the versatile technique of screen printing. Mark will demonstrate methods for designing an image, preparing and exposing a screen, and printing the image.

His October workshop, Woodblock T-Shirt printing, introduces beginners to the process of planning an image, carving a block, and printing it using a printing press. For both of Mark's courses you’ll get two t-shirts to print on to (you can bring more) and you can wear your art home.

Philippa say the one-day courses are a chance to experiment, play, and explore without pressure. “We have a bit of fun, maybe get a bit messy, and students get to experience the art department from the inside.

I’ve always loved how creativity opens doors to new ways of thinking and making. I think everyone can benefit from nurturing their creative skills. It’s a way of thinking, seeing, and expressing. And it all starts with giving it a go.”

Each course costs $118.

Course times:

• Botanical Watercolours for Beginners: 25 July, 9am-2.30pm
• Abstraction with Acrylics: 29 August, 9am-2.30pm
• T-Shirt Screen-printing: 19 September, 9am-2.30pm
• Photoshop for Beginners: 8 October, 9am-2.30pm
• Woodblock T-Shirt printing: 17 October, 9am-2.30pm

For more information and to book your spot, click here.