Two-day Courses - Frequently Asked Questions
I'm a complete beginner and have never painted before. Are the two-day courses suitable for someone like me?
The two-day courses are advertised as being suitable for all abilities, therefore the spread of painting ability in any one group can be quite diverse. It is quite common for there to be, on average, two or three total beginners in a group (sometimes there are more, of course).

Because the numbers in a group are restricted, wherever possible, to a maximum of 12 (7 at Hawes), the activities over the course of two days can be tailored to suit individuals in that particular group (in fact, it is often the participants themselves that help shape a workshop).

As a beginner, you will be made most welcome.

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How much walking is involved?
All the painting activities on all the workshops are produced either from sketches or from life. This means that the first task on any course is to go out on a short sketching exercise (usually taking us up to lunchtime).

All the outdoor sketching activities are kept to within a short distance (10 - 15 minutes strolling time, maximum) to cater for the less agile members of a group.

Having said this, they do vary slightly in terms of terrain. To help you, here is a brief description of each venue, graded according to ease of walking:

Goathland:
Goathland Village Hall is set within its own grounds which are flat and easy to get around. There are no steps into the hall, so disabled access is good. Goathland itself is gently sloping, with good roads and walkways. This venue offers, by far, the easiest terrain for those with walking difficulties.

Clapham:
Clapham is also a relatively 'flat' village. Although everything is within an easy ten minute walk of the Village Hall, participants will probably walk just a little bit further during the course of the sketching session than in Goathland. The hall is on one level, with no steps, so disabled access is good.

Grasmere
Situated in the heart of the Lake District, Grasmere village is on level terrain. However, to reach the best views requires a good 10 - 15 minutes walk with a gentle-to-medium climb (of about 80 feet ascent) onto Butherlyp Howe. Although Grasmere Village Hall has full disabled access, this venue is not recommended for people with serious walking difficulties.

Hartington
Hartington Village Hall is well-equipped and modernised and provides good disabled access. The village of Hartington itself provides a wealth of subject matter within easy, leisurely, walking distance. If the weather is particularly good, and the group is mutually agreed on walking a little further, however (an extra 10-15 minutes walking), some of the best landscape the Peak District has to offer is within reach - on the outskirts of the village (Beresford & Wolfscote Dales are a short drive away).

Watermillock
Situated close to Ullswater, Watermillock Village Hall is within a short driving distance of many of Lakelands finest views. Activities can be kept within the local vicinity of the hall, but to maximize on this location, participants will be asked to consider branching out, in one or two short car journeys, to obtain the best sketching / painting material.

Staithes
This venue is really not recommended for people who suffer with walking difficulties. Access to the village is via a very steep hill, approximately 1/4-mile from the only car park in Staithes (although cars may be brought down temporarily for the purposes of unloading gear). Activities may also involve a small amount of scrambling over rocks

Newbiggin-in-Teesdale
Although the village of Newbiggin is relatively flat, a short walk of 10-15 minutes will be necessary in order to get to the venue's primary sketching / painting subject; ie. Low Force.

Hawes
As with most of the venues, Hawes will require a short 10-15 minute walk, over uneven ground, to reach some of the venue's best subjects.

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Why do you not run a deposit system?
Quite simply, a deposit system would create more paperwork. The bookings system in place at present offers the most straightforward method of dealing with placements with the minimum amount of administration.

Anyone enquiring via telephone or email about a workshop will be asked if they would like their name placed on the list for that weekend. This placement remains a provisional booking only until the required fee has been paid in full (at present, places will only be held on a provisional basis for up to 10 days following an enquiry). All applications, either by postal application form or by the secure order form on the website must be accompanied by the full fee. Only on receipt of that application can the placement be fully guaranteed and deemed to be secure.

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What happens if I cannot make it to a workshop I've already booked?
Providing notification is received in writing up to 4 weeks before the start of a course, the option of switching to an alternative workshop (providing space is available) or a full refund (less £10 cancellation fee) will be offered.

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How rigid is the timetable?
The simple answer to this is: not at all! All courses are run on a strictly informal basis. The timetable provided on this website and in the printed literature is intended as a rough guide only. Every group is different. The group dynamics on one workshop will often be completely different to that on another.

Having said this, every effort is made to start as near to 10am on the first morning and finish at around 5pm each afternoon. Lunchtime (lasting approximately 1 hour) may begin anytime between 12 noon and 1.30pm.

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How come courses are always booked up before I hear about them?
There is no pattern governing how quickly courses are going to fill up.

If you are interested in attending a course then you are strongly advised to book sooner rather than later.

A new year's list of dates are always posted on the website first. The best way to ensure of being amongst the very first to receive notification of those dates is by registering with the website, via the form on the left-hand panel of your screen. If you do not wish to register your details with the website, but would still like early notification of course dates via email, simply send an email to info@peterwoolley.co.uk asking to be added to the weekend courses mailing list (That list usually goes out at about the same time as it is mentioned in the registered-users' regular newsletter).

Finally, you may request notification by post. Just email your postal details to info@peterwoolley.co.uk. Be warned, however, that this list does not usually go out until the end of August, when many places have already been filled (often by people attending courses in the current year).

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Do you take group bookings?
Yes. Bookings are welcome from groups providing there are spaces available on that course. Unfortunately, discounts cannot be offered to groups. Wherever possible, places are limited to 12 participants on any one course. Sometimes, for various reasons, this number may be exceeded (up to a top limit of 15). Should a group wish to block-book a workshop (this can only happen if no other bookings have already been received from elsewhere), and a larger number of participants is required, then the top limit can be set by the group themselves (although 20 or under is recommended).

Regular booking conditions apply.

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What happens at lunchtime? Do I need to bring sandwiches?
All the venues have fully-equipped kitchens and tea and coffee is provided free of charge by the organiser. What you do at lunchtime is largely a matter of personal choice. Many people bring either pre-prepared sandwiches or stuff to make sandwiches up in the kitchen (all venues have a fridge for food storage, with the exception of Grasmere). All venues also have local shops and places to eat in should you prefer it.

An hour is always allocated for lunch, so as long as everyone is back at the hall in time for the afternoon session, your time is your own (lunchtime can be an ideal opportunity to explore the local vicinity).

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What will I need to bring on a two-day workshop?

Watercolour paints/brushes you usually use
Basically, just bring everything you normally use - if it'll fit in the boot of the car, bring it!
My palette: ie. the colours I will be using throughout the workshop are:

Cadmium Yellow
Cadmium Red
Prussian Blue
French Ultramarine
Burnt Umber
Alizarin Crimson
Raw Sienna
Paynes grey

A selection of these paints (Artist Quality) and the brushes I will also be using in the demonstrations (SAA Silver Range) will be available to purchase throughout the duration of the course should you wish to.

Watercolour paper & board (pre-stretched if less than 200lb)
Make sure you bring plenty of watercolour paper with you and a board to attach it to (a sheet of MDF is ideal). The 'pre-stretched' recommendation is a guideline only - If you normally use 140lb paper and stretch it before use, it's probably best if do that before you beforehand. Having said that, the majority of people work from 140lb watercolour pads and don't do any pre-stretching. 90lb paper is not recomended! The paper I use is 300lb Arches Rough or 200lb Saunders Waterford Rough. Both will be available to purchase should you need it.

Easel, if you use one (not obligatory): tables provided
There'll plenty of room for everyone do what they're most comfortable with. If you're used to working on an easel, then by all means bring it along. Everybody will be allocated table-space at which to work.

Sketchbook (A4 or A5 is a convenient size) & pencils (2B recommended)
Everything we do over the two days will be either from life or from on-site sketches. The first job of the course will be to go outside and have a sketching session. Any size or make of sketchbook will do providing it's not too large and impractical to carry. I use 2B pencils for sketching - anything softer and you're forever sharpening them, anything harder and you don't get the wide tonal range.

A Medium 'Karisma' watercolour pencil may be useful
A watercolour pencil is handy to have in case it rains - normal graphite pencils just don't work in the wet.

Waterproofs (just in case)
The sketching session will go ahead whatever the weather, so best be prepared (don't worry, we're never more than a 5- or 10-minute dash from the venue). Walking boots or similar are also recommended for some venues, in case of boggy ground.

Packed lunches (Optional): Kitchen facilities available at most venues
Again, this is very much up to you. Some people bring ready-made sandwiches to eat while others clear off to the pub at lunchtime . A well-equipped kitchen at most venues (except in Grasmere and Hawes - facilities here are very limited) makes it possible to store stuff in the fridge and make food on site. Feel free to do whatever you wish. Free tea-bags and coffee are laid on for everyone.

A small rucksack/daysack and lightweight folding seat: for outdoor work
Again, this is for the sketching session - Sketchbooks and pencils are easier to carry if you've got something to put them into. A folding seat is purely for comfort - it's not obligatory, of course, some people like to carry just a ground mat, or in fact sit on the ground!

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