Artists of Shambellie House

Scottish Colourist Series – F. C. B. Cadell – ‘Figure Painting’

From: £140.00

Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th April 2025

10aM to 4.00PM

Dive into the vibrant world of Scottish Colourist F.C.B. Cadell, exploring perspective, colour palettes, and composition to create stunning figure painting inspired by ‘The Lady in Black’  capturing the essence of his iconic style.

Perfect for beginners and seasoned artists alike.

 

Book Now
View Basket

Description

Running over two days, this workshop offers a comprehensive experience focused on understanding and applying key elements of Cadell’s artistic style to dive into the world of acrylic painting and create your own masterpiece. Inspired by  Cadell’s famous painting ‘A Lady in Black’,  we will learn drawing a clothed model from life, explore Cadell’s colour palette and enjoy colour mixing and brush handling to understand the techniques of figure painting.

Day 1: Life Drawing
Morning Session:
Introduction to F.B. Cadell and Scottish Colourism
Brief overview of Cadell’s life, artistic career, and his significance within the Scottish Colourist movement.
Introduction to the key characteristics of Cadell’s style when figure painting.
Understanding 
Introduction into how Cadell approached figure painting.
Instruction on drawing from a clothed model from life.
Indoor Sketching Session
We will have a clothed model for you to apply your understanding of figure drawing to create a series of lively sketches.
Afternoon Session:
Colour Palette Exploration
Introduction to Cadell’s colour palette and how he used colour to evoke mood and atmosphere in his paintings.
Colour mixing exercises using Cadell’s palette, to create colour swatches of harmonious colour schemes and prepare acrylic paint for the final painting.

Day 2: Painting in the studio

Morning Session:
Review of Day 1
Recap of key concepts covered on Day 1 – figure drawing exploration.
Composition Planning
Exploration of Cadell’s  compositions, including the arrangement in his famous figure painting ‘ The Lady in Black’.
Sketching a final composition on canvas, using the sketches and concepts developed earlier in the workshop.
Demonstration
Demo of painting techniques inspired by Cadell’s style, focusing on brushwork, colour application
Individual Painting Sessions
Blocking in the main shapes of the painting using the colour palettes.

Afternoon Session:
Individual Painting Sessions
Time to focus on painting your own artworks.
One-on-one guidance and support from the instructor as you work on your paintings, with a focus on applying Cadell’s techniques and capturing the essence of your figure painting.

Wrap-Up
Final discussion on lessons learned from the workshop, practical tips for further exploration of Cadell’s style, and encouragement for you to continue developing your skills in painting and figure drawing.

Your Tutor

Your Tutor

Ailsa Mackay

After graduating from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Ailsa has spent over 30 years as a professional artist and designer. Her designs have been sold globally, appearing on fashion, home décor, and household products in the UK, Australia, Germany, and the USA. She has also worked as a stationery and interior designer and as an art tutor. Commissions for her original paintings and prints have sold widely across the UK and internationally.

Ailsa’s bold and dynamic style, influenced by her design background, breathes life into her acrylic, gouache, and soft pastel works, drawing inspiration from daily life and the  natural world.

Now back in Scotland after working in the south of England for the majority of her career, Ailsa has become an established art educator, teaching core drawing and painting skills to all abilities.

She is a Director of  “For Enjoyment CIC” an arts based social enterprise that teaches core creative skills throughout Dumfries and Galloway. She is a Trustee of the DGUnlimted, the Dumfries and Galloway Chamber of the Arts, and sits on the Artists of Shambellie House Steering Group.

Beyond art, she works across academia, government and practice, as Lead for the National Centre for Resilience, a scientific research centre focusing on community resilience to natural hazards and climate change. She is passionate about employing creative approaches to improve health and wellbeing, utilising them in a way that can help individuals build better and stronger resilience to the inevitable challenges that we all face throughout our lives.

Ailsa is the co-author of a number of research projects exploring community resilience building and fostering resilience in young people with special needs. She was recently interviewed on ITV Border news for spearheading a landmark creative Burns event in collaboration with Dumfries Museum. She has regularly displayed her work across the UK and her most recent exhibition was at Shambellie House, New Abbey.

About the Day

The workshop will take place from 10am – 4pm  both days and refreshments will be provided throughout the day including plenty tea/coffee and cake and lunch on both days. Accommodation is not included however there are a number of local providers on our website. See here for details. 

This workshop will take place  in the Gallery which is only accessible via a flight of stairs. Please let us know if you have any access needs and we will try to accommodate you.

Participants will complete
1. Practice sketching a clothed model from life
2. Created colour swatches inspired by Cadell’s iconic palette
3. A series of interior

Skills gained from the workshop include:
1. Develop an understanding and appreciation of Cadell’s artistic style – his artistic influences, techniques, and contributions to the Scottish Colourist movement .
2. Explore one-point perspective techniques through a series of exercises and learn how Cadell incorporated perspective into his figure paintings.
3. Analyse Cadell’s colour palette and his bold and contrasting colour choices. Practiced colour mixing exercises using his limited palette.
4. Learn how to create a harmonious colour scheme.
5. Learn the importance of the arrangement of shapes, forms, and focal points in planning a composition.
6. Develop new painting techniques, increased brushwork and brush handling skills, experimented with colour application and explored Cadell’s technique.
7. Gain new skills to take away and apply to your own artistic practice.

Kit and Requirements

We will use acrylic, watercolour or gouache paint. Acrylic paint does not come off when dry. Please wear old clothes or bring an apron.

There is an additional charge of £15 per person for materials, paper and stretched canvas.

If you have answered yes and would like to discuss your requirements then please get in touch.

Related products