Emma Burleigh
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Winter and Spring 2025 Courses and Workshops
I have recently moved to Nailsworth! I’m now offering classes in the Nailsworth and Stroud area, as well as online and in Bristol.
Bristol
My classes this term at the Royal West Academy in Bristol are here, here and here. (Currently all sold out but you can add your name to the waiting lists.)
Stroud and Cirencester
Booking links are coming soon for workshops at Pegasus Art in Stroud and at New Brewery Yard Arts in Cirencester!
Save the dates for ‘Drawn to Nature’ - 3 stand-alone workshops at Pegasus on Friday afternoons, March 21st, April 25th and May 26th.
Experimental Watercolour at New Brewery Yard Arts in Cirencester - this will be on a date tbc.
Workshops and a course in the autumn term are already in the planning stages at Pegasus:
Drawn to Nature: A 6 week course on Friday afternoons - from 5th September - 10th October
Art for the Afraid on Saturday 6th September
Soulful skies on Saturday 11th October
Meditative Drawing on Saturday 15th November
Please do contact me if you’d like to invite me to teach a class or workshop in the Nailsworth and Stroud area for your community group, art club, friends and family, or school, or if you would like to try some private art tuition.
Online
This term I am offering an online workshop called “Drawing from your Life” to draw out your own personal stories, whether for development into comics or any other kind of narrative artwork:
Drawing from your Life: coax out your own personal stories
Thursday 13th March 2025, 6.30-8.30pm
£12 per person
We all have a comic inside us! Sometimes we just need a little help to draw it out. In this workshop we will dip into the well of our own personal memory to find the stories waiting within. Be they silly or serious, funny or profound, or all of the above, let’s welcome in the ones that are ready to be told! Come with an open mind, and be willing to let a long-forgotten story or two bubble up to the surface.
This is offered as part of a series of Professional Development courses through LDComics. To book/for info click here or visit ldcomics.com
Oxfordshire
I am running another series of 4 drop-in, stand-alone drawing workshops in Ascott-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire, OX7.
Tuesday 21st January 10 am -1 pm
Tuesday 18th February 10 am -1 pm
Tuesday 11th March 10 am -1 pm
Tuesday 15th April 10 - 1 pm
£33 per workshop or book all 3 for £90 or all 4 for £120. SPACES AVAILABLE
This term I’m offering a series of four drawing workshops in the lovely village of Ascott-under-Wychwood, based on ‘Art for the Afraid’, my popular drawing workshops that I regularly teach at the Royal West Academy in Bristol:
Yes, everyone can learn to draw! No special abilities are required! In this morning drawing workshop for beginners, Emma will offer an easeful and enjoyable method to learn to draw ‘things that actually look like things’, with your own expressive twist. Emma’s teaching methods are designed to calm down your 'inner critic' and help you enjoy your creativity without worrying so much about whether your drawing is “good enough”. There will be guided drawing exercises to guide you through the fundamentals of drawing and plenty of support to build up your confidence. All are welcome and no special ‘talent’ whatsoever is required!
Drawing has been found to have tremendous health benefits – it can improve your memory, enhance your communication skills, develop your bilateral co-ordination and motor skills, and boost your happiness, confidence and problem-solving abilities. Several studies suggest that making art can help those dealing with Alzheimer’s and dementia by improving your attention span and self-esteem while helping with neuropsychiatric symptoms.
This is series of Drawing Workshops for beginners or nervous returners to Art. You can attend any or all of the workshops. Book all three in one go for a discount.
All art materials and home baked refreshments are included!
Venue: Ascott u Wychwood, Oxon OX7
Please book in advance, by emailing me at emmaburleigh1977@yahoo.co.uk . For further info, just email me.
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My Course Books
‘Soul Color’ and ‘Earth Color’ Course-Books
For a little daily inspiration, you could order Soul Color, my watercolour ‘how to’ book, to cultivate mindfulness and creativity through watercolour.
Or why not venture into the beautiful outdoors with Earth Color, my eight week art course for nature connectedness, tucked under your arm!
Click for Earth Color at £12.99 on the following links: Eastgate Bookshop, Amazon, or Liminal 11.
For Soul Color at £11.99 click on indy bookshops, on Amazon, or Liminal 11
Or you can find/order both books from literally any bookshop of your choice, anywhere in the UK, USA or Canada.
Video Courses
‘Access Art’ Video Course for Kids
Three watercolour activities I offer that are suitable for any child aged 6 or older, or for the inner child of anyone aged up to 106 or older, free and with subtitles: Available here.
‘Watercolour for Wellbeing’ Video Course
I’ve put a few homemade video courses up for free on youtube, they’re a bit basic as video-editing isn’t my main skill but you can find them here!
Testimonials
Thank you so much for today. Your session was an absolutely perfect fit for the afternoon - offering space both to relax and connect with others, and to connect more deeply inwards. People were really moved by the work, and you have such a light touch in your facilitation, it was a pleasure to have you.
Naomi at Murmuration Community Therapy
Emma has been my art tutor for the past year. During this time she has nurtured my fragile confidence and enabled it to evolve into my own artistic voice, allowing me to find my full expression whilst also helping me to stay grounded in basic technique and method. Throughout this time she has been patient, kind and encouraging. She has overseen my transition from drawing to working with colour/paints and clearly has a great depth of experience and knowledge in the use of both. Emma has challenged me where I’ve needed it but has always remained supportive when I found myself frustrated with my own abilities. She has been very helpful in developing my sense of experimentation whilst at the same time continually suggesting other artists that I might learn from. Emma has always been happy to answer my constant questions and we have had many inspiring discussions about art, artists and the artistic process. At the end of the year I felt I had enough confidence to apply for a BA in Art, much of this attributable to Emma's support. I would therefore highly recommend her as a private tutor.
Andrew Moon
I really enjoyed learning Art from Emma. She is gentle and patient in her teaching approach and very encouraging. She taught me important foundation principles and techniques which helped me develop my skills and enabled me to better address some of the technical elements of painting and drawing. She has a wonderful way of working and relating to colour which I found really inspiring. She has also helped me feel more confident in my own work and creativity. I would highly recommend her as a teacher.
Charlotte Johnstone
Photos by Julian Barford, with thanks!
Further endorsements below - click on the yellow trees!
For a full list of all of my current workshops, and to get a heads up on upcoming and long term future dates planned, along with exhibitions, freebies and more, please subscribe here
Hire me for a class, course or workshop
I love to share my practice and you can find me teaching classes and workshops around Nailsworth, Stroud and Bristol.
I run courses at the Royal West Academy in Bristol with a focus on mindfulness, creativity and self-expression.
I’m also available for private workshops and regularly deliver my classes to schools, businesses, art clubs and community groups.
I have a PGCE in Art and Design from Oxford Brookes University and over a decade of experience teaching Art at GCSE, A level and Key stage three. For several years I was the Head of Art at Didcot Girls' School and Fine Art course Leader for A level at Didcot Sixth Forms, in Oxfordshire.
I offer workshops to businesses, schools, community groups, museums, festivals and other bodies. Clients include Murmuration Community Therapy, Red Bull, Ovo Energy, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Space for Soul and New Pooles Lodge. I have a flexible approach and regularly work with folks of all ages from under 8 to over 80, including in family & mixed generational groups.
Workshops can be tailored to your interests and needs, so contact me to discuss your ideas, but I specialise in drawing, painting in watercolour, and mixed media (acrylic inks, collage, brusho, gouache, charcoal and more). Themes I offer include:
Expressive Watercolour * Painting & Poetry * Inner and Outer Landscapes * Experimental Watercolour
* Make Colour Sing * Art for Nature Connection * Wild Weather * Soulful Skies
* Painting from Imagination * Intuitive Portraiture * Meditative Drawing and Painting
* Graphic Novels, Comics and zines * Visual Story-telling * Life Drawing: Telling your story through art and words * Mindful Art Journaling
* Art as a Contemplative Practice * Watercolour for Self-Care
Workshops can be built around just about any theme to suit you and can be tied in with a curriculum or business based theme...from creative problem solving and mindful self-resourcing workshops to an exploration of our world, be that plants, trees, birds, insects, wildlife, architecture, dreams, landscape, figures, life stories, portraiture or whatever you have in mind. I also teach life drawing workshops.
Tutoring and Mentoring
I can tutor you or your child to work towards raising your grade at Art GCSE or A Level, or to develop a portfolio for applying to Art College. I'm familiar with most Art and Design, Fine Art and other Art related exam courses and boards, and I work as a moderator for one of the largest GCSE exam boards. I particularly relish helping students to sort out their coursework and liven up their sketchbooks!
I also offer mentoring and tuition for artists and would-be-artists, so get in touch whether you are a beginner looking for help getting started or an experienced artist who needs a bit of support getting through a creative block or a challenging project.
My fees for tutoring are now £55 for 1 hour, £75 for 1.5 hours, and £85 for 2 hours. A 3 hour session is £105. I can tutor you one to one, in pairs or in small groups.
I may be able to travel to you if you live in Bristol or Stroud. All basic Art materials can be included and I am DBS checked.
Feedback
Feedback from my course, “Create a Graphic Short Story”, at the Royal West Academy in Bristol
“Incredibly well structured and stimulating. Packed with fun activities and 'own project time'.”
“The exercises were really very helpful for developing ideas. Good balance of exercises and focused time on a particular story.”
“Great exercises – really stimulated my creativity.”
The teacher was “patient, understanding, warm about showing us how to do things, open to all ideas and approaches. Well paced over the 2 days.”
“Lovely tutor – friendly, expert, helpful, enthusiastic.”
“Emma was so inspiring, really well organised, really varied activities. So well paced and encouraging.”
“Fabulous. Emma is well organised and had loads of great ideas.
“Lots of fun, and inspiring. BEST art workshop I've ever done. ( I have done a lot.)”
Comments from participants at my course "Art for the Afraid: A course in Mindful Drawing"
"A very enjoyable, relaxing and peaceful journey to becoming/discovering the artist within, Changing perceptions and gathering skills"
"A very enjoyable course - my confidence in my drawing skills has grown over the weeks. Looking forward to more courses!"
"My fear upon finishing the course was that I would still feel just as rubbish (about my ability to draw) as when I started: I can proudly say I have done the best drawing of a sheep and of a hand that I could ever imagine!"
"Lovely atmosphere and great support!"
Feedback from participants at my watercolour course on "Exploring Colour"
"Great workshop. I really enjoyed learning about art and exploring with a paintbrush again, something I've not done since primary school!"
"Life doesn't have edges. It's blurry. Exploring colour helps you feel comfortable with this."
"I am as a result of the class more relaxed, feeling more in tune with my creativity, and more confident about creating. Brilliant."
Employer Endorsement from the Royal West of England Academy
Emma is a wonderful tutor to work with. She is very knowledgeable, reliable and thoughtful. We have consistently had great feedback from the students of her classes saying how supported, confident and excited her classes had made them feel.
Sarah Craig, RWA Drawing School Co-ordinator
http://www.rwa.org.uk/drawing-school
Royal West of England Academy, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1PX
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(Instagram at emmaburleighartist, and facebook at emmaburleighartist, Twitter @emmaburleigh)
Thanks for reading all the way to here! If you’d like to know even more about me, click on the image below to read many more testimonials and endorsements from students and colleagues!
