Landscape Painting in the Studio - Learning from the Masters (Nov 2026)

Landscape Master Copies In Oil, With Phoebe Stewart Carter 

Landscape painting is a notoriously difficult pursuit. Who better to look to for advice than 19th-century masters such as Levitan, Inness, or Streeton when trying to balance good drawing, value, and colour?

In this four-week course, students will paint master copies of celebrated 19th-century artworks, exploring why these paintings are so successful and how to carry the same knowledge into their own work - in the studio or en plein air.Students will begin with small compositional studies in graphite before moving on to an A4-sized oil paint study. The session will explore composition, rhythm, focal points, depth, value, temperature, colour balance, and the relationship between realism and picture-making.

Important booking information: The first session on 2 November forms the foundation of the course. Students wishing to attend any of the later sessions must have attended the first class.

Course outline:

• Day 1 - preparatory value studies in graphite or charcoal, followed by a colour study in oils. Students will explore composition and determine the approach for their final painting.
• Day 2 - begin the master copy with a precise underdrawing and value-based underpainting in umber.
• Day 3 - introduce colour, block in the major colour/value areas and refine the drawing. Phoebe will cover value, chroma and building layers in a multi-session painting.
• Day 4 - finish the master copy, applying thicker paint, refining forms and discussing how to bring a painting to completion.

Topics include composition, drawing, value, colour mixing, depth, landscape painting techniques and layered painting.

Dates:

The cost is £100 per day, and it will run every Monday on the dates below:

• Monday 2 November 2026
• Monday 9 November 2026
• Monday 16 November 2026
• Monday 23 November 2026

Materials

Please bring:

• Paper or sketchbook
• Graphite pencils or charcoal
• Rubber
• Paint brushes
• Palette
• Paint rag/paper towel
• Linseed oil or painting medium
• A4-sized canvas, panel or oil-painting paper for Day 1
• A larger canvas or panel for Days 2–4 — size to be decided during Day 1

Suggested oil colours:

• Titanium White
• Cadmium Yellow or Yellow Lake
• Yellow Ochre
• Cadmium Red or Pyrrole Red
• Venetian Red or English Red
• Cerulean Blue
• Ultramarine Blue
• Ivory Black
• Raw Umber or Burnt Umber

About the Tutor

Phoebe Stewart Carter is an artist whose practice includes portraiture, still life and landscape painting. Her landscape work explores gardens, natural spaces and places observed from life, with recent subjects including Nymans, Venice, Avening and the Passu Glacier region.

You can explore her work here: phoebestewartcarter.com

How many students will there be?

There is a maximum of 12 participants, and the tutor will customise the course according to your individual needs.

Studio Access & Parking

The studio and car park open at 9:30 am each day. We kindly ask that you do not arrive before this time, as staff will be preparing the space.

We close at 5:00 pm, so please ensure you are packed up and ready to leave by then.Thank you for helping us keep everything running smoothly! 

If you have any questions, please see our frequently asked questions or contact us.