Urban Landscape Painting in Acrylic with Hashim Akib (Apr 2026)

Urban Landscape Painting in Acrylic, with Hashim Akib 

From intimate side streets to bustling thoroughfares, I’ll guide and support you through every turn of every corner. Along with short demonstrations, there’ll be plenty of one-to-ones to access your own personal goals. You’ll produce several artworks based on the theme with new skills to take forward. You’ll also discover the best and most practical ways of using acrylics with emphasis on self-expression, colour with less obsessive drawing.

The course is suitable for beginners or more experienced painters, just bring along an open mind.

Please note: We will mainly be studio-based, working from photographic references, but if the weather is favourable, we can head outside to do some quick sketching. 

What will I learn?

• Simplifying and tackling any difficult scene from basic building blocks to refined details
• Developing processes and strategies to create a consistent style
• The versatility of acrylics 
• Mixing and understanding a palette of dominant colours 
• Editing a scene and underplaying details
• Using colour creatively rather than tonally
• The importance of large flat brushes for self-expression and confidence-building
• Limited and precision drawing

Who is the tutor?

Hashim Akib began his career as an illustrator. For 15 years he worked with a wide range of clients from broadsheet newspapers, design and advertising campaigns. The discipline of his profession gave Hash a solid grounding in drawing and painting which set him in excellent stead for a move into fine art. His painting quickly gained recognition and he was awarded the title of Artist of the Year 2009 by the SAA (Society of All Artists). Hashim’s work can be found in private collections across the UK and overseas. He has exhibited with the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, New English Art Club, Society of Wildlife Artists, David Shepherd Artist of the Year and Royal Society of Marine Artists at the prestigious Mall Galleries in London. His work features in the UK’s National Art Collection. He has produced a best-selling acrylic course online for Domestika, worked with art manufacturer Daler Rowney and has written several best selling art books including Painting Portraits in Acrylics, Acrylic Techniques for Dorling Kindersley and has a new book published by Search Press entitled Acrylics Companion. Keen to share his expertise, Hashim has also taught his unique techniques to art schools in the UK, Italy and France. 

Course Structure

Day 1 - On day one, you’ll be shown various approaches to painting urban scapes and an overview of the advantages of acrylic painting. We will paint using limited colour, exploring the foundations of drawing and tone in a scene. We will also discover the effectiveness of combining flat and textural brush marks that build variety in your paintings. 

Day 2 - On day two, you’ll be shown how to replace tonal values for colour temperature. There will be an emphasis on using dominant colours, under mixing pigment and minimal layering. You’ll be shown how beginning with some chaos can help reinforce details later on. 

Day 3 - On day three, we will implement all we’ve learnt so far with a longer painting. I’ll also cover some warm-up painting exercises, develop a strategy to tackle a difficult scene and end with a group discussion on the final paintings.  

Materials

Photographic references will be provided over the three days.

Here is the list of the specific acrylic colours and brushes that I use. DON'T PANIC if you don't have the colours, brand or brushes suggested, as these are just recommendations, please bring along what you have. Although an artist-quality Titanium White is an essential. 

  Paints: Amsterdam Acrylics or Liquitex

• Cadmium Yellow Lemon
• Cadmium Yellow Medium (optional) 
• Sap Green (optional) 
• Permanent Blue Violet (optional) 
• Cobalt Blue (optional) 
• Phthalo Green
• Prussian Blue
• Yellow Ochre
• Mars Red (optional)  
• Cadmium Red Medium
• Titanium White, artist quality

Brushes:  Rosemary’s Ivory Acrylic Flat Head Brushes 

• Size 8
• Size 10
• 1 x 1 ½ "2 inch 

Or: Daler Rowney System 3, Flat Wash

• Size 19mm
• Size 25mm
• Sky Flow Wash 1 ½”, 2 inch

Additional materials:

• Water pot
• Mixing tray or scrap paper
• acrylic Flow Improver or Liquid Retarder (optional) 
• Palette, something like this www.artsupplies.co.uk/item-radial-sorting-tray.htm
• Canvas/pads: I always work on canvas, but acrylic or watercolour pads or primed board are fine.

If you are painting on canvas, bring enough for two paintings a day, at least A3 in size or larger, and watercolour or acrylic paper/ pad for quick exercises 

Useful websites:

https://www.jacksonsart.com/amsterdam-acrylic-paint

https://www.jacksonsart.com/royal-talens-amsterdam-expert-acrylic-paint

https://www.rosemaryandco.com/acrylic-brushes/large-ivory-short-flat

https://www.rosemaryandco.com/acrylic-brushes/ivory-short-flats

https://www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q=daler+rowney+sky+flow+acrylics

https://www.jacksonsart.com/daler-rowney-system-3-acrylic-brush-sy55-sh-short-flat-3-4in

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.

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