Painting Through Layers — Workshop Recap

Exploring expressive mark-making using acrylics and oils

Thank you to everyone who joined my painting workshop with Pure Arts at the Bannatyne Hotel & Spa in Hastings. Over the course of two hours, we explored how movement, memory, and emotion can be expressed through layered colour. Our process took us from fast acrylic gestures into the slower, more deliberate world of oil paint — responding to what emerges along the way.

Stage One — Acrylics: Movement & Instinct

Before the workshop, I prepared some Acrylic and Oil paper with a layer of Michael Harding Non-Absorbent Acrylic Primer in Neutral Grey. I did this using a palette knife as a starting point in mark-making.

We began by mixing acrylic paint and creating bold, expressive backgrounds. This first layer was all about freedom: gesture, intuition, and following the energy of the moment.

→ Materials used

• Acrylic and Oil paper prepared with Michael Harding Non-Absorbent Acrylic Primer in Neutral Grey

• Various acrylic colours, mainly from the Sennelier Abstract range

• Palette knives, special paper off-cuts, small glue spreaders

→ Where to buy

• https://www.cassart.co.uk/sennelier-abstract-acrylic-paint/

• https://www.jacksonsart.com/michael-harding-non-absorbent-acrylic-primer

• https://www.cassart.co.uk/cass-art-oil-acrylic-paper-250gsm-a1--c/

Stage Two — Stories, Pigment & Craft

While the acrylics dried, I took the opportunity to share a deeper insight into what truly informs and inspires my work — my roots, the landscapes and places that remain etched in my memory, and how I thoughtfully use this to evoke and create a profound emotional space on the canvas.

At the same time, I demonstrated the traditional method of making oil paint using raw pigment. Oil paint is meticulously created by gradually combining finely ground pigment with a high-quality drying oil, such as linseed oil, or an oil binder. On this occasion, I chose to use an oil binder from Sennelier to ground the pigment into a smooth, velvety consistency—revealing a deep, luminous colour. It is not essential to use a ready-made binder; it is quite easy to create your own recipe using linseed oil as a base.

It is important to note that you should always use a mask when creating colour from pigment. Safety first!

During our talk, a question came up about colour changing. I explained that some oil mediums, especially alkyds, can turn slightly yellow over time. In my experience, walnut and safflower oils are the least yellowing. However, although linseed can have a yellowing effect on the lightest colours, it does create the strongest paint film and has excellent long-term durability. This is why linseed is the most commonly used.

In preparation for the next stage of the workshop, we also mixed oil colours from the tube to build a palette ready for the final layer. The majority of the colours used are from the Sennelier Rive Gauche range, which are faster-drying than traditional oil paint.

→ Materials used

• Various oil colours, mainly from the Sennelier Rive Gauche range

• Oil colour created from pigment using Jackson’s pigment and Sennelier Oil Paint Binding Medium

  • For those wanting to create acrylic paint from pigment, see the link below to a Cass Art acrylic binder

• Palette knives, special paper off-cuts, small glue spreaders

→ Where to buy

• https://www.jacksonsart.com/sennelier-rive-gauche-oil-paint

• https://www.jacksonsart.com/sennelier-200ml-oil-painting-binding-medium?srsltid=AfmBOor1HbkdmQ8kUQ5ua_exIXEKfgz6qedcyR_GuN0YUGOFkQs4rd6Csig

• https://www.jacksonsart.com/jackson-s-artist-pigment

• https://www.cassart.co.uk/Cass-Art-Acrylic-Binder-250ml/

Stage Three — Oils: Texture & Intention

Returning to our paintings, we added an oil layer — more considered, more aware of what the painting was becoming.

We explored techniques such as:
• Colour contrast — warm vs cool, bold vs muted
• Texture — impasto marks against soft transparent layers
• Removing paint — scraping, wiping, revealing what lies beneath
• Final gestures — small decisions that shift the whole composition

This stage encouraged looking closely, responding slowly, and knowing when to pause.

To summarise, I feel that everyone took home a richly layered artwork that beautifully embodies both vibrant energy and quiet reflection. It was a playful yet deeply thoughtful painting process that combined acrylic and oil media to achieve some captivating effects. I really enjoyed spending two hours with such a lovely bunch of people.

Thank you again to all who joined me for the workshop! Please subscribe to my newsletter so we can stay in touch - see top menu.