Drawing, Watercolour, Pastel and Printmaking in Western Art: History and Techniques

Online course (Zoom)

Mondays, from 10 am to 12

7 weeks, starting on 7 September and ending on 19 October 2026

Cost: £98 (scroll down for payment button)

If you miss a session, you will have the slides and “video-notes” to catch up.

4 places remaining (last updated: 14 August 2026)

This seven-week art history course explores the rich and diverse world of works on paper, examining how artists have used paper as a support for creativity, experimentation, and expression across centuries. From preparatory sketches and finished drawings to luminous watercolours, vibrant pastels, and innovative printmaking techniques, we will study the unique qualities and artistic possibilities of paper-based media.

We will trace the development of drawing from the Renaissance to the modern era, exploring its role as both a tool for observation and an independent art form. We will examine the rise of watercolour painting, the expressive potential of pastel, and the evolution of printmaking techniques such as woodcut, engraving, etching, and lithography.

The course will also consider the materials, techniques, and cultural contexts that shaped works on paper, highlighting their importance in artistic practice and collecting.

Illustration: Albrecht Dürer, Left Wing of a Blue Roller, ca. 1500–12, watercolour and gouache on vellum

Outline

7 September – Drawing as the foundation of all arts? Historical context to understand the rise of drawing during the Renaissance, the use of paper, Vasari’s collection of drawings, and the concept of disegno. The sketch as the expression of an idea, a key step in the conception of a work of art. Did some painters not draw at all? 

14 September- Modern artists and drawing. When colour takes over, what becomes the function of the B&W drawing? The Impressionists, Seurat to Henry Moore and Lucian Freud. What do artists draw with?

21 September – The Pastel: Brilliant Colour, Fragile Beauty. History and materials. Key pastelists from Rosalba Carriera to Jean-Francois Millet, Degas, and Odilon Redon. Drawing with pure colours (pigments). Its impermanence and conservation. 

28 September – The Watercolour. Speed and Luminosity. History and materials. What to look for in a watercolour (soft edges, transparency, use of negative space…). Subjects for which the watercolour is a great medium: sketches while travelling, topographical views and botanical illustrations. Examples will range from Girtin and Turner to Winslow Homer, Sargent and Ravilious. 

5 October: Drawing with Ink and wash. In this session, we will first finish with the watercolour and then look at ink as a medium used by artists from Rembrandt to van Gogh and Beardsley. 

12 October – Print-Making 1: In the beginning, the woodcut, engraving and etching. We will focus on the history of the medium, the techniques and tools, the visual aspect (the “look” of these prints), and the advantages and inconvenient of each medium. Examples will take us from Dürer to Valadon and the Expressionists.

19 October – Print-Making 2: Modern techniques, lithography, linocut and screen-printing. Here too, we will focus on the history of these techniques and the particular aesthetic achieved with each. Examples will take us from Toulouse-Lautrec to Andy Warhol. We will also consider what prints have been used for, and their commercial and democratic aspect.

Cost: £98

Payment is via Stripe with your bank card. It is easy and safe. If necessary, refunds can be processed with Stripe. A few days after you’ve paid you will receive a confirmation email from me. The Zoom link is sent to you a week before the session, and then again the day before.

Please check the terms and conditions to see the policy about cancellations and refunds. If you have any issues or questions, do not hesitate to get in touch (see “contact” above).