‘Plein Air Painting in Fort William & Glencoe’
with Lee Craigmile
Course Fee: £ 600
Total Spots on Course: 10
This course is open to students of all experience levels & is beginner friendly.
Course Times:
9 am - 4 pm
Course Dates:
September 7th-11th, 2026 | September 13th-17th, 2027
In this 5-day oil painting retreat students will learn the technique of plein air painting—painting the landscape from life, out of doors—in one of Scotland’s most beautiful and iconic areas: Glencoe and Fort William.
During this course Lee will take you to various epic locations around the western Highlands, with Fort William as your jumping-off point each day. Locations will include Glen Nevis, Rannoch Moor and the iconic Loch Shiel with the Glenfinnan Viaduct. First, you will learn how to scout for painting locations and what to consider in selecting both a stunning view and a practical location to paint from. He will then teach you alla prima painting technique: how to work up a painting in a single session, aiming immediately for direct colour-values as observed in nature. He will discuss how to approach colour, composition, proportion/drawing, and dealing with an ever-changing light effect due to whether and time of day. In this course students will use sight-size technique to approach the landscape from a visual perspective, whilst also emphasising value-relationships and the handling of a limited palette of colours.
Lee will guide students through every step of the process, from how to organise their outdoor painting set-up to how to approach the painting process.
Book an Upcoming Course
Spots on this course are highly limited in order to create an intimate learning experience and to maximise each student’s time, one-on-one with Lee, so don’t hesitate to book now!
In this very special 5 day workshop you will learn the art and practice of plein air painting—painting directly from life, out of doors—in one of the world’s most beautiful and dramatic regions: Glencoe.
Course Structure
Each day of the course will be divided into two sessions with a lunch break in between. Working directly from life, on location, students will build up their paintings following the unique stages of Lee’s particular method of painting, each step of the process building upon the previous step and culminating in an atmospheric and dynamic landscape painting.
Afternoon Session (1pm - 4pm)
Students will then spend the afternoon session working on their own landscape paintings. Lee will go around the class giving individually-tailored critiques to each student. Students will then pack up and either travel back to the meeting point together, or straight back to their own accommodation.
Morning Session (9am - 12pm)
Students will gather at the morning’s allocated meeting point and travel together to the painting location for that day. They will then learn the plein air painting process by watching an in-depth demonstration by Lee whilst he simultaneously lectures on the various concepts to be covered that day.
What you will learn on this course:
During this class, Lee will guide you through the various stages of establishing an oil painting en pleinair. You will also gain an understanding of core principles and concepts of oil painting generally.
Key Stages & Core Concepts Learned:
How to organise one’s gear & outdoor painting setup
How to make observations & take measurements directly from nature using sight-size technique
How to create a successful, dynamic composition
Alla prima painting technique—working a painting from start to finish in a single session
How to break down a complex scene into a simple series of colour-values using Lee’s unique ‘Levels System’
Colour Theory and palette organisation
BOOK NOW
In this very special 5 day workshop you will learn the art and practice of plein air painting—painting directly from life, out of doors—in one of the world’s most beautiful and dramatic regions: Glencoe.
Required Course Materials List
We recommend you buy all your supplies in advance of the workshop.
All materials can be purchased on either Jacksonsart.com or Cassart.co.uk or supremepaint.co.uk unless stated otherwise. Most materials below have a specific product link in gold.
However, if you are traveling internationally and are looking to make packing lighter, you can get most of your paints (with the exception of Genuine Naples Yellow), your mineral spirits and basic linseed oil at the Cass Art Store in Glasgow or Edinburgh, which you will most likely be flying into. Otherwise, to buy supplies in advance you will have to do so from an equivalent art supply store in your own country and pack your materials.
Oil Paints:
1x 40 ml tube of each of the following Michael Harding colours:
Brushes:
Hog hair filbert sizes 0,2,4,6,8. Ideally, two of each. Makes sure you select LONG HANDLE
Sable round size 1 (LONG HANDLE)
Mediums:
Gamsol (odourless mineral spirits). For those traveling by plane to the UK, Gamsol will be provided for you if you cannot make it to an art supply shop.
Chelsea Classical Studios’ Cold-pressed linseed Oil (118 ml)
Supports
OR
I recommend students buy two 20 x 30 cm. panels, three 24 x 30cm. panels, and one 30 x 40cm. for their pleinair studies.
Easel & Other Required Items:
If you already have a pochade box/tripod set-up by another brand, that is fine. But please, no French Easels or table-top easels!
Masking tape
Paper towels/kitchen roll
Accommodation & Travel Details
Accommodation in Fort William.
Fort William is a small town, which is easy to navigate. As it’s a hub for international tourism, there are plenty of hotels, hostels and B&B’s at a range of prices. Please book as early as possible, as the workshop takes place during peak season. We would recommend the following hotels and B&B’s:
Traveling to Fort William
There is a train from Glasgow Queen Street Station to Fort William every day which takes just under 4 hours—and it is a truly stunning journey with views that will be sure to whet your appetite for pleinair painting! Though there isn’t a direct train from Edinburgh or London, there are frequent trains from both of these destinations to Glasgow, but the trains to Glasgow are frequent. Train tickets can be purchased online at www.scotrail.com .
Everyday Travel to Painting locations
On the first day of the workshop we will all meet at Fort William Train station and travel to the first painting location from there on foot (it will be about a 15 minute hike). There are a few painting locations such as Glen Nevis and Glen Etive that we will be taking the bus or train to, and we will give you all the details for these on your first day at the workshop. Many of the locations are within walking distance of Fort William, but will require some moderate hiking to arrive at. Please send us an email if you have concerns about the hiking and whether this workshop will be suited to your needs. Public transport costs are not included in the tuition fee.
Packing
As the weather in Scotland is highly unpredictable, and can be very chilly and wet even in the summer, we recommend that you pack for your trip as if you were camping. You will want to dress in layers to prepare for any weather, and be sure to bring good, sturdy walking shoes/hiking boots and a waterproof jacket with a hood.
Food and Drink
Fort William has an array of shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs. Some days we may all decide to break for lunch and go to a restaurant or cafe, but we would still suggest that you go shopping at the local superstore (Morrison’s) before each day, so you can pack snacks and water for your time at the various painting locations.
In this very special 5 day workshop you will learn the art and practice of plein air painting—painting directly from life, out of doors—in one of the world’s most beautiful and dramatic regions: Glencoe.
Check out our other epic workshop locations across the Scottish Highlands:
