Watercolour painting in Largs & the Isle of Cumbrae

with Jason Michael Bentley

This course is open to: students of all skill/experience levels—from beginners to watercolour painting to those with previous training.

In this 5 day course students will learn the art and technique of watercolour painting en pleinair—painting the landscape from life, outside—in the picturesque, seaside town of Largs on Scotland’s west coast.

       Join guest instructor and graduate of The Glasgow Academy of Fine Art, Jason Michael Bentley, for a special course exploring watercolour painting technique in the seaside town of Largs and the nearby Isle of Cumbrae. Jason will guide you through every step of his watercolour process, from how to organise your outdoor painting set-up to how to mix colours and build up a realistic water colour painting in layers. He will cover both wet-into-wet and wet on dry techniques for applying watercolour. Inspiration will be drawn from studying works by some of the old watercolour masters such as Winslow Homer, and J. M. W. Turner. 

       In this 5-day course Jason will take you to vistas with distant rolling hills and islands, soft horizons, and serene stretches of water. Locations will include the stunning views of the Firth of Clyde as seen from Largs’ promenade and the picturesque Isle of Cumbrae, just a 15 minute ferry ride from Largs. On this course 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. Jason will discuss colour theory, composition, proportion/drawing, and how to handle with the ethereal, ever-changing light effects so characteristic of the west coast of Scotland.

Students will receive instruction in the form of a group lecture and demonstration at the beginning of each day, and then through individually tailored critiques.

During this course, you will gain an understanding of the following key concepts:

-How to organise an outdoor painting setup and select a painting spot en pleinair

- How to make observations directly from nature using comparative measuring technique

-Colour mixing and palette organisation

-How to create a dynamic composition 

-How to break down a complex scene into a simple series of simple colour-values

-How to build up a watercolour painting in layers in a single session

Materials List

Most materials can be purchased on either Jacksonsart.com or Cassart.co.uk unless stated otherwise. If you have any questions about the materials list, please email Jason at jasonmichaelbentley@gmail.com.

General Materials:

Standard Camera Tripod

Highly recommend - The Perfect Paper Stretcher (Ken Bromley Art Supplies) (fits on tripod)

9.5 x 13.5 inches (1/4 Imperial)

We’ll be painting almost flat, at a 10-20 degree angle, and this setup is the most efficient for this purpose. Or you can hold paper taped to an 11x14 inch art board.

Paper:

Arches cold pressed 140 lb Natural White

or

Bockingford (St Cuthberts Mill) cold pressed 300gsm Natural White

At least 31 x 41cm (12 x 16 inch) sheets or block

Brushes:

I recommend buying either Cass Art Synthetic/Sable mix, Windsor & Newton Professional Series, or Windsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable brushes in the following shapes/sizes:

Rigger: size 3

Rounds: size 4 and 6

Filberts: size 6 and 10

2 inch flat Hake brush

Paints:

All colours recommended are either Winsor & Newton Professional or Daniel Smith:

Lemon Yellow

Raw Sienna

Quinacridone Red

Burnt Sienna

Raw Umber

Sap Green

Cobalt Blue

Ultramarine

Dioxazine Purple

Payne’s Grey

Lamp Black

Other Materials:

Masking Fluid

Medium sized mixing palette with wells and flat surfaces

Travel stool - to set your palette next to you

Brush Case

Water thermos and collapsable pot.

Masking tape

Art Board (if not using “The Perfect Paper Stretcher”)

Paper Towels/Kitchen Roll

Instructor Bio

Jason Michael Bentley (b. 1978), from Champaign IL, is a traditional realist artist living in the west coast of Scotland. He is a graduate of The Glasgow Academy of Fine Art, and professional oil painter and educator working in Glasgow.

Jason’s work is mostly focused on the portrait, figure, and landscapes in both oil and watercolour. Jason is inspired by the academic process of drawing and painting from life, and how this fosters a true presence in the moment while in the act of painting; he revels in the discovery of beauty as the subject is translated from nature. As a life-long martial artist, Jason is attracted to discipline based pursuits and personal refinement. His early experiences in Tae Kwon Do colour his approach to the craft and technique of painting, as well.

Jason received an Associates Degree in Fine Art from Parkland College in Champaign, IL. where he fell in love with water colour under the tutelage of now retired professor Don Lake. Afterwards, he transferred into the graphic design program at the University of Illinois from which he got his BFA. He subsequently worked as a professional graphic designer, while continuing to study art independently in Champaign and later Chicago, where he set up a studio and began to take on commissions and teach private lessons in water colour painting.

In 2019 Jason relocated to Scotland with his wife and began studying at the Glasgow Academy of Fine Art, in pursuit of a deeper knowledge of the craft of drawing and painting classically from life. Jason graduated from the Academy in 2024, and now keeps a studio in the Merchant City area of Glasgow, where he paints for commission and galleries alongside teaching workshops at the Ayrshire Atelier of Fine Art amongst other Scottish institutions.

ACCOMMODATION and Travel details

Accommodation in Largs.

Largs is a small and picturesque town, which is easy to navigate. There are number of hotels 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:

Hotels:

The Brisbane House Hotel, a 4-star hotel in the heart of Largs

The Seamill Hydro, a luxury hotel just 30 minutes’ from Largs via bus.

B&B’s:

St. Leonards Guest House

Haven House B & B

Traveling to Largs

There is a train from Glasgow Central Station to Largs every hour—and it is lovely journey with views that will whet your appetite for pleinair painting! Train tickets can be purchased in the station just prior to boarding, or in advance at www.scotrail.com .

*If flying into Glasgow International airport: you can get a rail-link bus from the airport to Paisley Gilmore Street Station from which you can catch the train to Largs.

*If flying into another UK airport: you will need to get a train to Glasgow Central, where you can then catch the train to Largs.

Everyday Travel to Painting locations

On the first day of the workshop we will all meet at a central location in Largs, which will be clearly outlined in our itinerary (this will be sent out to you via email prior to the start of the workshop). All subsequent painting locations will be travelled to together, either on foot, via bus, or via bus and ferry. All the painting locations will be outlined in our itinerary and will be discussed on the first day of class. If the weather is too wet for pleinair watercolour painting, then class will take place in the Atelier studio with the use of specially taken photographic references.

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

Largs has an array of shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs. Our locations on Cumbrae will also be near to a cafe/restaurant. We would still suggest that you go shopping at one of the local grocery stores (Morrison’s or Tesco’s) at the start of each day, so you can pack snacks and water for your time at the various painting locations.