Awakening | Spring Workshop
Ages 8+ | 8 April 2026 | 10.30 - 15.00
Description
Bird Icons Making Inspired by Jackie Morris Tutor: Emma J Findley Time: 10.30 – 15.00 Dates: Wednesday, 8 April 2026 Location: Messums Studios, Unit 1, Chilmark, SP3 5DU Age Recommendation: 8+ Course Fee: Pay What You Can | £25, £35, £45, £55, £70 Spring is a season of return, colour, and birdsong. In this creative workshop, we will explore how artists bring the natural world to life through painting, focusing on birds as powerful symbols of the changing season. Inspired by the atmospheric and expressive wildlife illustrations of Jackie Morris—whose work appears in books such as The Lost Words—participants will learn how careful observation, soft colour layers, and thoughtful composition can transform a simple bird study into a lively piece of art. This session will encourage young artists to slow down and look closely at nature. Rather than focusing on perfect realism, the workshop will emphasise capturing character, movement, and atmosphere, allowing each painting to express the feeling of spring. Through guided drawing and painting techniques, participants will: - Learn how to build a bird drawing using simple shapes - Explore painting washes and layering to create depth and softness - Experiment with mark-making techniques to suggest feathers and movement - Develop a spring-inspired composition including branches, blossom, or sky - Gain confidence in working loosely and expressively Building on the success of our previous financially supported workshops and our February pilot we are offering once again ‘Pay what you can’ scheme for our Easter workshops. Access to our creative classes for children and youth is very important to us. This is why we have introduced a sliding scale payment in which you can pay any amount from £25 plus. The production cost of the course per child is £60 based on ten attending. When booking please select the amount you are able to pay this time. Thank you Please Bring: Packed lunch and a water bottle.
Cancellations Policy
Messums Studios is the educational community-facing branch of Messums.org. As such, the studio operates on a not-for-profit basis, and by booking one of our courses you support the wide work we do. All proceeds from the studio go directly back into the running of the studio. We exist for our creative community. Cancellations, refunds, and the rescheduling of your booked activity add pressure on the administration of the studio. Please check the course information and your availability before booking a course. Thank you. OUR CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY: Our regular classes and short courses run according to a schedule. Please check your availability prior to booking your course. Individual sessions missed during your regular term-time course are non-refundable and non-transferable to another person or date. We understand that sometimes cancellation of a full regular class or short course by a student is un-avoidable. In the case you can either request a refund or for your course fee to be held as credit and applied to another course with Messums Studios (admin fee of £25 will apply, Messums Studios reserves the right to withhold this option). A full refund for regular classes or short courses can be requested if cancelling no less than three weeks before the start. A cancellation fee of £25 will be deducted from the full refund. If cancelling less than three weeks prior to the start of the regular class or short course a partial refund of 50% of the course fee can be requested, less cancellation fee of £25. Any bookings cancelled within three working days prior to the start of the course will not be eligible for a refund. Messums Studio reserves the right to resell any vacant sessions. In the case of a tutors absence the class will run with a supply tutor or will be rescheduled around the studio programming.