Nurturing Creativity: The Joy of Being an Artist Tutor

Last year, I chose to return to teaching after taking a break during the pandemic to focus on my personal and professional projects. I've always loved teaching and spent many years leading workshops for local art groups in Suffolk and North Essex where I taught painting in acrylic, watercolour, and mixed media. On occasion I was also invited to do demonstration events, which were always enjoyable and well-received. I have also created and published basic painting online courses that have been studied globally on the education platform Udemy.

Considering a return to teaching in 2025, I decided I wanted to work locally, so I spoke with Danielle, the owner of Stoke Bridge Workshops in Ipswich. She opened the workshop space in 2018, and a fellow artist, Laura Beardsell-Moore and I ran the 'Unleash Your Creativity' painting weekend retreat there. We explored subjects such as colour theory, composition, and still life painting. It was successful, and we agreed to hold it again at some point, but the pandemic halted any further planning.

Danielle and I discussed various options, and we chose to begin with my creative watercolour workshops to encourage people of all skill levels to paint freely and expressively.

As I've mentioned previously, watercolour painting is particularly significant in my life as an artist. It laid the groundwork for my art career, and the knowledge I gained from it gave me the confidence to explore and experiment further. This eventually led me to paint expressively with acrylics, and without that foundation, I wouldn't have reached my current position. This motivation fuels my passion for teaching painting to others, allowing me to give back by helping others discover their inner artist and celebrate their creativity.

Creative Watercolour Trees Workshop

So I began this new chapter in teaching with one of my favourite watercolour methods. Using strong mixes of bright colours, cling film, salt and wax resist, a stunning background is created, then once dry, the piece is finished with a silhouette tree. The benefit of this type of painting is that it has a very loose and creative approach which when paired with unpredictable outcomes, the process can be quite exciting! The detailed, controlled painting follows, focusing on the depiction of the tree.

The attendees greatly appreciated the creative freedom they were given, and I encouraged them to only use colours that inspired them. I provided examples of tree shapes and taught them how to create a tree silhouette that maintained a realistic form, while also allowing for the unique shapes found in nature, where no two trees are the same. This reassurance gave them the confidence to be bold and create some beautiful results.

Sketching Birds workshop

The next workshop took place during the summer, coinciding with the peak of wildlife activity. I selected a topic aimed at encouraging participants to sketch without fear to capture the beauty of British garden birds. The workshop concentrated on learning the quick and easy method of sketching bird shapes using a technique from the nature drawing artist John Muir Laws. For the watercolour part, I introduced a limited palette and guided them on identifying and mixing accurate colours. They then learned how to effectively use the ink pen, then worked in two or three layers of watercolour and pen. It was an excellent workshop, and the attendees accomplished a great deal, creating some remarkable pieces.

In 2026, the workshops will aim to further inspire people to explore their creativity with watercolour and mixed media. My goal is to motivate them to confidently embrace their creativity by using techniques that enhance self-expression. I notice that students release their doubts when I demonstrate how the methods I teach make art both accessible and enjoyable.

Forthcoming workshops with continue to be inspired by my favourite subjects of wildlife and nature.

The next event is a collage workshop featuring a hare. It's a wonderful method of making art by using various patterned and coloured papers. I ran this workshop several years ago, and I know the students thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm really looking forward to run it again, this time at Stoke Bridge Workshops.

Click on the hare picture for more information.

After that I'll be back to teaching a watercolour sketching workshop using ink, with a little collage for the bird. This will also be at at Stoke Bridge Workshops. Click on the bird picture for more information.

Watercolour Christmas Wreath Workshop

Later in the year I will run the Christmas workshop. It is a lovely workshop where we design and paint a watercolour wreath fit for framing or reproducing as a Christmas card.

So why do I teach?

For as long as I can remember I've loved the idea of teaching, but I didn't think about it as a career choice until I started my training in Adult Health. During that time my intake were overseen by tutors in the classroom, some of which were also dedicated to teaching hands-on in the workplace. The hands-on tutors were excellent and I really looked up to them. I could see myself having the role of teaching hands-on in the future. But, unfortunately by the time I qualified, that role had been axed. I was so disappointed! But I found joy in mentoring any trainees that were assigned to me (usually one at a time), and I did my best to impart helpful wisdom while they worked alongside me.

When I decided to pursue my creative career, I was working both as a musician and in a shop to help fund my career change. I have been a musician all my life, and I found my way into teaching music privately, from theory to practice. I was already a Grade 7 in woodwind, had been in performing bands since I was 16, singing and playing, and even self-penned my own songs, releasing under the name Debs Warren. To carry on teaching proficiently, I decided to take the Grade 7 and 8 in Rock School Vocals (passed with distinction) so I could help my students prepare for their own studies. A few of my students went on to professional music institutions after they left school, and one of them felt so inspired she decided to become a music tutor! It was an absolute joy to be part of their creative education.

I had to stop performing live due to my health (I have psoriatic arthritis), and subsequently I stopped teaching music. I missed it to begin with, but focusing on becoming a full-time artist, I realised my goals and objectives matched a less hectic career path that allowed for creative development. Naturally, I gravitated toward teaching art classes and workshops.

These days as life has settled into a routine, I find the combination of studio work and leading workshops allows me to stay active, step out of the studio, and enjoy inspiring others to be creative, while they take a break from their busy lives as well. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to teach creativity through making art.

If coming to a workshop appeals to you, click and save the following link to find which ones I am running and when. Stoke Bridge Workshops

As always, thanks for joining me on this little blog today. If you feel inspired to leave a comment, please do!

Back in February with some more studio insights,

Debs x