Upcoming Courses

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Life on the Strand: Sketching in Ink and Watercolour
May 20 - May 21
| €280.00
Date: 20th – 21st May 2026
Artist: Róisín Curé
Medium: Ink and watercolour
Participants: Maximum 9
Course level: All levels welcome, intermediate to advanced sketchers will benefit the most
Róisín Curé is a passionate urban sketcher, as well as an author and teacher. She has written three books on urban sketching, including one published in The Urban Sketching Handbook series, called Drawing Expressive People (2020). Her other two titles are Galway In Sketches And Stories (2019 & 2024) and Dublin In Sketches And Stories (2021 & 2024).
In 2014, Róisín co-founded Urban Sketchers Galway. She has taught and attended urban sketching events in many European countries (and through her many languages), including sketching symposia in Porto (2018) and Amsterdam (2019), where she was an instructor with Urban Sketchers. Since 2014, she has led online classes and workshops for a large global sketching community, and in 2020 started an online sketching club. Through her YouTube channel and weekly blog, Róisín has been generously sharing her sketching journey, techniques and inspiration with sketchers of all levels of skill all over the world.
In 2024, Róisín designed a unique ‘SketchPocket’, mobile sketcher’s speciality bag made of cactus leather, as a solution to her need and desire to ‘sketch in ink and watercolour sitting or standing, anywhere and everywhere’.
In 2024, Róisín designed a unique ‘SketchPocket’, mobile sketcher’s speciality bag made of cactus leather, as a solution to her need and desire to ‘sketch in ink and watercolour sitting or standing, anywhere and everywhere’.
About the Course
The strand in Dunmore East is a hive of activity, especially in the beautiful month of May if we are blessed with fine weather. In this course we will sketch the strand with its people, dogs and sea creatures, and the beautiful setting of sea, sky and shadow. Róisín Curé, Ireland’s best-known urban sketcher, will open your eyes to the joy of sketching, capturing moments as and when they unfold, through a combination of observation and techniques which Róisín will share with you in the simplest terms. If the weather is not conducive to sketching outdoors, we will take beach finds to the studio for close observation and sketching, and sketch through windows. The course will be as immersive as each participant wants, with sketching everywhere and at any time encouraged. Róisín will give you lots of tips for sketching on your own in any situation, from how to remain unnoticed and discreet to finding hidden moments where unexpected creativity is to be found.
For best results, the participant will use a specific set of materials: a small watercolour 200g (plus) sketchbook in size A5 or A6; a box of artists’ quality watercolours; a fude 55º pen with waterproof ink and one or two travel brushes (all of which can be supplied by Róisín or purchased independently). Róisín will recommend her favourite brands.
* The course takes place in the Artform modern light-filled studio with 24hr access for each visiting artist, and in the beautiful coastal village of Dunmore East, and runs from 11am to 5pm on the first day and from 10am to 4pm on the subsequent days. On request, Artform offers artist accommodation options. Details on art materials will be provided after signing up to the course.


