Weald and Downland Living Museum Ticket Portal

Tuesday 04 November  2025

A hands-on day to learn the basics of freehand brush lettering and sign writing. 

Sunday 07 September 2025

Enjoy making your own decorated and gilded capital letter, which can be used to enhance your calligraphy or to create a vibrant decorative letter, using line, colour and gold (the “real” stuff or gold gouache). You will be very busy on the day and you may wish to research an idea and bring your own exciting letter design to the workshop or perhaps select from the designed resources that will be provided. Further letters can be drawn with a pencil or created with a pen and illuminated and painted.

Wednesday 25 June 2025

Be inspired by the beautiful historic surroundings and spend a day learning to paint with watercolours. 'We will spend the morning outdoors drawing a scene lightly in pencil or directly with pen before applying a watercolour wash in the afternoon. Suitable for beginners and those with some experience.

Wednesday 23 April 2025

Learn the basic rules of perspective and learn to “sight-measure” with your pencil. Using pencil, pens, chalk and charcoal, be inspired by the beautiful historic surroundings and learn to make quick, accurate and expressive sketches. Suitable for beginners and those with some experience.

Wednesday 14 May 2025

Learn the basic rules of perspective and sight-measure with your pencil. In the morning you’ll produce a few sketches of buildings in pencil (outside or the inside if the weather is poor). Then in the afternoon you will be shown how to make various marks to suggest form, tone and texture with pen and colour with watercolour wash.

Sunday 30 March 2025

During this workshop we will take a careful look at the Italic script to ensure that we are doing it correctly. However, during the day we will relax and add a flourish to the Italic letter form. This is one of the absolute delights of doing calligraphy. It is fun to do and a joy to see when executed well.  Spend a relaxing and enjoyable rest of the day learning how to write Italic Script and even flourish your letters with confidence.This script is suitable for cards and invitations, poetry and prose. Suitable for both beginners and improvers.

Saturday 17 May 2025

Suitable for all abilities.

For centuries humans have used herbs for culinary and medicinal purposes, and at the Museum many of these herbs are grown in the cottage gardens. This one day workshop gives you the opportunity to study the botanical features of a selection of herbs and create realistic botanical illustrations, by drawing and painting with precision and accuracy.

This course is suitable for all abilities and allows you the opportunity to work at your own pace with plenty of help and guidance from your tutor.

Sunday 19 October 2025

Suitable for all abilities.

Collected from the museum grounds and the cottage gardens, draw and paint a variety of seasonal hips, haws and berries. You will learn to study the botanical features of these fruits and create realistic botanical illustrations by drawing and painting with precision and accuracy.

This course is suitable for all abilities and allows you the opportunity to work at your own pace with plenty of help and guidance from your tutor.

Monday 19 May 2025

Learn about the historical craft of creating woodcut prints and create your own herbal woodcut. The day will begin with a visit to one of the Museum’s gardens to gain inspiration from the historic plant collection. Back at the studio you’ll then have a chance to look at a sample of herbal illustrations before going on to design, cut and print your woodcut.

Suitable for all abilities, with tuition on illustration, woodblock cutting and printing techniques.

Sunday 13 April 2025

Monday 14 April 2025

Learn about the historical craft of woodcut printing.

On this course you will create your own woodcut prints;

Exploring the materials, techniques, and illustration styles of the medieval times and later.

Wednesday 17 September 2025

Learn different mark-making techniques with the ancient drawing medium of charcoal to depict items and buildings within the museum. In the morning you will gain tips and practice various techniques to explore the medium. Then in the afternoon you will create sketches and drawings in the style of your choice. You may also wish to introduce chalk, coloured pastels or ink into your work.

Wednesday 09 July 2025

Learn expressive, gestural and continuous line drawing techniques - useful when drawing animals from life. In the morning you’ll practise a number of sketches of the animals around the museum (or from photos if the weather is poor). Then in the afternoon we will look at how to make marks to create the texture of fur or feathers and how to improve your drawings in the style of your choice. You may also wish to introduce colour using coloured pastels, pencils or watercolour.

Sunday 01 June 2025

Monday 02 June 2025

Learn about the craft of linocut printing, which begins with the Victorian invention of linoleum and its radical use as an art medium from Edwardian times onwards.

On this practical course you will create your own linocut prints, exploring the materials, techniques, and illustration styles from Edwardian times onwards. Be inspired by the museum exhibits from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, view a selection of historical prints or bring your own ideas to design, carve, and print your own lino block; echoing the practice of the pioneering linocut printmakers, who made the linocut print the new art sensation. Traditional linoleum will be used; made of natural materials including wood flour and linseed oil.

Suitable for all abilities, with tuition on design, lino block cutting and printing techniques