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.

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.

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.