What you will get
College Certificate
Whether you want to refine your use of materials or expand your visual language, this course offers a supportive environment to grow as a painter.
You will explore more advanced techniques such as glazing, mark making, impasto, and blending, while learning to work confidently with colour, tone, and composition. Emphasis will be placed on personal expression and experimenting with different styles – from realism to abstraction.
Projects will include a mix of guided exercises and self-directed work, with subjects ranging from still life and landscape, to figures, storytelling and also learning how to react to your painting e.g. mark-making, textures.
You will be encouraged to work in your preferred medium (acrylic, oil, or both) while learning how to adapt techniques effectively.
Through tutor demonstrations, individual feedback, and group discussion, you’ll gain insight into the creative process and learn how to critique and develop your work independently. The course will also include tips on setting up a home studio and using materials safely and effectively.
By the end, you’ll have a stronger command of both media, a portfolio of completed paintings, and the confidence to pursue your own artistic direction.
College Certificate
There are no formal entry requirements – we can accommodate all levels of ability.
If you are a new student, you will be issued with a basic artists starter kit at the first class and you may wish to add to this as you progress but there is no requirement to do so.
North East Scotland College offers hundreds of courses each year, apply for one now.
Alternatively, you can complete a part-time booking form and send it to us.
Please note that timetabling changes can often occur after the Part-time Course Guide is published, and as a result the printed version of the guide may not hold the most up-to-date information.
We therefore advise you that all start dates and times listed on the website are at all times accurate, and should be used as your main point of reference before booking your course.
Fees quoted apply to individuals who meet our residency criteria for home fee status. A higher fee may apply if criteria cannot be met; evidence may be required. Please contact enquiry@nescol.ac.uk for further information.
If you take up a place on a College course, at the start of the course you will be asked to complete an enrolment form. In completing the form and/or taking up a place on a College course, you will enter into a contract with the College and be bound by the North East Scotland College Standard Terms and Conditions of Study. Copies of the Terms and Conditions are available for inspection on notice boards and at various locations throughout the College, at the College Reception, on the College website: nescol.ac.uk, or can be obtained on request from the Student Funding and Admissions Manager, North East Scotland College, Aberdeen City Campus, Gallowgate, Aberdeen AB25 1BN. Please note that courses are offered subject to (a) there being sufficient numbers of enrolments and (b) the availability of resources. The College reserves its right (i) not to run courses where the number of students is considered insufficient or where resources are unavailable and (ii) in certain circumstances, to refuse admission to an individual applicant.