Nengi Omuku: ‘Bird of Paradise’ Acrylic & Pastel Workshop
Join artist Nengi Omuku as she guides you through the process of painting a “Bird of Paradise” plant using acrylic paints and oil pastels.
Digital Art School
Digital
Art School
Free creative sessions to support mental health, led by world-class artists.
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Description:
Join artist Nengi Omuku as she guides you through the process of painting a “Bird of Paradise” plant using acrylic paints and oil pastels. The workshop emphasises creativity without pressure, encouraging you to freely explore shapes, colours, and textures. The session includes step-by-step instructions for preparing the canvas, blending colours, and drawing the plant’s elements, all while highlighting that there’s no right or wrong approach. By the end, you will have created a vibrant, personalised artwork to brighten up any space.
Materials used:
Materials:
• Paper
• Acrylic paints
• Paintbrushes
• Flower printout (download below)
• Palette (optional)
• Oil pastels or chalk pastels (optional)
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We want to hear from you
After taking part in a Digital Art School workshop, we will prompt you to complete a short survey to tell us more about your experience and anything we can do better. We regularly evaluate Digital Art School and your feedback can help us improve our content and reach more mental health service users with accessible and meaningful creative workshops.
Resources
Exploring Your Hospital Rooms Art Materials Pack
In your Hospital Rooms art materials pack, you’ll find a variety of watercolour and acrylic paints. Each pack includes:
– Primary Colours: Red, yellow, and blue.
– White: For tinting and lightening colours.
– Additional Colours: A selection of other hues to expand your palette.
Mixing Colours
With these paints, you can mix a wide range of new colours, so you don’t need a large collection of paints. Here’s how to get started:
1. Primary Colours: Use red, yellow, and blue as the base for mixing.
2. Tinting: Add white to lighten any colour.
3. Experiment: Try mixing different amounts to create new shades and tones.
Creating a Colour Wheel
If you haven’t made a colour wheel before, it’s a helpful exercise to understand colour mixing. In a moment, we’ll demonstrate how to combine primary colours to create secondary colours, and then how to mix secondary colours for even more options.
Tips for Mixing Colours
– Keep Water Handy: Always have water ready to clean your brushes between mixing different colours to avoid muddy results.
– Experiment: Don’t be afraid to play around and discover new colours by mixing.
Enjoy experimenting with your paints and exploring the endless possibilities of colour!
Here you can find a poster to print out with space for you to add in the date and time you’ll be hosting your workshop. Print this out and display it in and around your ward or hospital site to engage more service users.
Download our risk assessment template to complete and share with colleagues on your ward or in your mental health service.
Caring for Your Hospital Rooms Art Materials
If you’ve received a Hospital Rooms art materials box, you’ll find a selection of different brushes. These are clearly labelled and categorised into:
– Watercolour Brushes: Softer brushes, ideal for watercolours and inks.
– Acrylic Brushes: Firmer brushes, perfect for acrylic paints and applying glues.
Proper care is essential to ensure your art materials, especially the brushes, last for years. Here are some tips to help you maintain them:
After Painting
1. Remove Excess Paint:
– Use tissue paper to gently wipe off any excess paint from the brushes before it starts to dry.
2. Wash the Brushes:
– Rinse the brushes in cool or cold water. Avoid using hot water, as it can cause the bristles to fall out.
– Since the paints provided (both watercolours and acrylics) are water-based, water is usually sufficient for cleaning.
3. Check for Cleanliness:
– The brushes may still appear stained, but they are clean when no paint color comes out while rinsing them under water.
4. Drying the Brushes:
– After washing, give the brushes a quick flick to remove excess water.
– Lay them flat to dry or place them bristle-end up in a jar.
Remember, a brush is for life, not just for Hospital Rooms Digital Art School. Taking good care of your brushes will ensure they remain in excellent condition for your future artistic endeavors.
Digital Art School Gallery
The Digital Art School Gallery showcases artworks created by our community members during our workshops. If you have participated and would like to share your creations, submit them here, and we will feature them in the gallery.
FAQs
Got a different question?
To join a Digital Art School workshop, just head to ‘Browse Our Collection’ and you’ll find our archive of 50+ creative sessions and tutorials. You can filter by which material you’re interested in working with, or hit ‘Surprise me!’ for something new.
Underneath each workshop video, you’ll find a full list of materials required. Also, at the beginning of each video, your host will introduce the materials you’ll need to complete the session. You can pause the video on the materials slide to make sure you have everything you need before you get started.
In 2024/25, we have a brand new cohort of 12 artists who will each be releasing new and varied creative sessions. Each of these sessions will be released on the last Thursday of each month. To get the specific dates in your diary, check out the ‘Upcoming events’ calendar.
Yes, all workshops will have a BSL (British Sign Language) interpreter. We’re dedicated to making sure our sessions are accessible and inclusive to Deaf participants who use BSL as their primary mode of communication. Each video will also have Closed Captions. If you have any specific needs or additional questions regarding accessibility, please feel free to reach out to: das@hospital-rooms.com.
No, not at all! Digital Art School is an accessible programme that aims to open source the skills and secrets of world-class artists and inspire you to try something new. Art is for everyone.
The content of the workshops is considered safe for children, but we would advise that a supervisor or guardian sense checks the content first, and ensures there are no triggers or risks for the specific group of children they are working with.
The Digital Art School Gallery is an online, interactive gallery space that centres and celebrates the creative work of a global community. The online gallery is an uplifting space where you can be inspired by the artwork of other participants. Upload your creations and see what they’d look like in your very own exhibition.
Welcome to the programme! Your Digital Art School Box contains everything you need to host 12 art sessions for mental health service users in an inpatient hospital setting. Use the workshop sheets provided to plan and schedule your first workshop.
You can use the Poster Template to let your service users know when and where the workshop is happening. Look out for each new workshop release on the last Thursday of the month. Filter the video library by ‘2024’ for all workshops related to the box of materials. If you have any questions or concerns about running the programme, please contact das@hospital-rooms.com.