Acrylic Painting Workshop: Abstract Art

What you'll learn

Learn how to make an abstract painting with our painting short courses in Sydney!

This course is ideal for both beginners and those with some painting experience. Participants will explore various techniques of abstraction, drawing inspiration from organic forms found in flowers and plants. They will experiment with combinations of transparent and opaque paints to understand their distinct effects.

The workshop starts with warm-up exercises conducted on paper. Discussions on composition, colour combinations, and visual impact will guide participants as they create several small studies to inform their larger canvas works. Throughout the course, participants will be encouraged to refine their compositions and track their progress.

Each participant will be provided with a canvas to work on. They are encouraged to bring additional materials and their preferred colours, such as textured items like doilies or hessian, acrylic spray paint (for outdoor use), and any other materials that spark their creativity.

The course fee covers all necessary acrylic paints, inks, and brushes. Prior to the workshop, participants will receive a selection of abstract images via email from their instructor for inspiration.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this Acrylic Painting Workshop, you should be able to:

Understand certain processes by which you can develop abstract motifs
Come up with ideas for starting points of abstract composition and image generation
Working with colour and think about how colours function together and how the different physical properties of inks vs acrylics can work together
Have confidence in devising your own future projects
Take home a couple of pieces of work and prep sketches

Course content

What will be covered in this Acrylic Painting Workshop?

Abstract art techniques
Colour – the expressive use of colour
Composition
Brush and acrylic paint handling

Intended audience

Who is this Acrylic Painting Workshop for?

This abstract art painting workshop course is designed for beginners or more experienced students wanting to learn and practice new techniques.

Course venue

Rozelle Campus

2A Gordon Street, Rozelle NSW 2039 (corner of Gordon St & Victoria Rd)

Course materials

What to bring to class

Palette knife, silicone kitchen spatula, or an old credit card.
Bring materials like netting, fabric, combs, forks, leaves, sticks, feathers, sponges, and stencilling letters. Let your creativity guide your choices.
Bring any favourite brushes you have; we also provide brushes.
2-3 old cloth rags, each cut into 20cm pieces.

Optional: If you prefer working with thicker paint, bring Impasto Medium.

What We Provide

1 canvas (40cm x 50cm)
Various acrylic paints (note: we may not have all colours, so bring any specific paints you prefer to use).

What will be provided

Acrylic paints and inks (but feel free to bring your favourite colours to class if you wish)
Paint brushes

Additional information

Please note the following:

Closed-in shoes required
Please wear old clothes
Long hair must be tied back

Course testimonials

Mardi said: Our teacher was very engaging and knowledgable. She explained things easily and encouraged a lot of thinking and feedback. I would have loved some more detail around brush techniques.
Katharine said: Learning more about my ability and my limitations. Excellent course and challenging. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Kristina said: The teacher and topic are both great - I've been to the course twice now and it never gets old. :)
Natalie said: I really loved the whole experience. Sally is an excellent tutor
Carole said: Tutor very helpful and innovative

Course tutors

Sally Mowbray

Sally has amassed more than 20 years of experience in adult art education. She has a Master of Arts (Painting) from the Royal College of Art in London, receiving a distinction for her thesis....

View Sally Mowbray's profile

Classes Online Courses

Acrylic Painting Workshop: Abstract Art

Fri 11 Jul 2025

1 session, 5 hours total

10am - 3pm (UTC+10:00)

2A Gordon St, Rozelle

Sally Mowbray

Please check the materials list for what to bring. An email with reference images for the class will be sent prior to the start date.

When	Time	Where	Session Notes
Fri 11 Jul 2025	10am - 3pm	A1-3: Visual Arts - 2A Gordon St, Rozelle

If there isn't a class to suit you, please join our waitlist and we will notify you when we have places available. Join waitlist for Acrylic Painting Workshop: Abstract Art