About
Paint the Conference of the Birds, Mantiq al-tair, a miniature depicting Attar's allegory for the search for the divine. In this miniature, a multitude of birds gather in a parliament - full of colourful feathers, these birds are a feast for the eyes.
They embark on a search for their King, the Simurgh. It is only after travelling through the valleys of Love, Knowledge, Detachment, Unity, Wonderment, Poverty and Annihilation that they realise they themselves make up the 'Simurgh' (literally, ‘thirty birds’).
There are several extant miniatures from which we will be inspired. We will spend time on the composition of your own pieces, or you can recreate an existing manuscript. Consideration will be given to the balance of proportion and feather colours in our pieces.
Who is this workshop for?
Students of all levels and experience are welcome.
You must be aged 18 or over to participate in our online programmes.
How many people can attend?
15 places are available.
What days do I attend?
Thursdays, 17, 24 October, 21, 28 November and 5, 12 December 2024
Please note there is no class 31 October and 7, 14 November
How do I attend the online class?
This class will take place on Zoom, an online meeting platform. A link for joining the Zoom meeting will be in your confirmation email after booking.
What materials do I need?
Brushes:
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1 x 000 size sable watercolour brush (00000 size in the US). The tutor recommends the Rocks brush from The Perfect Brush.
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1 x fine sable watercolour brush for outlines. The tutor recommends the Clouds brush.
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1 x larger sable watercolour brush for colour filling; The tutor recommends the Water brush. Students on our courses are eligible for a 10% discount at the Perfect Brush, enter the code 'CLASS10' on checkout. NHS workers are eligible for 15% discounts, enter the code 'NHS15' on checkout.
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2 x A4 sheets of 300gsm hot-pressed smooth watercolour paper
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2 x A4 sheets of tracing paper or a roll of wax-free tracedown paper
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Ink – either Chinese or Japanese black ink, in liquid or stick form. If using a stick, you will also need an inkstone.
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A palette with wells
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A water pot
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Sharp HB pencils, eraser, sharpener, ruler, ruling pen, masking tape
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A burnisher: a mineral eggor a cowrie shell. If you cannot find a burnisher, you can improvise one with a metal spoon or ceramic mug, provided the surface is perfectly smooth and will not scratch your paper.
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Artist-quality watercolours (preferably in pan form rather than tube form, but tube is ok). Required colours: 1 each of ivory black, titanium white, burnt umber, ultramarine blue, cadmium red, and cadmium yellow.
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Any other watercolours you are drawn to are optional, but not required. Colours that could be useful for a Persian palette include: malachite, lemon yellow, Naples yellow, permanent magenta, cobalt turquoise light, French vermilion, cobalt violet, Payne's grey, permanent alizarin, permanent sap green, manganese blue, indigo, yellow ochre, gold ochre, green earth/terre vert, raw sienna, burnt sienna, raw umber, and burnt umber.
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Either genuine shell gold watercolour (22 carats or above) OR a synthetic gold watercolour paint, e.g. this paint from Finetec, or similar.
Optional:
- An Ether brush for transfer, medium or large size is fine.
For the first session only, you will need:
- Sponges (washing-up sponges, brand new)
- MDF board that you don’t mind ruining on which to stick paper, bigger than A4 size
- A clean flat surface that you don't mind getting wet, eg the above MDF board or equivalent, as we'll use masking tape to tape the paper to so as not to destroy your tables
- Black teabags
- A kettle or means for heating water
- A bowl, either plastic or metal
- Starch (wheat, corn, potato, tapioca, rice – any) and access to cooker/hob
- A whisk or wooden spoon to stir the starch in water
Do you offer concessions?
Yes, we offer concessions for full-time students and Seniors/60+.
Concessions cannot be applied in retrospect. To receive a concession, please apply via our online form. We will then send you a discount code to use when booking your space.
What if I have questions during the workshop?
This will be a small workshop; Students will be able to ask questions via chat or unmute themselves.
Students will also have access to our online learning platform, Thinkific, where we share supplementary content.
What if I need to change or cancel my booking?
No refunds, unless cancelled by the School. If you cancel up to 1 week before the workshop starts, we can offer a transfer to another workshop of equivalent value, subject to availability.
I live in a different time zone, can I still attend?
We encourage you to attend the course in real time to really benefit from instruction; however, if you are unable to attend live due to the difference in time you can catch up via recordings on our online learning platform, Thinkific. These recordings are available for a limited time after the course.
Recordings cannot be purchased separately if the course is fully booked or if the course has already started.
Tips:
You must download the Zoom app and create a free account before the class begins, so that you can use the full range of features:
