Using Light & Shadow in Photography
Saturday 22 February
Deansgate and Castlefield - 11am - 2 Hours
Warren McCann
Discover the art of light and shadow in this dynamic photography class led by seasoned professional Warren Kane. This hands-on workshop explores how to use light to create depth, mood, and striking contrasts in your photos. You'll learn essential techniques like spotting natural light sources, manipulating shadows for dramatic effect, and balancing highlights for perfect exposure. Ideal for photographers of all levels, the class offers practical exercises to refine your skills and bring out the best in any scene. Whether shooting indoors or outdoors, you'll leave with a deeper understanding of how light shapes every photograph you take.
Traffic Trails
Saturday 22 February
Deansgate and Castlefield - 5pm - 3 Hours
Warren McCann
Master the art of long-exposure photography and create stunning traffic trail images in this engaging class led by photographer Warren Kane. Perfect for photographers of all skill levels, this workshop will teach you how to capture mesmerising light trails from moving vehicles, blending creativity with technical precision. Learn to set the ideal shutter speed, adjust ISO and aperture for night time shots, and use tripods for stability. Explore techniques to enhance motion blur and create dynamic compositions. By the end of the class, you'll have the skills to transform busy streets into vibrant, light-filled masterpieces.
Architecture with Watercolour Meetup
Friday 28 February
Whitworth Park - 3pm - 2 Hours
Nureen Afiqah
Ever struggled to capture the beauty of buildings in your watercolours? This meetup is for you. We'll explore how to create depth, texture, and perspective to bring your favourite architectural scenes to life. It's a relaxed, practical session for anyone who knows the basics of watercolour and wants to expand their skills.
Come along and learn how to turn complex structures into eye-catching artworks, all while tackling the common challenges of architectural painting!
Street Photography
Saturday 08 March
Northern Quarter - 11am - 2 Hours
Warren McCann
People, cafes, vendors, street merchants, buskers, historic buildings, art installations and much more. The power of observation underpins the art of great street photography. Learning to "see" interesting detail is a practised skill and we introduce you to easy methods that will open your photographer's eye and expose you to a world that is alive with detail. The most rewarding part of the class is learning how to approach interesting people and have them willingly pose for you.We will also go over settings, focusing techniques and lens choices common to street photography to help us capture those random chance encounters.
Natural Light Portraits
Saturday 22 March
Northern Quarter - 11am - 2 Hours
Warren McCann
This meet-up will explore how we can take beautiful portraits using natural light and backgrounds. We will explore how to recognise flattering light and how to manipulate it whilst shooting in a less controlled environment than a studio. We will explore how we can work collaboratively with our subject to achieve a portrait that captures their personality and style. We will also look at posing and setting your subject at ease. Technical learning points will include accurate focusing and metering for skin tones.
Beginner's Watercolour Class Mother's Day Themed
Sunday 30 March
Manchester - 11am - 2 Hours
Nureen Afiqah
Celebrate Mother's Day with a creative twist! This beginner-friendly class will guide you step-by-step in painting a heartfelt watercolour piece perfect as a gift or keepsake. Whether you're a first-timer or want to brush up on basics, this session is relaxed, fun, and easy to follow.Leave with a handmade artwork that's as thoughtful as it is beautiful, perfect for making Mother's Day extra special!
Leave with a handmade artwork that's as thoughtful as it is beautiful, perfect for making Mother's Day extra special!
Abstract Architecture Photography
Saturday 05 April
Deansgate and Castlefield - 11am - 2 Hours
Warren McCann
Explore the world of abstract architecture photography in this inspiring class with professional photographer Warren Kane. Learn to see buildings in a whole new way as you focus on patterns, textures, lines, and shapes to create striking, abstract compositions. This hands-on workshop will guide you through techniques like using angles and perspective, isolating details, and harnessing light and shadow to transform architectural elements into artistic statements. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned photographer, this class will expand your creative vision and help you turn everyday structures into captivating works of art.
Speed Landscape Drawing and Painting
Saturday 12 April
Platt Fields Park - 11am - 2 Hours
Nureen Afiqah
The focus of this two-hour structured session is "speed" and "form", i.e. capturing the essence of a subject. You will be guided to complete some "warm-up" colour and drawing exercises and prepared for doing ink and watercolour-based painting in the session. You will learn how to quickly sketch and capture multiple subjects in the garden with ink and wash technique. You will be advised to keep things rather loose and time your drawing/painting.
You will have a chance to meet and greet like-minded people, choose your own subjects in the garden and be guided to complete the exercises, and artwork and have some takeaway homework with the learned technique. All levels and experiences are welcome.
Nature Photography Meetup
Saturday 19 April
Middleton Rd, Manchester - 11am - 2 Hours
Warren McCann
Join this session for tips on how to use your camera settings to creatively capture nature in a visually interesting way. We will be looking at composition, focus, and colour.Many professional offices and places of business have large prints gracing their wall space of things such as fields of flowers, a butterfly perched on a leaf, and a single dew drop on a rose petal. These beautiful images are all around us in nature. It just takes that special "eye" to not only see it but to capture it in a way that will turn that simple little piece of nature into a beautiful piece of art. We will learn how to use different angles, light and shadows, and settings to make subjects pop.
Speed Landscape Drawing and Painting
Saturday 26 April
Fletcher Moss Botanical Gardens - 11am - 2 Hours
Nureen Afiqah
The focus of this two-hour structured session is "speed" and "form", i.e. capturing the essence of a subject. You will be guided to complete some "warm-up" colour and drawing exercises and prepared for doing ink and watercolour-based painting in the session. You will learn how to quickly sketch and capture multiple subjects in the garden with ink and wash technique. You will be advised to keep things rather loose and time your drawing/painting.
You will have a chance to meet and greet like-minded people, choose your own subjects in the garden and be guided to complete the exercises, and artwork and have some takeaway homework with the learned technique. All levels and experiences are welcome.
Birds with Watercolour
Saturday 10 May
Manchester - 11am - 2 Hours
Nureen Afiqah
In this workshop, we will explore the art of painting birds and squirrels using watercolour techniques.
We will cover topics such as color mixing, brush techniques, and composition, and provide you with step-by-step instructions to create your own bird painting. You will have the opportunity to work on your own painting, with guidance and feedback from our instructors.
Urban Sketch
Saturday 24 May
Manchester City Center - 11am - 2 Hours
Nureen Afiqah
This meet-up is for people who are interested in sketching urban scenes by using a pen (mostly fountain pen or calligraphic pens)
Learn how to draw perspective drawing with a pen to capture what you see surrounding the urban scene.