WATERCOLOUR & OIL PAINTING WORKSHOPS

Tutoring for 30 years, Susan has hosted workshops in New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Europe. She has conducted very successful and much sought-after watercolour workshops in Australia in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 & 2023. In each of those years she has held two x 3-day workshops in Maroochydore on Queensland’s beautiful and inviting Sunshine Coast. The workshops have attracted artists from near and far – Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada and China. Susan is now scheduled to conduct two more 3-day workshops in Oct/Nov 2024. Exciting news: There is high demand for Susan to offer an oil painting workshop too.

The breaking news is: Susan will  offer one Watercolour workshop and one Oil Painting workshop! The workshop Venue, Dates and Price for Susan’s 2024 Maroochydore Workshops are as follows:

Venue:

Maroochy Conference Room
The Sebel Hotel
20 Aerodrome Road
Maroochydore
Queensland 4558
AUSTRALIA
ph: +61 (0)7 5479 8000

Dates:

Workshop 1:    (Watercolour Painting Workshop): Pre-workshop get-together (optional) on evening of Thursday 24th October 2024 with 3-day workshop on Friday 25th October to Sunday 27th October, 2024 inclusive.

Workshop 2:    (Oil Painting Workshop): Pre-workshop get-together (optional) on evening of Thursday 31st October 2024 with 3-day workshop on Friday 1st November to Sunday 3rd November, 2024 inclusive.

Price:

The price of the 2023 workshops was NZ$1,450 per person per workshop. Despite some of the venue and other costs increasing since then, we have decided to keep the price the same for this year – 2024, to make it as reasonable as possible for participants in the workshops.

Currently we have the workshop dates ‘pencilled in’ with the Sebel Hotel, but we will soon need to confirm the dates and pay a deposit. Therefore we need to know the numbers of artist participants in the workshops and are asking for those keen to attend to register for a place on either or both of the workshops as soon as possible.To Register:

Please let us know, using the message box in the form below, that you wish to register to attend either the first workshop (watercolour) or the second workshop (oil) or both workshops with Susan in Maroochydore.

To Register:

Please fill in the form below. Just put in your Name, Email (please make sure your email address is 100% correct) and Country. Then, in the message box tell us which workshop(s) you wish to request.

We will then come back to you with availability and offer you the opportunity to secure your place with a deposit payment of NZ$250. ​

 ​If you have any questions about the 2024 workshops please feel free to ask them via the message box in the form below.

 Susan often has a waiting list for her workshops. Places are generally taken up quickly. Please don’t book your flights until you have confirmation that you have a secured spot on the workshop/s you are interested in. If you are requiring international flights and would like to put a 3 day hold on a spot – please let us know. We would be happy to hold a spot for you for 3 days.

Workshops Information:

For full information about Susan, about the Workshops Contents and details about the Workshops Programme and Accommodation please scroll down below the video.  

Join Susan for fun 3-day watercolour or oil painting workshops, full of insights, breakthroughs and learning. Susan very much looks forward to sharing all she knows about Watercolour and Oil painting with you! Exciting times ahead!!!

A wise teacher not only shares the solutions to problems – she opens your eyes to all the additional uses and potential of the knowledge she shares!

To Register for Susan’s Watercolour or Oil Painting Workshops please put your contact details in the appropriate boxes. Then, in the ‘Message’ box tell us which workshop(s) you would like to register for in the form below. Also, If you have any questions about the 2024 workshops please feel free to ask them via the ‘Message’ box.

I want to help you feel the exhilaration that comes from painting with confidence!

Details for Susan’s 2024 Maroochydore

Watercolour (First Workshop) & Oil Painting (Second Workshop):

Susan’s workshops are for all skill levels. See Susan talk about her 2019 Watercolor Workshops in Maroochydore in the video below. What Susan says in the video is relevant to her 2024 Watercolour Workshop too.

Scroll down below the video to find all the information about both of the 2024 workshops. 

Please note that a large number of artists have expressed interest in attending Susan’s workshops, so places will be reserved strictly in order of receipt of the NZ$250 deposit payment. Please do not make your flight or accommodation bookings until you have received notification that your workshop place has been confirmed by us.

Workshops Information:

Workshop 1 (Watercolour Painting Workshop): Pre-workshop get-together (optional) on evening of Thursday 24th October 2024, with 3-day workshop on Friday 25th October to Sunday 27th October 2024 inclusive.

Workshop 2 (Oil Painting Workshop): Pre-workshop get-together (optional) on evening of Thursday 31st October 2024, with 3-day workshop on Friday 1st November to Sunday 3rd November, 2024 inclusive.

Please scroll down this page for full information about Susan, the Workshops (including content and structure, dates, times and cost), the venue (Sebel Hotel), Accommodation and Workshop Reviews. PLUS – see some photos from her previous workshops.

About Susan:

Internationally acclaimed New Zealand artist Susan Harrison-Tustain began her artistic journey painting in oils, which she loved. Then in 1990 she decided to try her hand at watercolour painting and in 1991 became a full-time artist, painting in both watercolour and oils, depending on the medium she chooses for a particular subject. She is a highly experienced art workshop tutor and art instruction DVD/Video Download presenter (over 30,000 art instruction DVDs/Videos sold world-wide). Susan is also the author of a best-selling North American published art book (60,000 copies sold world-wide). She was a featured artist on Series 10 of the Australian TV show, now enjoyed world-wide – ‘Put Some Colour in Your Life’. Her work features in numerous international books and leading art magazines (including ‘International Artist’, ‘Australian Artist’ and ‘The Art of Watercolour’). 

Workshops Content:

During this immersive workshop, you’ll learn all of Susan’s most up to date breakthroughs, methods and techniques along with her invaluable hints and tips that have allowed her to create work that stands out from the crowd.

Susan says:

“An important part of the success of a painting is often determined before picking up our brushes. We can be the best artists in the world at wielding a brush – but without an understanding of composition and observation – our paintings may never reach their full potential.”

Therefore my focus begins with teaching a solid understanding of how to create paintings that connect with, and captivate the viewers of your work.

A hugely important area of my new workshops is sharing how to use the 5 Crucial Elements I believe have the greatest influence on the success of any painting.

The powerful impact that these elements have on our work raises the bar several notches higher than we ever thought possible.  

Please note that many of the lessons I will share can be applied to both watercolour and oil painting.

It would be a pleasure to help you create paintings that evoke contemplation, excitement, emotion, a feeling, mood and atmosphere.  

This quote perfectly encapsulates what it means to be able to evoke such emotions and the feeling of being present within the work:

” I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

This quote is often attributed to famous poet and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou, but I now understand it may not have been written by her. However that sentence saying “people will never forget how you made them feel” is true of those who create moving paintings. You will come to see how the magic truly begins when we learn how to capture ‘that moment that inspired us’ – ‘those compelling subjects that took our breath away’. Learn how to capture that moving emotion and feeling in your work too. Feel the exhilaration as the magic unfolds before us as we paint – and watch as our paintings connect with and engage the viewers of your work too. This is just some of the alchemy I share and reinforce throughout our time together.

My 2024 Sunshine Coast Workshops will help you to find your wings too. These are just some of the lessons we will cover:

The methods, techniques, brushes, paints, colours, mediums, hints and tips I use in watercolour and oil are very different from each other.

• During each workshop you will learn all the things I wish I knew many years ago
• These workshops are designed to fast track you to what I know now!
• How to avoid ‘the traps for young players’ that most of us fall into at some stage
• Learn the tricks that will allow you to feel the ‘joy of the journey’ now rather than research endlessly to find out all the things that will have the greatest impact on your work and pleasure of painting from then on
• The all important Five Crucial Elements for a successful painting
• How to observe our subjects through artist’s eyes
• How to analyse what we see
• Deliberation – what to add – what to leave out – what to exaggerate and what to diminish
• How to create the most captivating compositions
• We then focus on the essential ingredients of:

My painting methods & techniques

• Colour mixing and colour trails that make painting so much more spontaneous, quicker and easier
• Colour temperature: the power and impact of this easy-to-understand knowledge is far-reaching
• Tonal value is the most powerful element of them all. Watch how a simple tweak of tonal value can have a huge impact on your work!
• Learning how to make watercolour and oil paintings dance with glowing translucent jewel-like colour giving a three dimensional sense of reality
• Layering translucent washes (watercolour workshop) or glazes (oil workshop)
• Mediums (oil workshop)
• The all important lessons in brush handling
• Fine tuning: This is the ‘icing on the cake’ when refining our paintings at the last stage. I will show you how a simple painting can become a masterwork in this last stage. With some simple minimal adjustments everything comes together with quick washes/glazes, tweaks
• After thirty years of painting, teaching, researching – I have refined the tools I use to just a few that allow me to create all of my paintings.
• Choosing which Materials to use can be daunting – which paper, linen, canvas, paint, colours, brushes, tools etc can leave you feeling bewildered. You will learn not only which are ideal, but also how to use them, when to use them and why they work so well for all subject matter!

 You will see how the knowledge of the elements that I will share with you will help make all of these things so much easier to understand, and success within easy grasp. My workshops are designed to help you gain courage and confidence, exposure to painting numerous surfaces, textures, objects and forms. These will help you understand how to approach and paint any subject at all!

I feel Benjamin Disraeli could have been describing my teaching philosophy when he so eloquently penned these words:

” The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches,
but to reveal to him his own.”

I believe good teaching is about taking the artist to a window – throwing it wide and opening their eyes to a whole new awareness and a new world of possibilities through the understanding of the essential artists’ tools mentioned above.

 I would love to teach you how to create paintings that reach out of the frame and captivate the viewers of your work.

 Our paintings live on long after we have gone and it is this notion that inspires me to share knowledge so you too can feel the joy of achieving and the knowledge that your work will speak to the generations that follow.

Fully immerse yourself in painting for 3 days with a small group of like-minded artists. You will have so much fun as Susan shares all the things that have revolutionized her work and shaped her successful international career

Susan’s Workshop Details & Accommodation Info:

Maroochydore is an idyllic spot to teach and learn painting. It’s a holiday town – the perfect place for everyone to unwind in a lovely relaxed, friendly atmosphere as Susan shares her unique teaching style and all that she knows about painting in watercolour and oils.

One afternoon, after class, Richard will offer bonus tuition for those keen to learn how to capture great photographs. Richard will share his knowledge of photography and teach you how to get the most from your digital camera and compose images that will inspire you to capture them in your paintings. Partners are welcome to join in this session too.

As usual the workshop places will be allocated on a ‘first in – first served‘ basis’.

Susan says:

“The success of a painting is often determined by the time we take before picking up our brushes. We can be the best artists in the world at wielding a brush – but without the knowledge of our medium, good composition, observation, analysis, deliberation, colour and colour temperature – our paintings will never reach their full potential. I would love to demystify these for you too so you can then concentrate on the joy of painting!”

The First 3-day 2024 Watercolour Workshop Dates are:

Pre-workshop get-together (optional) on evening of Thursday 24th October 2024, with 3-day workshop on Friday 25th October to Sunday 27th October, 2024 – inclusive.

The Second 3-day 2024 Oil Painting Workshop Dates are:

Pre-workshop get-together (optional) on evening of Thursday 31st October 2024, with 3-day workshop on Friday 1st November to Sunday 3rd November, 2024.

Susan teaches lessons to everyone, while they are seated around her desk, with a video monitor to show a close-up view of her working on her painting. Once artists return to their own paintings Susan will circulate around the room, spending one-on-one time with each artist to move each forward at their own pace and skill level.

Susan’s workshops are for artists of all skill levels, however having studied Susan’s DVDs/Video Downloads or attended a previous workshop will be an advantage. 

Times:

Susan will teach each day from 9am to 4pm, with a break for morning tea, an hour for lunch, and afternoon tea at 4pm. Nevertheless, Susan will often continue teaching after 4pm. There is the option for artists to continue painting in the evening if they wish to practise the day’s lessons further.

Price:

The cost of three days tuition is NZ$1,450.

The price includes tasty morning and afternoon teas during the workshops. Lunch and accommodation are not included. Susan guarantees to limit the number of artists on each workshop to a maximum of 15.

To reserve a workshop place a non-refundable (NZ$250 for 2024) deposit is required. Please use the form near the top of this page to request a place on Susan’s workshop(s). As soon as we receive your request we will send you a Paypal payment request for the deposit. Payment can be made via Paypal with either your Paypal balance or with your credit card. Spaces are reserved in the order that deposits are received.
The balance payment of NZ$1,200 is to be paid any time before (and including) Friday 6th September 2024.

Cancellation Policy:

As you can imagine, we feel saddened if a personal emergency, or other circumstances, force an artist to withdraw from a workshop they have booked. We wish to be fair and reasonable to fellow artists. Therefore, if an artist withdraws from a workshop once the balance payment has been made we will refund that balance payment (NZ$1,200) in full if we are able to find a replacement person for that space. Obviously, the more time we have to secure a replacement, the more likely we are to find one. In the highly unlikely event that we, ourselves, had to cancel the workshops for any reason we would refund the full amount that any person had paid for the workshop itself.

The Venue:

Maroochy Conference Room
The Sebel Hotel Maroochydore
20 Aerodrome Road
Maroochydore
Queensland 4558
AUSTRALIA
ph: +61 (0)7 5479 8000

For 2024 the four star Sebel Hotel has kindly provided an ‘Artists’ Rate’ for a two bedroom apartment accommodation. This price is reduced by 10% from the usual cost of this beautiful hotel.

The hotel said to us “For any workshop attendees we would be happy to extend 10% off the best available rate for a 3 night stay.” There is some variability with the room rates, depending on dates and availability. Therefore we suggest you check the price for the number of nights and the type of accommodation you wish to book, by going to the Sebel Maroochydore website here:

https://www.thesebel.com/queensland/the-sebel-maroochydore/

then phone the hotel (07 5479 8000) and make your booking in person, asking for the 10% discount off the price you have seen, for those attending Susan’s Workshop(s). We have been communicating with the Sebel’s Front Office Supervisor, Liana Pearce, so if you are able to speak with her she will be familiar with Susan’s Workshops and the details agreed.

These twin share apartments are excellent, as they have two bathrooms and two bedrooms which makes them very economical per person for twin share. Relax on a large private balcony with views of the sparkling pool & town. Apartments are fully self-contained, 2 bed/2bathroom, gourmet kitchen, over-sized living area, LCD TV, CD/DVD, broadband (for extra cost), laundry, ensuite spa bath & private entry courtyard. Queen bed and two single beds.

If you wish to find accommodation elsewhere, there is a great variety on offer in Maroochydore for you to choose from. Airbnb, in particular, has a good range and selection. There is also a camping and caravan ground (Maroochydore Beach Holiday Park) across the road from the Sebel Hotel and workshop venue.

Click HERE for more information on the Sebel Hotel Maroochydore:

When booking accommodation with the Sebel Hotel please tell them you are attending Susan’s workshop and you would like the special pricing shown above. 

To Register for a Workshop Place:

After reading the detailed information on this page, if you wish to apply for a place on Susan’s  2024 Sunshine Coast workshop series, simply complete the form above. We will come back to you with availability and offer you the opportunity to secure your place with a deposit payment of NZ$250. Just put in your Name, Email (please make sure your email address is 100% correct) and Country. Then in the message box tell us which workshop(s) you wish to request. Please don’t delay if you wish to secure a place. 

To enable you to pay the workshop deposit we will send you a Paypal payment request. You can then make payment either with your Paypal funds or by credit card – easy! Once payment is made we will send you a confirmation of your workshop place.

Remember:

No one is born being able to paint masterworks. We all begin in the same place. Most artists have art tutors/old masters we would love to have had the opportunity to learn from. Their paintings speak to us in a way that others don’t. We want to know ‘how do they do that?’! Do they have a magic ingredient they use or are they so gifted – that this skill, this work is unattainable for most? The answer is of course “no”. I find determination is the key – along with access to an artist who has taken the time to learn and share.

Every day I receive messages from people from all around the world who want to paint as I do. To know what I know. They want to ‘unlock the artist within them’ but don’t know how to find the key.

I have spent 30+ years in researching, experimenting, trial and error, triumphs and challenges developing new methods and techniques – all of which has lead me to what I know now. Sharing, teaching and fast tracking artists is enormously important to me and one of the most cherished things on my art journey.  Sharing and teaching all we have learned on our journey is like a spring-board for other artists and allows them to learn exponentially. This is what my Maroochydore workshops are all about! I do hope you can join us there.

Susan

Testimonials from Artists Who Have Attended Susan’s Previous Sunshine Coast Watercolour Workshops: