Short Courses

Create beautiful artwork in style, without the messiness used in traditional painting. Learn the basic foundations of inking your own digital drawing composition with precision control of brushwork, with the user-friendly and easily accessible Krita digital drawing software.

Discover the versatility of acrylic paint. Participants will explore pictorial composition, the key to getting the right shades and hues, creating textures, form and value through still life, landscape, portrait and figure painting with this richly coloured medium. The prerequisite for Level II and above courses is the completion of the previous level or prior experience. Applicants who wish to join Level II and above and have prior experience in acrylic painting are required to submit art works for trainer’s review. Applicants with no prior experience are encouraged to start from Level I. Note: Course trainers are, on occasion, subject …

This course invites you to reconnect with the process of writing and discover how lettering can be used to convey emotion and meaning. Beginning with an introduction to the history of Western calligraphy, you will explore how traditional tools and brushes shaped the development of letterforms over time. Using simple pencil exercises, you will construct foundational shapes and understand the principles behind classical scripts. From there, the course moves into modern brush lettering, showing how traditional techniques can inform contemporary styles. You will experiment with varying strokes, rhythm and composition, and learn to design your own lettering pieces in a …

This is the first of a two-part series designed to provide a broad overview of the history of architecture from the Neolithic period up to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. It will discuss the achievements and developments of European and Asian architecture, drawing parallels and comparisons to demonstrate how cultural, religious and historical factors determined the forms taken. It will also highlight the contributions made by specific architects to the development of architecture. The lectures will also discuss how architecture was often a two-way dialogue, especially after the European age of discovery when European architecture often adopted Asian features …

This is the second in a trilogy of courses on the History of Western art which aims to provide a brief but essential survey of modern Western art from the early twentieth century to the 1960s. This course will survey the major art movements and artists of the twentieth century as well as the emergence of abstract art. It will discuss how the arts and artists responded to the social, political and cultural milieu of the times such as capitalism, urbanisation, technology and wars. Artists covered include Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, Henry Moore, Salvador Dali, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol.

Learn the techniques and nuances of Chinese ink painting to create your own traditional or contemporary art pieces. In this course, you will be introduced to the medium of Chinese ink, colour pigments, water and different brushes to create beautiful paintings of flowers, trees and scenery. A special emphasis will be placed on brush technique and composition. The prerequisite for Level II and above courses is the completion of the previous level or prior experience. Applicants who wish to join Level II and above and have prior experience in Chinese ink painting are required to submit artworks for the trainer’s …

Develop and expand your knowledge of music performance skills. Learn how to read music scores, as well as sight read. This course helps to extend your ability to recognise music styles, rhythms and keys, developing a solid music theory foundation to support your music skills. Note: Course trainers are, on occasion, subject to change with short notice.

Music Production Series I: Getting Started in Music Production An overview to the fundamental concepts, technologies, and working methodologies of home-based music production. Focusing on a project-oriented approach, you will learn how to understand your personal goals in music production, research hardware and software, and connect all the necessary equipment to start creating your own music. Trainer: Eugene Ng Music Production Series II: Home Music Production in Logic Pro Learn how to apply the fundamental of Logic Pro X to arrange, compose, record and produce your own music. The course will provide the fundamental skills on which you can build …

Music Production Series I: Getting Started in Music Production An overview to the fundamental concepts, technologies, and working methodologies of home-based music production. Focusing on a project-oriented approach, you will learn how to understand your personal goals in music production, research hardware and software, and connect all the necessary equipment to start creating your own music. Trainer: Eugene Ng Music Production series II: Home Music Production in Logic Pro Learn how to apply the fundamental of Logic Pro X to arrange, compose, record and produce your own music. The course will provide the fundamental skills on which you can build …

This course is ideal for those who want to learn how to operate the basic functions of a digital camera. You will learn about f-stop, shutter speed, film speed and how these three functions interact. You will also learn the basics of composition on shooting excursions every week, giving you a chance to practise techniques learned in class. The prerequisite for Level II is the completion of the previous level or prior knowledge in digital photography. Applicants with no prior experience are encouraged to start from Level I.  

The course will trace the history and development of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism and the artists within these movements. It will discuss how the innovations of both the Impressionists and the Post-Impressionists ushered in the beginnings of modern art. The course will take a thematic approach in understanding the changes which took place that created an artistic revolution. Themes that will be covered include the impact of science and technology on art, particularly in the development of photography art patronage, styles and techniques, and Japonisme (influence of Japanese art). Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pierre Renoir, Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Cezanne …

This is an intermediate course for participants who have attended the Travel Sketching Short Course and want to travel to destinations in Southeast Asia to practise their techniques and skills on location and gain experience as a travelling artist. Day 1 Arrive at Penang Sketch walk briefing and overview of course Day 2 Explore Little India and Love Lane, within George Town’s UNESCO World Heritage site Sketch walk I workshop: Breakfast at Little India Sketch walk II workshop: Strolling along Love Lane Day 3 Discover the Clan Jetties in Penang Sketch walk III workshop: Chew Jetty and the floating villages …