STILL LIFE ALLA PRIMA | LIZET DINGEMANS

4 Apr

Dates: 22nd - 24th May 2026
Times: 10am - 4.30pm
Location: Enniskerry
Skill Level: all levels welcome

Please see detailed workshop information below

If this course is fully booked or not currently scheduled, go ahead add your name to the waiting list HERE

Payment plans available contact us directly

Join tutor and alla prima artist Lizet Dingemans and for a three-day exploration of painting the still life alla prima.

'Alla prima' literally means 'in one go'. This means that in this workshop, you’ll start a new painting each day, working directly from life using objects and compositions of your own choosing. Using these wet-into-wet techniques, you’ll discover how to capture freshness, spontaneity, and confident brushwork, without the need to wait for paint layers to dry. Setting up a new composition daily encourages creativity and helps you develop a stronger sense of design and colour harmony. Its a great way to get creative with your own compositions!

This course is suitable for beginners and intermediate painters. The alla prima still life is the perfect way to learn how to handle oil paint or to refine your exisiting skills. Under Lizet’s guidance, you will build confidence in the process, and deepen the knowledge you need to continue on your journey as a painter.

Over the three days, you’ll work through the alla prima painting process from start to finish, completing one painting each day. Each day combines demonstration, guided exercises, and individual painting time with one-on-one feedback.

Lizet tailors the course to the students needs. Here is an example of what you may learn in the 3 days.

Day 1 – Introduction to the alla prima approach - working wet-into-wet using a monochrome object

·     Welcome, introductions, and health & safety overview
·     Tutor demonstration: focusing on using values with a monochromatic object
·     How to set up your palette and materials for alla prima painting
·     Students create a three-value wet-in-wet study, beginning with a half-tone base and building darks and lights with thicker paint — exploring gestalt and mass drawing theory
·     Moving on to colour: tutor demonstration of colour mixing and setting up a single-object still life colour study

Day 2 – Building Colour Skills and Refining Technique

·     Tutor demonstration: wipe-out technique for establishing light and form before starting a painting using your own composition
·     Designing and setting up your own multiple object still life
·     Emphasis on drawing in paint through comparative measurement — placing the right patches of colour and tone in the right place
·     Looking further at colour relationships and finishing your second alla prima painting
Day 3 – Texture

·     Tutor demonstration: different brush strokes for different materials
·     transparancy vs opacity in oil paint
·     Manipulating oil paint using different brushes (hog vs synthetic)
·     Learn more about brushes, mediums, and paints and how they interact for different effects.
By the end of the course, the goal isn’t simply to produce a finished painting, but to feel confident and fluent in working alla prima. Lizet will tailor the course to your personal needs and you can expect intensive, customised tuition.
Below is a guide to help you prepare for the workshop.
There are two suggested levels:
·     Basic: suitable for people on a budget or beginners who are not yet sure if they’ll continue oil painting.
·     Recommended: for those who plan to paint regularly and want to invest in higher-quality materials.
Please treat this list as a starting point rather than a strict requirement. Still life setups can vary widely — for example, a blue-toned arrangement will naturally call for more blue pigments. Intermediate painters are welcome to bring their preferred brands or any additional materials. The more variety we have, the better!

Surfaces
·     3 small to medium size canvas panels or primed boards (approx the size of your objects) — one for each day
·     A few smaller boards or offcuts for warm-up studies and colour mixing tests

Brushes and palette knife
I generally recommend Rosemary & co as a place to buy brushes as they of good quality and reasonably priced. (https://www.rosemaryandco.com/)

Basic:
·     A set of synthetic brushes with long handles,, for instance these.
·     A flexible palette knife
·     Optional: Silverline flat tipped hog brush set

Recommended:
·     Long flat hog brushes 2 small, 2 medium, 2 large
·     Series 47 Hog Filberts: sizes 2, 4, 8, and 12 (two of each)
·     Series 305 Filbert Cats Tongue: size 2
·     Ebony Filberts: sizes 1 and 2 (two of each)
·     A metal, flexible palette knife

Other Materials:

·     A palette for your paints, this can be glass, varnished (not bare) wood, or paper
·     Sansodor or other low odour solvent or linseed oil to use as your medium
·     A metal dipper or small jar to hold your medium
·     Apron or old clothing
·     Something to carry your wet paintings home (a shallow box or panel carrier works well)

Last but not least, objects to paint!

Please bring a selection of objects to include in your still life setups.
Simple, organic shapes are generally easier to paint than highly patterned or symmetrical items.
Suggestions:
·     Different textures; fruits, ceramics, bottles, drapery, boxes, flowers, toys, or reflective metal objects. A range of textures — glass, wood, fabric, metal, or plastic is ideal
·     Avoid: complex patterns, and fiddly small objects
·     Bear in mind that simple, organic shapes are easier to paint than complex, patterned or symmetrical objects. complex patterns (especially for beginners)