Sketching People in the Valley Gardens (afternoon session)

This 2 hour workshop is a great introduction to sketching people on location in the beautiful Valley Gardens.

Enjoy a fun filled two hours of sketching starting with an introduction full of tips on sketching people from Tutor Amanda Beck. Learn to set the scene and add figures for interest. She will then be on hand to help everyone individually throughout the afternoon.

• 11th July 2026
• 14:00 - 16:00
• £30 per person
• The meeting point is just down from Betty's Tea Rooms in the centre of Harrogate at 13:45. An email will be sent with clear information. You'll meet by a giant photo frame on the grass.
• The maximum class size is 8
• Materials are not provided; a materials list is available below
• You will be working outside, and undercover locations will be organised in the event of bad weather
• No experience required
• Read our t&cs and refunds page

• A5 or A4 sketchbook of choice (read below for details)
• An enclosed pencil sharpener.
• Pencils 2B and 4B and a putty rubber
• Artist Quality Watercolour Pencils (a small selection is sufficient)
• Refillable Watercolour Brush Pens (please fill it up before you arrive)
• A small rag for wiping your watercolour brush pen

Please bring an A5 or A4 sketchbook of your choice. This workshop focuses on
the use of dry media for sketching. Although we will be using a water pen for some of
the exercises either hot pressed or a good cartridge paper is sufficient. However,
please make sure the surface isn’t shiny and look for a sketchbook with decent
quality cartridge paper.
My favourite sketchbooks are both affordable, support sustainability and are
excellent quality. They are the Sea white eco Sketchbooks (soft back covers). Check
your local art shop or look online. If you already have a sketchbook, please bring it
along.

It is recommended that you bring a sunhat, a water bottle, and a small
rucksack for your sketching materials. We will look for benches to sit on, but if you
can bring a small fold-out stool.
We will stop for a picnic lunch in the Valley Gardens. Please bring lunch with you or purchase it along the way.
This event is based around the town of Harrogate. We will be going at a gentle pace, but be aware you'll be on foot for the session; there will be steps and gentle inclines.
In the event of rain the event will still go ahead. Sketching stops will be planned
undercover to cover the possibility of bad weather.

Amanda is an Artist and Arts Educator with a passion for drawing on location and sharing her enthusiasm for recording everyday life through the medium of sketchbooks.
Working as a Reportage Artist (the art of visual storytelling) she has documented live music events, circus performers and engineers building Classic and Vintage cars. A major highlight of her art career includes an Artist’s residency documenting the fabrication of the Blue Whale Skeleton ‘Hope’, which now hangs in Hintze Hall in the Natural History Museum in London. Commissioned by Research Casting International Canada Ltd and completed over fifty paintings behind the scenes during
a 5-month period.
Amanda teaches regular workshops in venues across Yorkshire on ‘The Art of sketching People.’ She is also the founder of ‘Skipton Sketchers’ and takes small groups out into Skipton to sketch from life under the umbrella of Craven Arts House.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Festival of Figurative Art