Turn your dreams into reality and learn to paint

Discover and explore your hidden creative talents on our Two to Four Day tutored painting excursions for small groups. You are taken to spectacular Queenstown locations in luxury transport with our experienced tutors. We create a relaxed, safe, comfortable, stress-free environment for you to learn. No art experience is necessary. Our tutors are professional artists who can ‘unlock’ your personal creativity and hidden talents. They help you to record your holiday with artistic tips and techniques that you will use long after your excursion ends. Read about the background and specialisations of our tutors and see some examples of their work on the About page.

 

 

These excursions are customised to suit your interests in the most scenic locations that the lake and alpine resort of Queenstown has to offer. They are transforming personal experiences for those who wish to discover their creative self and learn to paint.

We cater for groups of two to six adults. As a group, you choose your preferred ‘painting’ medium such as pastels, watercolours, acrylics, oils or mixed media , and your preferred art style (e.g. traditional, contemporary, abstract, realistic). Fulfill a desire you have always had to paint, but never had the time to indulge.

Painting locations can include historic sites, lakes, gardens, mountains, river canyons, tussock high country. The suitability of locations varies daily according to light conditions and weather generally which affect both your comfort and pleasant painting ambience. Optional helicopter transport adds to the excitement and provides access to remote locations.

We can provide tuition in English, Spanish and Chinese languages.

We offer 10% discount for bookings made 10 or more days in advance through this web site. We can accommodate a non-painting partner or guest at reduced rates, providing there is space available.

Please contact us for more information about customising an Art Adventure to your specific needs and interests, and about our helicopter options.

Multi-day Learn to Paint Excursions (tutored) include:

  • Pick up from local accommodation in luxury vehicle and transport to scenic locations (includes up to 45 minutes travel by road each way at start/end of excursion). Note – locations are weather dependant; extra travel and/or helicopter options by negotiation and at additional cost.
  • Personal guiding and commentary
  • Expert tuition by professional local artist in medium of clients’ choice – either pastels, watercolours, acrylics, oils or mixed media. Note – tutors are subject to availability; one per group of 2-6 adults
  • High quality art materials, outdoor seating, easels and boards provided
  • Small intimate groups with personal attention
  • Light lunch and refreshments including a glass of wine at the end of each day
  • Matt framing of client’s best finished work (two works for Four Day Excursion) to carry home in Art Adventures’ sturdy folders (fit into overhead lockers on aeroplanes)
  • Optional full framing of work/s and shipping to home at additional cost

Two Day

Painting Excursions

  • Luxury transport
  • Light refreshments and lunch
  • Expert tuition
  • Quality art materials
  • Outdoor seating
  • Small intimate groups
  • English, Spanish or Chinese languages
  • 7 – 8 Hours
  • Several scenic locations
  • Matt framing of best work
  • Optional full framing of best work and shipping home
  • Optional Helicopter Transport (own cost)
NZ$1375 -1625pp
Book Now

Three Day

Painting Excursions

  • Luxury transport
  • Light refreshments and lunch
  • Expert tuition
  • Quality art materials
  • Outdoor seating
  • Small intimate groups
  • English, Spanish or Chinese languages
  • 7 – 8 Hours
  • Several scenic locations
  • Matt framing of best work
  • Optional full framing of best work and shipping home (own cost)
  • Optional Helicopter Transport (own cost)
  • Optional glass of wine at end of day (own cost)
NZ$1750 - 2375pp
Book Now

Four Day

Painting Excursions

  • Luxury transport
  • Light refreshments and lunch
  • Expert tuition
  • Quality art materials
  • Outdoor seating
  • Small intimate groups
  • English, Spanish or Chinese languages
  • 7 – 8 Hours
  • Several scenic locations
  • Matt framing of two best works
  • Optional full framing of best work and shipping home (own cost)
  • Optional Helicopter Transport (own cost)
  • Optional glass of wine at end of day (own cost)
NZ$2250 - 3100pp
Book Now

Notes:
All prices NZ$ inclusive of GST, per person, minimum 2 adults and valid to 30 September 2012; 10%
discount for bookings made 10 or more days in advance; see our terms and conditions

 

Art Mediums Available

Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binding ingredient. Dry pastels are chosen to complement the dryness of this region, and despite being quite a messy medium (we do provide aprons, and hand wipes), the colour effect of the natural dry pigment is closer to reality than other mediums.

We use soft pastels so that you can learn to blend colours and achieve atmospheric effects quickly. We use good quality pastel paper with ‘tooth’ so that the pastel adheres to the paper and then is sprayed with a fixative so that your work does not smudge in transportation.

Pastel, is direct, spontaneous and flexible. There’s no mixing of paint, or brush to manage, so there is less chance of failure for the beginner. In addition, a pastel drawing can be completed in three hours – making it ideal for working outdoors, in changing light and weather.

Watercolour (aquarelle) is a painting method. It is a light and portable medium for outdoor work. The paints are made of pigments which are suspended in water and applied to paper that can hold the water. Terrific luminous effects can be achieved with very little brushwork.

Watercolour gives a transparent feel and it allows light to reflect from the surface of the paper. It has a unique ability to summarise, clarify and idealise in full colour your subject matter. It is a perfect medium for landscape work and for recording quickly colours and moods of this dramatic countryside. It is ideal for lake scenes!

Watercolour has a unique ability to summarise, clarify and idealise in full colour your subject matter. It is a perfect medium for landscape work and for recording quickly colours and moods of this dramatic countryside.

Acrylic paint is fast-drying paint containing pigments suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. They are the perfect medium for working quickly outside.

Depending on how much the paint is diluted with water or modified with acrylic gels, media, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolour or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not possible with other mediums.

Acrylic has the ability to bond to many different surfaces and a variety of mediums can be used to adjust its binding characteristic. It is a versatile, fun medium to use due to its fast drying qualities and permanence.

Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with the medium of oil. These oils confer various properties to the oil paint, such as less yellowing or different drying times.

Paint can be transferred to the canvas/ board surface using paint brushes, or with palette knives. Oil paint remains wet longer than many other types of artists’ materials, enabling the artist to change the colour, texture or form. This is the advantage oil painting has over other mediums.

At times, the painter might even remove an entire layer of paint and begin anew. This can be done with a rag and some turpentine for a certain time while the paint is wet, but after a while, the hardened layer must be scraped. It’s a wonderful medium to use if you have time and a good tutor at your side.

Mixed media is a process which involves working with any number of mediums to create images with layered surfaces. This technique can be applied to painting and drawing using both wet and dry mediums. For example pencil, ink, and conte may be layered over coloured grounds to create an image that has painterly qualities, yet has used a drawing-like approach.

In addition, these processes can be used to create loosely worked expressive images by manipulating the mediums with a high degree of control.

Certain combinations of medium work together more effectively than others and we teach a variety of techniques with a range of mediums to enable the layering process.

Using images from your camera and working with those is a specialty of tutor Megan Huffadine with fascinating results.