THE PILGRIMAGE WATERCOLOUR COURSE

Sample itinerary for Liz & Dave Pilgrim's Watercolour Painting Holiday
each September

Saturday Evening
Welcome informal meal all together at Jouandassou, to give you a chance to meet socially before the course. We will then outline the programme for the week.

Sunday
An introduction to the basic principles of watercolour painting: materials, importance of colour wheel for shadows, complimentary colours,...etc Introducing/revising painting washes, wet into wet techniques, how to avoid unwanted water marks, "fading off" techniques and the importance of tonal contrast in paintings.
In the afternoon, we will take you out and about around Jouandassou to introduce you to drawing techniques and you will sketch a scene suited to your drawing ability.

Monday
Introduction to painting a local pastoral scene outside (uncomplicated drawing involved for beginners).

Tuesday
We aim to spend the day painting a gascon farmhouse, or possibly Trie church from a distance, hopefully with the Pyrenees as a backdrop (depending on the weather).
This will be an introduction to drawing and painting buildings for those new to this, but plenty to occupy and stretch "improvers".

Wednesday
Day of rest!
We'll give you plenty of suggestions for visiting places in the Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, Pyrénées themselves, if you want to start to explore the region.

St Sever de Rustan

Thursday We will take you to the Abbey at Saint Sever de Rustan. A beautiful local place to paint with many choices and complexities of subjects: bridge, abbey, or simple vignette of an old building. We will do a demonstration on how to tackle water, reflections and the Abbey. Suitable for pen and wash studies.

Friday
Plenty of subject matter around our own house and garden for you to paint... vignettes of terracotta pots and plants, shutters, farmhouse with white parasol, spectacular pastoral view of the Pyrenees from our south facing meadow, if they are in view.
We'll end the afternoon with a constructive review of all the work you have done during the week back at Jouandassou.
There we will all end the day with a nice meal cooked by Nick and Dominique.

EACH STUDENT WILL NEED TO BRING THEIR OWN WATERCOLOUR MATERIALS, but we will sell paper blocks and will have brushes, sketch books, rubbers and pencils for sale. We will also provide a list of suggested paints, equipment, etc. nearer the time.

If you are interested in Liz & Dave Pilgrim's course here in South Gascony and we will be delighted to welcome you here. Several options are available for this week starting on a Saturday evening and finishing the following Saturday after breakfast:

- You may stay at Jouandassou, our guesthouse, and we will provide full board during the week (with picnic lunches, except on Wednesday which is your day off), either in a single room (option 1) or as a couple in a double room (option 2).

- You may stay at "le camping" in Fontrailles (option 3), in a tent , a caravan  or a camping car, you will then deal with your own breakfast, picnic lunches  and dinners, except on Saturday evening (arrival) , Sunday lunch and Friday evening (last day), when you will have dinner at Jouandassou with the whole "team".

- You may stay in a self-catering gite - if 4 persons (or more if couples sharing bed) - (option 4) you will then deal with your own breakfast, picnic lunches  and dinners, except on Saturday evening (arrival), Sunday lunch (light) and Friday evening (last day), when you will have dinner at Jouandassou with the whole "team".

Please enquire for the prices of Liz & Dave's course and accomodation

Transport and airport/train station pickup is also available for an additional charge.

If you want to book, please contact :

Dominique Collinson
Jouandassou
65220 Fontrailles
email :
Tél. : (33) 5 62 35 64 43
Fax : (33) 5 62 35 66 13

This course needs a minimum number of 7 students. These courses have been very popular in the past, but in the unlikely event it has to be cancelled, we will inform you by August 1st.

Looking forward to welcoming you here.