Unfolding Landscapes in Natural Inks with Tim Watson

10.00am – 4.00pm

We're thrilled to introduce this talented local artist who spends much of his time running across the Cumbrian fells, bringing a great knowledge of this local landscape - that he then depicts on paper in many surprising and beautiful ways!

This particular course with Tim is exploring the contours and character of the unfolding Landscape using Tim's own handmade Ink ~ using the Oak Galls he has gathered on his travels!

Oak Gall Ink was historically the earliest ink of choice, used on parchment, vellum, and all things legal. The Magna Carta, the American Declaration of Independence and Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice were all written in Oak Gall Ink.

Tim will introduce this unusual medium, which for him has become a firm favourite over recent years, showing different techniques, effects and ideas on paper. A step by step demonstration will then follow using the camera and screen, meaning students can paint alongside from their desks, altogether. After completion and over the afternoon students can try out all they've learned using other reference material and photos with Tim's support. Several options will be available in both watercolours and acrylics for bursts of colour if required.

Thursday 8th July 2027

The venue can provide jam jars, white china plates for mixing and kitchen roll. The optional extras for students to bring are their own Watercolour palette if preferred, various small watercolour brushes, personal ink dipping pens, something for note taking, plus any of your own sketches or photos as reference.

NOTE: The below examples are all close ups of larger works by Tim. All details can be seen on his website timwatsonartist.co.uk

About the Artist Oak Gall Ink I have used ink for sketching outdoors for years and also for producing finished pieces of work. Previously Indian Ink was my chosen medium. On finishing the renovation of our studio and gallery, Brightside Barn, some spark happened that led me to experimenting and finally producing my own oak gall ink! The earliest recipes for oak gall ink come from Pliny the Elder, and are vague at best but it became the standard ink formulation used in Europe for the 1400-year period between the 5th and 19th centuries.

Many famous and important manuscripts have been written using oak gall ink, including the Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest, most complete Bible currently known to exist, thought to be written in the middle of the fourth century. The Doomsday Book, Book of Kells, many of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings, the American Statute of Independence are but a few surviving documents. Making it is a very enjoyable process with each batch being slightly different in character. Indeed finding the oak galls is the biggest challenge and I have many friends on the look out for them.