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SKILLSETS Courses offer a range of workshops & short courses from experts in Dublin's creative scene

SKILLSETS offers a range of workshops & short courses from experts in Dublin's creative scene. Learn directly from people who live & breath their creative passion! In the past year alone we've put on over 50 courses in subjects as diverse as screen writing, animation, projection-mapping, figure painting, pallet furniture building & more...

With engaging professional tutors and small class sizes, creative learning, and practice-based methodologies, we insure that focus is put on our participants in a multi-disciplinary proactive space.

02/10/2026

Portrait Painting in Oils // A Weekend Workshop with Artist Nicholas Robinson // October 17 + 18

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/skillsets/2383825

Painting the portrait is one of the longest traditions in oil painting; from van Eyck, Titian and Velázquez through to Reynolds, Romney and Raeburn and up to our present day.

Painting the portrait is a time honoured practice of the oil painter.

This 2 day workshop is designed to break down painting the portrait from the model into easily understandable principles.

The course will focus on;

drawing and design of the head and face
working with shadow and light to describe form
colour theory and mixing to describe colour and light
use of materials and technique in oil painting
conveying mood and expression to capture the personality of the sitter.

Course Fee: €250

* Some materials will be provided, though a small materials list will be sent to each participant.

Your Tutor:

Nicholas is a Florence Academy of Art prize winner and graduate.

Nicholas finished his post-graduate studies at Ireland’s National College of Art & Design (NCAD) in 2009, having previously graduated from the Crawford College of Art & Design, Cork. He was introduced to the American ateliers in Florence, in which students study exclusively from life, by the Irish painter Gearoid Hayes.

Subsequently Nicholas quit his teaching career and attended the Florence Academy of Art, Sweden under the tutelage of the Swedish painter Joakim Ericsson. Nicholas received a pair of drawing awards during his time at the school in Sweden and returned to Ireland in 2013. He is now exhibiting nationally, and works and teaches out of in his studio in Wicklow.

Refund Policy:

* Unfortunately, no refunds are given. Please make sure that you, or the person you are gifting the workshop to, can attend this workshop.

If you cannot attend the workshop we can reschedule your workshop if you inform us up to 21 days prior to the workshop's start date. If you request to reschedule less than 21 days before the workshop starting date we will not be in a position to change the date. Places can be given to a friend if you can no longer attend - please inform us as soon as you can with the new attendee's contact details.

Portrait Painting in Oils // A Weekend Workshop with Artist Nicholas Robinson – SKILLSETS, Digital Court, Rainsford St, Sat 17 Oct 2026 - Sun 18 Oct 2026 - Portrait Painting in Oils // A Weekend Workshop with Artist Nicholas Robinson // October 17 + 18 Painting the portrait is one of the longest t...

30/07/2026

Portrait Painting in Oils // A 3 Day Workshop with Artist Nicholas Robinson // Friday August 7 - Sunday August 9

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/skillsets/2179613

Painting the portrait is one of the longest traditions in oil painting; from van Eyck, Titian and Velázquez through to Reynolds, Romney and Raeburn and up to our present day.

Painting the portrait is a time honoured practice of the oil painter.

This 3 day workshop is designed to break down painting the portrait from the model into easily understandable principles.

The course will focus on;

drawing and design of the head and face
working with shadow and light to describe form
colour theory and mixing to describe colour and light
use of materials and technique in oil painting
conveying mood and expression to capture the personality of the sitter.

Course Fee: €350

* Some materials will be provided, though a small materials list will be sent to each participant.

Your Tutor:

Nicholas is a Florence Academy of Art prize winner and graduate.

Nicholas finished his post-graduate studies at Ireland’s National College of Art & Design (NCAD) in 2009, having previously graduated from the Crawford College of Art & Design, Cork. He was introduced to the American ateliers in Florence, in which students study exclusively from life, by the Irish painter Gearoid Hayes.

Subsequently Nicholas quit his teaching career and attended the Florence Academy of Art, Sweden under the tutelage of the Swedish painter Joakim Ericsson. Nicholas received a pair of drawing awards during his time at the school in Sweden and returned to Ireland in 2013. He is now exhibiting nationally, and works and teaches out of in his studio in Wicklow.

https://www.fluxdublin.ie/courses/portrait-painting-in-oils

Portrait Painting in Oils

27/07/2026

Figure Drawing from Observation // A Taught Life Drawing Weekend with Artist Marie Le Men // August 1 + 2

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/skillsets/2271676

This course is designed to equip artists with skill sets to draw a figure from life in various contexts: life drawing, street sketching, and portraiture. Artist Marie Le Men will help you define good habits to assess correct proportions and relationships in the human figure.

Techniques such as looking often, using landmarks and making fewer but intentional lines will help tackle the challenge of drawing the human body. Through a series of short dynamic poses towards longer poses, Marie will provide demos and personalized feedback to participants.

Materials provided (newsprint and charcoal) but a large sketchbook (A4-A3) is strongly recommended. Fine liners and markers, colour pencils and colour paper are all suggested materials.

In the morning, the class will be focused on theory, practice, with short and long poses. In the afternoon, participants will try to apply the concepts learned and receive some regular guidance. There will be a different model for each day or half day.

Course Fee: €275
* Most Materials Provided

Your Tutor:
Marie Le Men is a figurative artist born in France and is based in Dublin. She specializes in portraiture and figurative drawing. In her work, she aims to capture the unique energy of her sitters through vibrant line work and the use of water- based media. Her work was selected in exhibitions such as the Zurich Portrait Prize and the RUA Annual Exhibition. She teaches drawing and watercolour in the RHA, the Schoolhouse for Art, Crafty Studio and @ Flux Dublin.
Marie’s Instagram portfolio can be seen here:

Figure Drawing from Observation // A Taught Life Drawing Weekend – SKILLSETS, Digital Court, Rainsford St, Sat 1 Aug 2026 - Sun 2 Aug 2026 - Figure Drawing from Observation // A Taught Life Drawing Weekend with Artist Marie Le Men // August 1 + 2 This course is designed to equip artists with skill...

07/07/2026

Figure Drawing from Observation // A Taught Life Drawing Weekend with Artist Marie Le Men // August 1 + 2

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/skillsets/2271676

This course is designed to equip artists with skill sets to draw a figure from life in various contexts: life drawing, street sketching, and portraiture. Artist Marie Le Men will help you define good habits to assess correct proportions and relationships in the human figure. Techniques such as looking often, using landmarks and making fewer but intentional lines will help tackle the challenge of drawing the human body. Through a series of short dynamic poses towards longer poses, Marie will provide demos and personalized feedback to participants.

Materials provided (newsprint and charcoal) but a large sketchbook (A4-A3) is strongly recommended. Fine liners and markers, colour pencils and colour paper are all suggested materials.

In the morning, the class will be focused on theory, practice, with short and long poses.

In the afternoon, participants will try to apply the concepts learned and receive some regular guidance. There will be a different model for each day or half day.

Course Fee: €275

* Most Materials Provided

Your Tutor:

Marie Le Men is a figurative artist born in France and is based in Dublin. She specializes in portraiture and figurative drawing. In her work, she aims to capture the unique energy of her sitters through vibrant line work and the use of water- based media. Her work was selected in exhibitions such as the Zurich Portrait Prize and the RUA Annual Exhibition. She teaches drawing and watercolour in the RHA, the Schoolhouse for Art, Crafty Studio and @ Flux Dublin.

Marie’s Instagram portfolio can be seen here:

https://www.fluxdublin.ie/courses/figure-drawing-from-observation

Figure Drawing from Observation: A Life Drawing Weekend

23/06/2026

Figure Painting in Oils // A 3 Day Workshop with Artist Nicholas Robinson //
Friday July 3 - Sunday July 5 // 09:30 - 16:00

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/skillsets/2179557

Painting the figure has always been a staple exercise in learning the craft of oil painting, and this 3 day workshop covers the core skills required. This class is ideal for those looking to start their exploration into the art of Figure Painting, or for the more experienced artist who wants to improve their fundamentals. Nick Robinson (Florence Academy prize winner 2012 & 2013, Zurich Portrait Prize Finalist 2019 & 2021) will instruct in the visual method: translating what we observe from life into oil painting on the canvas.

We will explore the materials involved, some theory and preparation for the model. The rest of the session will be comprised of working from the n**e in one single-pose painting over the 3 days. By the completion of the course participants will have a clear understanding of the techniques and steps involved in painting the figure, as well as increased levels of observational skill.
No prior experience is necessary, only a strong interest in painting from life!

Course Fee: €350

* Some materials will be provided, though a small materials list will be sent to each participant.

Your Tutor:
Nicholas is a Florence Academy of Art prize winner and graduate.
Nicholas finished his post-graduate studies at Ireland’s National College of Art & Design (NCAD) in 2009, having previously graduated from the Crawford College of Art & Design, Cork. He was introduced to the American ateliers in Florence, in which students study exclusively from life, by the Irish painter Gearoid Hayes.

Subsequently Nicholas quit his teaching career and attended the Florence Academy of Art, Sweden under the tutelage of the Swedish painter Joakim Ericsson. Nicholas received a pair of drawing awards during his time at the school in Sweden and returned to Ireland in 2013. He is now exhibiting nationally, and works and teaches out of in his studio in Wicklow.
https://www.fluxdublin.ie/courses/figure-painting-in-oils

Figure Painting in Oils

28/05/2026

An Introduction to Abstraction // A weekend workshop with Artist Nuala Clarke // Saturday June 28th & Sunday June 29th // 10:00 - 16:00

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/skillsets/2204721

We are delighted to welcome back Artist Nuala Clarke to Flux Studios to teach a weekend painting workshop exploring the world of abstraction. If you have ever had a desire to paint abstractly but don't know how to go about it, this class lays the groundwork with practical exercises in a relaxed, and experimental atmosphere.

In this workshop we will take a look at our own preferences, connect to ourselves through the senses and find ways to make non-figurative work infused with personal vision. Abstraction is a means of noting that which has no fixed physical form. Colour, shape, texture and the ineffable can be combined to make an object which expresses that which has no words. Most people have important relationships with colour – we will be taking a deep look at our own preferences.

This course is for all levels, no experience of working abstractly or with water based media is necessary.
Some materials will be provided, though a small materials list will be sent to each participant.

This class is open to all levels.

Course Fee: €270

https://www.fluxdublin.ie/courses/an-introduction-to-abstraction

Your Tutor:

Nuala Clarke is a visual artist and writer. Born in Dublin, she moved to New York City after attending NCAD. She lived and worked as a painter in NY for 20 years. Her work is exhibited in the US and Europe, is held in many private, public and corporate collections. She is represented by & Claremorris Gallery in Co. Mayo. In 2007, Clarke received a fellowship and residency to The Ballinglen Arts Foundation, in Mayo. This area became the locus of her work and she moved there in 2013.

Meanwhile, she began collaborating with Crystal Gandrud. Together they wrote and imaged an artful, irreverent commentary of Atisa’s Lojong Slogans titled Radiating Outwards, Incrementally, A Manual, published in 2024. Clarke has been conducting research into the healing probabilities of abstract art since 2020 prompted by her study of the Irish Natural Philosopher and alchemist Robert Boyle (of Boyles law). She has presented papers at the Robert Boyle Summer School, and was awarded an Irish Arts Council Bursary for experimental research. She was most recently commissioned to honour Robert Boyle with abstract paintings at The John Sterne Library at Trinity Medical School, in Dublin. Her book Irish Moss of a Dead Man’s Skull was published by The Owl Circus in March 2025.

An Introduction to Abstraction

21/04/2026

Introduction to Signwriting // A Weekend Workshop with Vanessa Power (Signs of Power) // April 25 + 26 // 10:00 - 17:00

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/skillsets/1991925

Join us in April for an exciting new workshop in the traditional art of signwriting! In this 2 day workshop, experienced sign painter Vanessa Power will teach traditional sign writing lettering styles and techniques giving participants the skills to create their very own hand painted signs.

She starts with teaching block lettering and brush strokes, continually improving brush control, technique and consistency, with participants gaining confidence every step of the way over the two days working towards completing their own sign on a piece of wood to take home.

Course Fee: €295
* Materials Provided

Your Tutor:

Vanessa Power, also known as Signs of Power, is an Irish lettering artist who specialises in custom lettering, word-based murals and hand-painted signs. Her vibrant style acts as a bridge between the traditional craft of sign painting and the arresting aesthetic of the pop art movement. Attracting commissions for Jameson, LinkedIn, Kildare Village, and a myriad of other national and international brands.ww.signsofpower.com

Introduction to Signwriting // A Weekend Workshop with Vanessa Power (Signs Of Power) – SKILLSETS, Digital Court, Rainsford St, Sat 25 Apr 2026 - Sun 26 Apr 2026 - Introduction to Signwriting // A Weekend Workshop with Vanessa Power (Signs of Power) // April 25 + 26 // 10:00 - 17:00 Join us in Apr...

11/04/2026

The Art of Figure Drawing // A Weekend Workshop with Artist Sahoko Blake // Saturday April 18th & Sunday April 19th // 10:00 - 16:00

BOOK HERE - https://www.tickettailor.com/events/skillsets/2023149

SKILLSETS is delighted to welcome back artist Sahoko Blake for a Figure Drawing Weekend Workshop this April! Over 2 days and working with a live model, students will develop the skills and techniques essential in life drawing.

Each session will start with warm up sketches and gestural short poses. We will look at Skeletal and Head drawing systems, as well as focus on anatomical drawing lessons. Composition and drawing with paint will also be covered under the expert guidance of the artist. This short course is suitable for beginners and also those looking to develop their skills and techniques.

Course Fee: €260
* Materials Provided

About the Artist:
SAHOKO BLAKE is originally from Tokyo, Japan. Where she already had a distinguished career as an underwater camera woman, artist and teacher to her credit prior to moving to Ireland 25 years ago.
Her paintings and drawings of sea creatures and animal skulls comes from a deep contemplation passion for the natural world, and no more so than in her ‘ Bog Bodies’ a collection of paintings and drawings of these remarkable finds in the Irish Bogs. Here she again skillfully portrays with a rich tonality the humanity of these bodies that have lain pressed in the peat for thousands of years.

Sahoko has exhibited extensively in Ireland and abroad, including The National Gallery of Ireland, Gormleys, The Royal Ulster Gallery, RHA Banquet & RHA Annual exhibitions.
Sahoko is a tutor on advanced drawing courses at National Gallery of Ireland since 2007 as well as life drawing classes in Alexandra college, South Dublin ETB Colleges and Royal Hibernian Academy.
https://www.fluxdublin.ie/courses/the-art-of-figure-drawing

The Art of Figure Drawing

28/03/2026

Painting & Observation: Portraiture & Figure Painting From Life // A 6 Week Course with Artist Bríd Higgins Ní Chinnéide // Starts Wednesday April 15 // 10:00 - 13:00

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/skillsets/2113584

Skillsets is delighted to welcome back artist Bríd Higgins Ní Chinnéide to teach a new 6 week course focusing on painting from life.

This is an oil painting from life course with a live model present for each class.

Each pose in this course will be for 2 weeks and each pose will have a different focus, for example focusing on the structure of the face, hands, drapery, colour, etc.

The course will include demonstrations and guidance from the artist, as well as an opportunity to paint faces, hands and clothing from life.

The exercises will concentrate on quick responses to anatomical form and colour as well as discussions about the various decisions to be made in creating a strong composition. Bríd will also offer guidance on the use of oil paints and materials.

This course is open to all but will most benefit people with some painting experience to hone their observation and alla prima oil painting skills. We welcome returning students from Brid’s previous courses at the same time.

Class will run from 10:00 until 13:00 every Wednesday morning for 6 weeks.

Course Fee: €280
* Some materials will be provided, though a small materials list will be sent to each participant.

https://www.fluxdublin.ie/courses/painting-observation

Your Tutor:

Bríd Higgins Ní Chinnéide trained at the St Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts in Russia. She was a Sky Portrait Artist of the Year semi-finalist. She is a current recipient of the Dean Arts Studios residency and she exhibits regularly.

www.bridhc.ie

Instagram:

Painting & Observation: Portraiture & Figure Painting From Life

07/03/2026

Portraiture and Figure Drawing from Observation // A 6 Week Course with Artist Marie Le Men // Starts Thursday March 26 // 10:00 - 13:00

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/skillsets/2026373

This course led by artist Marie Le Men is designed for beginners as well as more advanced learners to learn an observational approach to portraiture from a variety of sources, alternating between short poses sessions and long ones. There will be a strong emphasis on construction, i.e. structure of the head and placement of features, neck and shoulders, hands and arms. We will also be experimenting with materials and a toolbox of techniques, to learn to vary line work and render different textures, or select limited palettes. We will work from reference pictures and from life with models.

* Please note we will take a 1 week break on April 9

Outline of the course -

Week 1: Drawing the head and shoulders with graphite and charcoal (exercises from ref pics in Monochrome – 1 hour Speed drawing exercises and 2 hour long drawing

Week 2: Drawing the head and shoulders from life with model in dry or mixed media – Placing key features

Week 3: Drawing arms and hands : Introduction to drawing techniques and line work – 1 hour Speed drawing exercises and 2 hour long head and shoulders exercise – Using charcoal

Week 4: Drawing arms and hands : portrait from life with model – limited palette of 2-4 colours – Tones and values

Week 5: Full body poses: Introduction to drawing techniques and line work– 1 hour Speed drawing exercises

Week 6: Full figure portrait in your medium of choice with model

Course Fee: €295

https://www.fluxdublin.ie/courses/portraiture-and-figure-drawing-from-observation

Portraiture and Figure Drawing from Observation

Address

Digital Depot, Rainsford Street
Dublin

Website

https://www.fluxdublin.ie/courses

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Dublin College of Advanced Studies - DCAS
98 Capel Street, Rotunda, Dublin 1, D01 HP52
LS Academy - Little Smarties estd 2008
Terenure Road North, Terenure