Following my experiences gained teaching in publishing and illustration for over 25 years – training art and graphics to new design recruits and mentoring young artists – I now offer bespoke, carefully-planned tuition to the general public with all abilities. I believe that everyone can draw and paint to a good standard if they adopt some general principles and that everyone can also improve their ability with a little coaching.
Do any of the comments below apply to you?
- Do you need a basic introduction into art?
- Can you draw at a very basic level – ‘stick’ men and ‘candy floss’ trees etc. – but wish to improve?
- Do you want a rewarding, relaxing hobby that allows you to develop at your own speed?
- Have an interest in starting watercolour painting but don’t know where to begin?
- Do you want to improve your skills in different media?
- Do your children need additional tuition to help with their art-based GCSEs?
- Are you interested in improving your graphite or coloured pencil drawing?
- Do you want to polish up on your Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator skills?
I can provide a tailor-made approach to your specific requirements, guiding you along the way and letting you dictate the speed you work at.
To summarise, these are some of the tuition services I provide:
- Basic art training: explaining the core principles and approach for people new to art or wanting to refresh and improve their knowledge
- Graphite pencil from the basics to advanced level
- Coloured pencil artwork training to all levels
- Watercolour instruction from beginner to advanced levels
- Mixed media techniques: combining watercolour, graphite, gouache and coloured pencil effectively
- Adult colouring book techniques: take your skills to a new level
- Introduce hyper-realism techniques into your art
- An introduction into Graphic Design and Digital Illustration
- Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for beginner to intermediate levels
- Scanning and how to set up your equipment for reproduction, sending to online printers etc.
- And much more…
Some examples of artwork I have recently created using graphite pencil, watercolour and coloured pencil
How does it work?
I have found that students are always more relaxed in their own environments so I take the lessons to you! Price is dependent mainly on distance, but I always advise that the first lesson should be a maximum of one hour so the student is not overwhelmed by too much information and that they are happy with the service I provide.
For more pricing details, please contact me using the details below:
Carl Waine
email: fireflydesignservices@gmail.com
tel: 07870 566890 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm)
How far do I travel?
I generally work within a 15 mile radius of Sandbach, Cheshire, but if you are outside this range, please let me know so we can discuss possible options that are available.
What equipment do I need?
1. For any non-digital work – watercolour painting, coloured pencil work etc. – I can provide a basic list of what you need for the first session (the less expensive, student-quality materials are really good these days so it doesn’t have to cost a fortune if you are a complete beginner).
2. For digital work – Photoshop, Illustrator, Digital Art etc. – I ask the client to provide the necessary software and hardware as I will sometimes set homework projects to assist learning while I’m not present. This also gives the student all the time they need to complete work and gives them more time to practice the topics covered in the previous lessons.
Lesson structure
After the first lesson, all lessons can be tailor-made and structured to suit the individual. For all lessons, I provide a mix of theoretical and practical applications so the student is not overwhelmed with too much information. I usually set projects to be done before the next lesson, so these can be a discussion point for the next and so you’re not under pressure and have plenty of time to complete your task.
For more information, please contact:
Carl Waine
email: fireflydesignservices@gmail.com
tel: 07870 566890 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm)
My background
I have owned Firefly Design Services for several years, producing flyers, booklets, illustrations, business cards, banners and much more. I have also taught digital art and graphics, watercolour painting and pencil work to a wide audience – ranging from school children to retirees – and have mentored groups of all ages on collaborative projects. For your peace of mind, I also have a continuous, enhanced DBS certificate.
I have been an artist and illustrator for almost 30 years. After studying Technical, Biological and Medical Illustration and Graphic Design at College and University, I have produced commissioned artwork for the National Trust, dental journals, the NSPCC, children’s books, local and national businesses and private commissions for the general public.
I have also worked as Head of Design for two publishing houses for several years, teaching and mentoring university leavers to a level where they make a valuable contribution in a commercial environment and providing a ‘bridge’ between full time education and operating in the workplace.