What Happens in an Intuitive Painting Class? A Step-by-Step Guide for First-Time Visitors

Perhaps you've been looking at an intuitive painting class and thinking:

I'd really like to try this... but what actually happens when I get there?

Do I need to know how to paint?

Will everyone else be more experienced than me?

Will I be told what to paint?

What if I don't know what to do?

And perhaps the slightly uncomfortable one:

What if everyone is looking at my painting?

If you're coming to an Art & Wellness session for the first time, I want you to know that you don't need to prepare anything.

You don't need an idea.

You don't need previous experience.

And you certainly don't need to arrive feeling confident about painting.

Come as you are.

I'll guide you from there.

Before you arrive

One of the lovely things about attending a painting class for beginners is that you don't need to buy a collection of art materials before discovering whether you actually enjoy painting.

For my guided workshops, the materials you need for the session are provided.

When you book, you'll receive the practical information you need, including where to find the studio.

Art & Wellness is located in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. It is a small, private studio rather than a large traditional classroom, and I intentionally keep my sessions relatively small.

I want people to feel that they have space to create and that I have time to offer individual guidance when someone needs it.

So before you arrive, there isn't any homework.

Just bring yourself and clothes you won't be devastated to decorate with an accidental splash of acrylic paint.

Step 1: Arrive, settle in and meet the space

Walking into any new class can feel a little uncomfortable at first, especially when you are coming alone.

So we don't immediately rush into painting.

You'll have a moment to arrive, put your things down, look around the studio and settle at the creative table.

My studio is also my creative space, so you'll see paintings, materials, plants, canvases and different objects I've collected and used in my own work.

It isn't designed to feel like a formal classroom.

I want it to feel welcoming.

And if you're nervous, please remember that many other people walking through the door are probably feeling exactly the same way.

You don't need to perform.

You are simply here to create.

Step 2: We begin with a little introduction

Before we start painting, I'll introduce the session and explain how we're going to work.

If you have attended traditional painting classes before, you may notice that my approach is slightly different.

I'm not going to place one finished painting at the front of the room and ask everybody to reproduce it exactly.

Instead, I'll introduce ideas, materials and techniques that you can explore in your own way.

I will guide you, but I also want to leave room for your own decisions.

This balance is very important to me.

Guidance when you need it. Freedom when you don't.

I will also explain something important before we begin:

during the intuitive painting process, we work in silence.

There is no background music.

The silence is intentional.

Step 3: Entering the silence

We live with so much noise around us.

Conversations. Phones. Music. Notifications. Other people's opinions. Advice. Expectations.

Even when we are physically alone, there can still be a lot competing for our attention.

In my intuitive painting sessions, I deliberately create a period of silence because I want to give you an opportunity to turn your attention inward.

There is no music telling you how the moment should feel.

There is no need to make conversation with the person beside you.

You don't need to explain what you're painting.

You simply have space to notice.

What colour are you drawn towards?

What movement feels natural?

What does your painting invite you to do next?

Sometimes we are so accustomed to looking outside ourselves for answers that we forget to listen to our own responses.

For me, silence supports the intuitive process.

It can help us slow down, reconnect with ourselves and begin to hear that quieter inner voice that can easily become lost in everyday noise.

At first, the silence may feel unfamiliar.

And that is okay.

After a while, something often changes.

You stop thinking about the silence.

And you start painting.

Step 4: Meet the materials

If you haven't painted before, even the materials can feel unfamiliar.

Which brush should I use?

How much paint do I need?

Should I add water?

What does this tool do?

Don't worry.

Part of an intuitive painting workshop is discovering what materials can do.

Depending on the session, we may work with acrylic paint, brushes, water, sponges and different ways of creating texture and marks.

I might demonstrate a technique and then invite you to experiment with it.

The important word here is experiment.

You aren't being tested on whether you can reproduce my demonstration perfectly.

I'm showing you another possibility.

You decide where it takes you.

Step 5: Making the first mark

A blank canvas can be surprisingly intimidating.

There is something about that perfectly clean white surface that can suddenly make us afraid of ruining it.

So we begin.

A colour.

A mark.

Some movement.

Perhaps water.

The first mark doesn't need to be important.

It simply changes the canvas from something waiting to be started into something that has already begun.

And once it has begun, you have something to respond to.

Step 6: I guide you, but I don't decide for you

During the silent painting process, I am still there with you.

Silence doesn't mean you are left alone to figure everything out.

I may introduce a prompt or technique at particular points in the session, but I try not to interrupt the creative process unnecessarily.

My role is to support your exploration rather than direct your painting.

If you become stuck, I might encourage you to approach the canvas differently.

Perhaps you've been carefully working with a small brush.

What happens if you try a sponge?

Perhaps you have been concentrating on one tiny area.

What happens if you step back and look at the whole canvas?

Perhaps you turn the painting around.

A small change can open a completely new direction.

These aren't instructions about what your painting should become.

They are invitations to explore.

Step 7: Your painting begins to develop

This is where everyone's journey starts becoming different.

Someone may work with strong, energetic colour.

Someone else may build soft layers.

One person might begin to see a landscape emerging.

Another painting might remain completely abstract.

Someone may love what they have created and then, ten minutes later, decide to paint over half of it.

All of those experiences are welcome.

Because we are working quietly, there is less temptation to look around the table and ask what everyone else is doing.

Your attention can remain with your own canvas.

Your own choices.

Your own process.

Your painting develops at its own pace.

Step 8: What happens if you get stuck?

You probably will at some point.

Most of us do.

There is often a moment in painting when you look at the canvas and think:

“I have absolutely no idea what to do next.”

I don't see that as failure.

Sometimes it is one of the most interesting moments in the process.

Instead of immediately looking outside yourself for an answer, you can stay with the painting for a moment.

Look.

Wait.

Step back.

Turn it around.

Notice where your eyes go.

Maybe you feel drawn towards another colour.

Maybe you want to cover something.

Maybe the painting needs more movement.

Maybe it needs less.

And if you genuinely need support, I am there.

But I don't want to immediately give you my answer.

Part of intuitive painting is giving yourself the opportunity to discover yours.

Step 9: Creating together, in silence

There is something very special about a group of people creating together without needing to talk.

You are sharing the same table and the same creative space, but everyone is having their own experience.

You can hear brushes moving across canvas.

Water.

Materials being picked up and put down.

People moving around their paintings.

And not much else.

There is no music in the background.

That is intentional too.

Music can be beautiful and powerful, but it can also influence our emotions, rhythm and energy.

During intuitive painting, I want to leave as much space as possible for your own rhythm to emerge.

The silence doesn't disconnect the group.

In a different way, it can create a sense of connection.

We are together, but nobody needs anything from you.

You don't have to make conversation.

You don't have to explain your painting.

You don't have to fill the silence.

You are simply allowed to create.

Step 10: Coming back together

The silence doesn't mean the whole workshop happens without communication.

There is time before the painting begins to settle in and understand the process, and there is time afterwards to come back together.

When the painting period finishes, we can talk again.

People may want to look at their work from a distance, share something about their experience or simply notice how different all the paintings are.

There is no requirement to explain or interpret your artwork.

Sometimes you may not have words for it.

That's perfectly fine.

The experience belongs to you.

Step 11: Finishing your painting

Knowing when a painting is finished isn't always obvious.

Sometimes you reach a point where something simply feels complete.

Other times you could probably continue for another three hours.

Part of the process is learning when to step back.

At the end, one of the things I love is seeing all the paintings together.

The same studio.

The same session.

Often the same materials.

And completely different results.

That individuality is exactly what I hope to see.

What if I have never painted before?

Then you are very welcome.

My sessions are designed so that beginners can participate without already understanding painting techniques.

You won't be the first person who has walked into the studio saying:

“I haven't painted since school.”

And you won't be the last.

You also don't need to wait until you feel more confident.

Often confidence develops because we try something, not because we waited until the fear disappeared.

What should I bring to an intuitive painting workshop?

For a guided Art & Wellness workshop, you don't need to arrive carrying an art shop with you.

The materials required for the session are provided.

The main things I recommend are comfortable clothes and an openness to experiment.

Acrylic paint has an impressive ability to find clothing, even when we're convinced we're being careful.

Most importantly, don't bring an expectation that you need to produce a masterpiece.

Bring curiosity instead.

It is much more useful.

Can I come alone?

Absolutely.

You do not need to convince a friend to attend with you.

In fact, coming alone can work beautifully with this particular kind of workshop because you don't need someone familiar beside you in order to feel comfortable socially.

During the intuitive painting process, everyone is focusing quietly on their own work.

There is no pressure to make conversation with strangers.

You can simply arrive and be part of the space.

Finding a beginner art workshop in Birmingham

If you've been searching for a beginner art workshop in Birmingham, think about what kind of experience you want.

Some people want highly structured technical teaching.

Some want to reproduce a particular image.

Others are looking for something more exploratory.

At Art & Wellness, my intuitive painting approach combines gentle guidance with creative freedom and intentional silence.

I'll introduce possibilities and support you when you need me.

But I won't decide what your painting should become.

That is the part I want you to discover.

Your first Art & Wellness intuitive painting class

If you're considering your first intuitive painting class, hopefully it feels a little less mysterious now.

You don't need to prepare.

You don't need to practise beforehand.

You don't need to know what you're going to paint.

And you don't need to be “artistic enough”.

You'll arrive.

We'll meet.

I'll explain the process.

And then, when we begin painting, the outside noise becomes quieter.

No music.

No pressure to talk.

Just you, the materials and the canvas in front of you.

Perhaps, in that quiet space, you will notice something that is difficult to hear when life is busy.

Your own creative voice.

Relax. Explore. Create. Connect.