The workshops will be hosted by Arts Gunnedah and facilitated by artists Joe Penn and Lesley O'Shea on November 9-10 at Gunnedah Bicentennial Creative Arts Gallery.

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Mr Penn's Drawing with Watercolour Washes workshop will utilise the humble pencil to discover the "magic of the line" and create an illusion of depth using tone and perspective.

Other drawing materials including pen and willow charcoal will be used to explore line and tone to create compositions, which will be highlighted by adding a splash of colour with a wash of watercolour.

The workshop will be held outside, weather permitting.

Meanwhile, Mr O'Shea will instruct students in drawing and oils as they explore expressive portrait panting.

The artist will focus on the students' ability to draw a likeness by studying the placement and proportions of facial features, with a series of exercises to aid them.

As part of this process, students will draw a portrait in charcoal to get to know the proportions of the individual face.

Working from photographs, students will be guided step-by-step through demonstrations to to paint a tonal portrait, then a colour portrait.

Mr O'Shea will also cover mixing of skin tones and some basic colour theory to help students create portraits full of colour and expressive brushstrokes.

Photographic material will be provided but students are welcome to bring their own photographs of family or friends.

Individual demonstrations will also be given and no turps is used.