{"id":837,"date":"2026-07-28T14:05:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T14:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/locals.buildprosites.com\/sketchbook\/home\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T07:08:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T07:08:48","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/locals.buildprosites.com\/sketchbook\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tWatercolour and drawing, Paddington<\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Learn to see like a painter.<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Small in-person classes in a sunlit Paddington studio, taught by Mara Ellis. Short lessons, real momentum, and a habit you keep long after the term ends.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSee the courses<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAsk about a term<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tWhy this studio exists<\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Watercolour rewards the relaxed hand.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Most beginners are taught to control the medium, and watercolour punishes control. The pigment wants to move, so the courses teach decisions rather than grip \u2014 how much water, which pigment, where the light lives \u2014 and let the medium do the rest.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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How the teaching works<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Three habits every course is built on<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The method is the same whether it is your first class or your fourth term.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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01<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Short exercises, real momentum<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Nothing over twenty minutes. You watch one idea, paint one page, and the brush is wet before the hesitation arrives.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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02<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Critique that actually looks<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Pages come back marked up in the room \u2014 what worked, what drowned, and the one thing to try next.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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03<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Sketchbook first, frame later<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The sketchbook is the gym, not the gallery. Fill pages without ceremony and the frameable ones arrive on their own.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\tThe studio<\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What the room looks like on a Tuesday<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Photographed on an ordinary Tuesday, not a styled one.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Every lesson<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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One jar, a few brushes<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The whole materials list fits in a jar. Nothing is taught that needs a shopping trip.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The whole point<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The wash<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Watercolour is the only medium that keeps painting after you lift the brush. Learning to let it is most of the course.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Right outside<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The jacaranda<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In bloom for a few weeks every spring, and the reason the November classes run a little late.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\tFrom the studio<\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What changes after a few weeks of pages<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Sample notes, left after a term<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\u201cI came in sure I couldn\u2019t draw, and nobody asked me to. The short exercises are sneaky \u2014 you are improving before you notice you are practising.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Ruth A.<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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ASHGROVE<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\u201cThe critique on Landscapes is worth the term fee on its own. Mara found the same mistake in three of my pages and fixed all of them with one sentence.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Tom\u00e1s H.<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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WEST END<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\u201cI have filled four sketchbooks since the Habit course. My phone gallery used to be screenshots; now it is pages.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Wren K.<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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PADDINGTON<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Your first class is a short drive from the CBD.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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New terms start through the year \u2014 ask what has a seat left.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAsk about a term<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"callouts":[],"class_list":["post-837","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/locals.buildprosites.com\/sketchbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/locals.buildprosites.com\/sketchbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/locals.buildprosites.com\/sketchbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/locals.buildprosites.com\/sketchbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/locals.buildprosites.com\/sketchbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=837"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/locals.buildprosites.com\/sketchbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":884,"href":"https:\/\/locals.buildprosites.com\/sketchbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/837\/revisions\/884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/locals.buildprosites.com\/sketchbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"callouts","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/locals.buildprosites.com\/sketchbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/callouts?post=837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}