Going on a course can be a fun and informative experience. It also has the potential to have a hugely positive effect on your life and change it forever. Kati Aitken tells us about her course experience…

Name: Kati Aitken
Course: Diploma in Painting and Printmaking
Institution: The Heatherley School of Fine Art

‘After working for some time as a chemist, I needed a change to something where I could express myself more, and considered studying painting as it was always my favourite subject at school.

I did a search on the internet for fine art courses in London, especially figurative painting ones, and came across details of this new course at Heatherley’s. I came for an interview and was immediately sure I wanted to do the course. This was mainly due to seeing excellent work by past students.

Illustrative skills
I hoped to learn enough about painting and printmaking techniques to be able to paint subjects that interest me, and to find out if I had enough talent and ideas to work as a professional painter and illustrator.

When I started the course, I was a bit worried at first as the other students were much more experienced than me, but to my relief we have all been allowed to progress at our own pace. I most enjoyed learning a lot about painting and printmaking of course, but talking about painting with experienced artists has been of huge benefit too.

Artistic advice
The hardest element of the course was learning watercolour painting. Also, the first day with each new teacher was a challenge as we had to adjust to their different styles. However, getting new opinions and new tips from each teacher has been an extremely enriching experience, and it feels as if we’ve really had expert advice to help us through each project.

The course has really improved my outlook and confidence as I’m beginning to feel like I can tackle any subject that I’m interested in painting, and I am finding my own style as well. Studying in London has been great for meeting contemporary artists and seeing exhibitions of old and new paintings. I plan to move forward with my  new-found artistic confidence by mostly painting nature scenes, and  use the work I’ve produced on the course as a portfolio to look for illustrating commissions.

If there are students thinking about doing a course like this, I’d give them the following advice – the more work you put into this course, the more you get out of it! Go for it.’