The Defining Practice Programme enables students to gain a stronger sense of their artistic voice and helps them build an individual and rich practice. Through creating a body of work over a year; participants will explore which methods, materials and processes are most suited to their work. Combining practical sessions and one-to-one tutorials, this programme is held over six two-day sessions, each around eight weeks apart.

Lead tutors Daniel Turner, Marie Claire Hamon and Faye Dobinson, are joined by visiting artists throughout the year. Visiting artists bring their expertise to particular programme sessions such as; Jessica Cooper, Jesse Leroy Smith, Dan Pyne, Kate Walters, Sam Bassett, Tom Morris, 'Jimmy' Kleiner Shames and Oli Raymond barker, among others.

The themes for our two-day sessions include:

Inspirations and influences - experimental painting and source material
Developing an image - using Drawing, Print and Collage to step out of our familiar creative processes.
Research and themes; response to place - personal interpretations, research and appropriate media
Identity and expression - individual response; with exercises based on the human head
Ways of seeing - Colour, Composition, Processes and Materials
Articulating your work - Crits, Art Statements and Peer Reflection

The Defining Practice Programme is designed to establish strategies for working that help you generate your momentum and inspiration.

By connecting all the stages of your practice from initial sketches to resolved artworks and considering how they are displayed you can build up an individual practice that is rich, organic and cohesive.

You will be introduced to the tutors when they will share their work with you, discussing their art practices and experiences of exhibiting collaboration, and public projects. There will be lots of opportunities to have the Lead and Visiting Artists engage with your work giving you encouragement and support.

Over the programme, we will help each of you to look at a wealth of historic and contemporary artists that are relevant to you and how you can learn from different elements of their practice.

Newlyn School of Art will provide a wide range of materials in the sessions to help you experiment with different approaches and processes to bring into your work. All materials used on the sessions are provided by the art school.

Each Defining Practice group has a maximum of 18 student artists and 3-4 tutors teaching at all times, providing a high ratio of tutors to students.

Programme fee: £3,250
This fee can be paid in 3 equal instalments or as a single payment. The fee must be paid in full at least one month before the programme begins. Click here to read more information on payments.

Early Bird Offer
Save £150 when you apply before 31st March 2026 with code NSA150.
First instalment must be paid before 30th April 2026 for Early Bird rate to apply.
This offer is not applicable to the Year-Long Online Landscape Course.

Session Dates
Session 1 - Sat 7 & Sun 8 November 2026
Session 2 - Sat 9 & Sun 10 January 2027
Session 3 - Sat 13 & Sun 14 March 2027
Session 4 - Sat 8 & Sun 9 May 2027
Session 5 - Sat 3 & Sun 4 July 2027
Session 6 - Sat 4 & Sun 5 September 2027

Simply fill in our Application Form below (takes around 20-30 mins), and we'll be in touch to arrange a free informal one-one Zoom call with a lead tutor giving you an inspiring discussion on your work and an opportunity to ask any questions about the Programme.

If you have anything you would like to ask us, please get in touch via our contact form.

Defining Practice Programme blog article

To view our other programmes, please click here.