Watercolour Lorikeets Workshop (31 October 2026)
Watercolour Lorikeets Workshop with Ingrid Bartkowiak
2–5pm Saturday 31 October 2026
Join artist Ingrid Bartkowiak for an unforgettable afternoon painting Australia's iconic rainbow lorikeets in watercolour.
In this series of watercolour workshops with Ingrid Bartkowiak, we're piecing together many of the visual elements and painting techniques that Ingrid uses in her artworks. This 3-hour session focuses on Australia's famous rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus) and stretches your skills by learning how to paint gradients using watercolour.
Feel the flutter of feathers as you learn to paint the intricate wings and vibrant plumage of rainbow lorikeets. Whether you're picking up a brush for the first time or refining your technique, this workshop welcomes all skill levels and provides everything you need to create beautiful watercolours that soar.
To start, Ingrid will guide you through some useful techniques to use when painting feathers and how to break down the shape and colouring of the bird. We'll discuss when wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques can be used, creating gradients and also some demos in layering.
Using these skills, Ingrid will then step you through how to paint a rainbow lorikeet. Ingrid will supply templates and reference material that you can use for your painting, or you are welcome to draw and paint your own composition if you prefer. If time permits, you can also request demonstrations from Ingrid if you have specific questions and challenges to assist with your work.
Ingrid will cover the fundamentals of watercolour in this workshop, but you will have more time to practise your basic skills in her morning workshop on flowers, which also has the benefit of being an easier subject matter. You might like to consider joining the flowers workshop if you'd like a longer introduction to watercolour, or even doing both workshops in one day if you would like to really stretch your wings in one day.
Materials
All the materials required for the workshop will be provided. Please wear an apron if you are worried about staining your clothes.
Who Should Attend?
This workshop is suitable for beginners with little or no experience, and more advanced students who would like to learn from Ingrid and develop their watercolour knowledge and techniques.
About Ingrid Bartkowiak
Ingrid Bartkowiak is a Brisbane-based artist and illustrator who paints Australian native flora, fauna and fungi using watercolour. Ingrid's work celebrates all things small and intricate, from tufts of moss on a footpath to the fungi sprouting from a wombat dropping. Her distinctive style is inspired by botanical illustration and the Arts and Crafts movement through its use of tiny patterns, exquisite detail, and vivid blocks of colour.
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Cost
$120 / $108 (Frequent workshoppers)
Frequent workshopper discount: Sign up for 2 or more Plant Empire workshops, or register 2 or more people for the same workshop, to receive 10% off the total registration price (discount will appear at checkout).
Location
Plant Empire has moved! This workshop will be held at our new premises in Tennyson, Brisbane: 15/55 Lofter St, Tennyson Q 4105.
Accessibility
In our new premises, we have ground floor workshop spaces as well as mezzanine level spaces with stairs. The ground floor spaces are all level without any steps, while the mezzanines are accessible via a staircase with 22 steps and 1–2 landings. Please let us know if you have any mobility issues that would limit your access to the mezzanine spaces so that we can ensure that your workshop is located at ground level by adding a note in the special instructions field when you register for your workshop: for example, "no stairs" or similar.
Reminders
You have full control over how (and how often) you receive reminders for our events. You will receive one email confirmation from us when you purchase your workshop registration; but we won't send any further email reminders, so please ensure that you have the workshop details in your diary. You can also use the "add to calendar" function in our events calendar to add workshops to your digital calendar and customise your reminder preferences.
Cancellation Policy
Please choose carefully before registering for this workshop as we do not offer refunds on event bookings. If you need to cancel your place up to 24 hours before the workshop, we will provide you with a voucher that you can use to attend a future workshop or any other purchase at Plant Empire. We regret that we are unable to provide vouchers for cancellations made within 24 hours of the workshop.
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