Help with your writing

Writing and Painting Courses and Workshops


I teach a variety of painting and writing courses, some face to face and some online. 

Please look at the Online Courses page for details of the online writing courses I teach.

Please look at the Painting Demos and Online Tuition page for online painting courses etc that I teach. 

Painting sessions all to yourself... 

As well as group classes, I offer 1:1 painting tuition sessions in your own home: 
Half day (10-12.30) £100* 
Full day (10-12.30/ not including lunch/ 13.30-16.00) £190* 
(* not including travel costs to your home)

Materials and equipment costs are calculated separately depending on the work you wish to complete, or provided by you based on a list or guidance from me. 

If travelling to your location, please note that I will add on a mileage charge of £1 per mile, travel time at a pro rata rate, plus overnight costs if appropriate.

Please email Debrah on info@debrahmartin.co.uk to enquire/book.


The courses that I teach in classroom settings/venues are listed below.


Workshops, courses and retreats at Denman College

Glorious surroundings, amazing food, fantastic facilities – a holiday while you learn! 
In 2020 I am teaching the following at Denman College, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire:

COVID-19 update: please check on the Denman College website for the dates of courses I was due to teach between March and June 2020 as these are being rescheduled to 2021 as a result of the College being closed during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Residential Courses:

This course looks at what to do to promote and sell your book when it is published or about to be published. It is equally applicable to self-published and traditionally published authors and by the end of the course, you will have taken the first steps towards setting up your author platform and becoming visible to the world of readers. Your author career starts here …

Always wanted to try painting in oils but it looks too difficult/expensive/messy? Come and try it at Denman and find out how relaxing, rewarding (and clean) it really is…
During this retreat-style course, I will take you step-by-step through the basics of oil painting so that by the end of the course, you will have painted your own beautiful piece in oils, and have learnt the basics of colour mixing, various brush techniques, how to paint with a palette knife, the use of perspective in art and discovered a variety of painting styles you can experiment with to find the one perfect for you. 

We all have special images or special memories that we’d like to immortalise, but often they aren’t just words or pictures, but both. During this retreat-style course, you will explore a variety of artistic options and creative writing skills to interpret your special memories and transform them into poetry, creative writing and painting or drawing in a beautiful individual work of art that you will take home at the end of the course.

Day Workshops:

Always wanted to try painting in oils but it looks too difficult/expensive/messy? Come and try it at Denman and find out how relaxing, rewarding (and clean) it really is…During this day school, Debrah will take you step-by-step through the basics of oil painting. By the end of the course, you will have painted your own beautiful piece in oils. Just bring old clothes and enthusiasm!

What do you do with your novel once the first draft is complete? Here’s the secret… This course covers how to edit your novel, and what to look for in the editing process. It introduces Debrah’s own special editing system, enabling authors to critically review and organise the mass of work that potentially needs to be done to polish a manuscript ready for publication. The course is supported by practical exercises, 1:1 tutor feedback and information and resource sheets. 

Mon 8th March 2021: Creative Writing - Autobiographies. Turning Bare Fact into Fantastic (non)Fiction.
Ever wanted to write your autobiography? But where do you start, and how do you turn fact into compelling (non)fiction? Autobiographies and biographies are still stories, and whether you are writing your life story to share with your family or with a wider audience, this one-day workshop will help you make it a page-turner. You can use personal memories, photographs, genealogy or even a will as the source of your facts, but learn how to be a master of breathing life into bare bones and applying the skills of a polished writer to transform facts into fantastic (non)fiction.


Have a look at Denman College here, where you can download the whole college brochure as a pdf if you wish. If the courses listed above do not show up in the brochure, it's generally because the brochure is due to be updated, so just give Denman a call for the latest availability: 01865 391991, or use the contact form on the website. 

And please keep checking back for updates as more dates are added to the calendar ...

          Classes at Cornerstones Arts Centre, Didcot

COVID-19 update: please check on the Cornerstones Arts Centre website for the dates of courses I was due to teach between March and July 2020 as these are being rescheduled as a result of the College being closed during the COVID-19 lockdown.

I also teach a weekly oil painting class at Cornerstones Arts Centre, Didcot on Thursday evenings 7.30pm to 9pm. 

"Learn to Paint at Cornerstone, Didcot is for complete beginners and those looking to perfect their skills, is for anyone who has longed to express themselves through paint but lacked the confidence to give it a go or develop their technique.

Come and enjoy this relaxed class and explore the media of oil paint with a variety of subjects, including those of your own choice, in a calm atmosphere with like-minded people."

The next course runs from Thursday 23 Apr 2020 to Thursday 2 Jul 2020

And coming soon: oil painting classes at The Beacon, Wantage. 

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