Courses in painting and drawing
Build strong skills and confidence from the beginning.
Our six-week Foundation Course gives you a structured introduction to oil painting. You will learn about materials, colour, tone, composition, brushwork and the process of developing a finished painting.
Six weekly classes · 18 hours of teaching · €595 / solidarity price ( €520 )
( €650 from November 2026)
Oil Painting Taster Class
Try oil painting in one welcoming three-hour session.
Perfect for complete beginners or anyone curious about the Burnt Sienna approach. You will be introduced to essential materials, colour mixing and the fundamentals of working with oil paint.
3-hour class · Materials included · €120
Oil painting foundation course
Ongoing support for a committed painting practice.
The Mentored Studio Programme combines independent studio access with regular teaching, individual feedback and a supportive community of practising artists. It is ideal for artists who want continuity, accountability and space to develop a sustained body of work.
Monthly programme · Studio access · Mentoring and group critique
Oil painting intermediate course
Develop your own paintings with expert guidance.
Designed for artists who already have some experience with oil paint, this course helps you strengthen your technique, solve individual painting problems and develop a more personal artistic direction.
Six weekly classes · Small group tuition · €595 / solidarity price €520
( €650 from November 2026)
mentoring and residency programme
Oil painting foundation courses
Summer Oil Painting Foundation
Monday Evenings AUGUST 10 – SEPTEMBER 14 18 hours
📍 Kamminer Straße 9, Berlin
Fee: €595 (payment plan available)
Learn the foundations of traditional oil painting in a focused, small-group setting.
You'll be guided step by step through the process of building a painting — from underpainting and colour mixing to developing a finished work. Teaching is practical, structured, and tailored to each student.
Max. 6 participants to ensure individual attention. LAST PLACES
All materials included.
Autumn Oil Painting Foundation
Autumn oil painting foundation Saturday mornings - Oct 3 - Nov 7 10:30 - 13:30 pm 18 hours
📍 Kamminer Straße 9, Berlin
Fee: €595 (payment plan available)
Learn the foundations of traditional oil painting in a focused, small-group setting.
You'll be guided step by step through the process of building a painting — from underpainting and colour mixing to developing a finished work. Teaching is practical, structured, and tailored to each student.
Max. 6 participants to ensure individual attention.
All materials included.
✓ 15 hours studio tuition
✓ Curated museum and gallery visits
✓ All materials included
✓ Maximum 6 participants
✓ Individual feedback and mentoring
✓ Suitable for beginners and returning painters
Autumn Oil Painting Intensive Foundation Course
12 Oct - 16 Oct 2026
Monday–Friday · 10:00–17:00
15 hours studio tuition + 15 g hours curated afternoon museum and gallery visits with drawing excercises
€675 / solidarity €580
An intensive week of oil painting for beginners and returning painters. Through daily studio sessions, students learn underpainting, colour theory, composition, glazing techniques, and the development of a finished painting. Small group teaching ensures individual guidance and regular feedback throughout the programme.
Afternoons are dedicated to curated visits to Berlin's museums, galleries, and artist-led spaces, providing historical context, contemporary references, and direct engagement with painting in practice.
All materials included
Payment plans and reduced fees for low-income students are available — please just ask.
Location
Kamminerstr. 9, 10589 Berlin
4 minutes from Mierendorffplatz U7
2 / 6 remaining
Louise Lenz in the studio at Burnt sienna 2019. Photo: Bert Spangemacher
Courses & Programmes
Burnt Sienna offers structured oil painting education for beginners, developing artists, and professionals.
Courses are taught in English in small groups of no more than six students, with all materials included. Students learn traditional oil painting techniques, build confidence, and receive individual guidance in a serious artist-led studio environment.
✓ Beginners welcome
✓ Small groups
✓ Materials included
✓ Centrally located and accessible
Winter Intermediate Oil Painting Course
Winter Intermediate Oil Painting Course
Saturdays, 14:00–17:00
9 January – 13 February 2027
Six weeks | Six three-hour sessions
Maximum six participants
18 hours · €650 / solidarity €580
An intermediate oil painting course for students who already have some experience with painting and would like to deepen their technical understanding and develop a more sustained body of work.
The course focuses on observation, colour relationships, paint handling, composition, and individual development through longer-form painting projects and group feedback.
All materials included
Payment plans and reduced fees for low-income students are available — please just ask.
6/6 remaining
Overview of our art
courses and programmes
Foundation Course in oil painting
A structured introduction to traditional oil painting, designed for beginners and developing artists. Over six weeks, students learn essential techniques—from preparing surfaces and underpainting to colour mixing and building a finished painting—within a small, supportive studio group.
Intermediate Course in oil painting
Designed for students with some painting experience who want to deepen their technical skills and develop their own artistic voice. Over six weeks, artists refine colour, composition, and painting techniques while working on more ambitious studies with individual guidance and group critique.
Workshops in painting
Short, intensive sessions 3 hour painting classes in oil painting techniques. bespoke and free. Ideal for a creative boost without long-term commitment.
Mentoring & Residencies
Designed for emerging artists seeking a professional approach to developing their practice. The programme includes one-to-one tutorials, group critiques, and independent studio time in a dedicated studio environment.
Private one on one class
A focused, one-to-one painting session in the Burnt Sienna studio, tailored entirely to you. Suitable for beginners and more experienced painters, with expert guidance from academy-trained tutors. All materials included.
All courses combine hands-on tuition, high-quality materials, and group discussion to create a complete learning experience. Students develop technical mastery while building confidence in both traditional and contemporary painting practice.
Foundation oil painting Course
Perfect for beginners eager to learn the fundamentals of drawing and oil painting, including colour theory, composition, and studio techniques. Our Foundation Courses take place in Burnt Sienna’s historic Neukölln studio, a bright and inspiring space where students receive individual attention in groups of no more than six.
Each course runs for six sessions of three hours each (6 × 3h), providing a structured introduction to the principles of observational drawing and painting. Through hands-on exercises, students build technical confidence from the very first session, learning how to mix and apply colour, understand proportion and form, and explore a variety of traditional oil painting methods under the guidance of professional tutors.
The small-group format encourages both focus and collaboration, allowing each participant to progress at their own pace while benefiting from shared critiques and discussion. On completion, every student receives a Certificate of Achievement, recognising their progress and newly acquired skills in the foundations of painting and drawing.
Course fee: €595 · Solidarity rate: €480
“The oil painting foundation course with Louise was my first experience with oil paints and a key step in learning to think like an artist. The studio’s atmosphere was intimate and supportive, and it was inspiring to learn alongside such focused and passionate people.”
Not sure if you want to sign up to the full course yet ? Book yourself in for a saturday class. This session gives you a real experience of how we teach
working in a small group, with individual guidance, in a focused studio environment.
You’ll be introduced to:
How to begin a painting (underpainting)
Working from observation
Basic colour mixing
How to build a painting step by step
No experience needed.
All materials are provided.
If you decide to continue, your fee will be deducted from the full course fee.
Valid for 7 days after your session.
Intermediate oil painting Course
Ideal for students with some prior experience who wish to refine their technical skills and develop a more personal artistic style. Our Intermediate course offers a focused and inspiring environment for small groups of up to six participants.
Each course consists of six sessions of three hours each (6 × 3h) and builds upon the fundamentals covered in the Foundation Courses. Students explore more advanced aspects of drawing and oil painting, including composition, colour harmony, glazing, and the development of independent projects. Each session combines demonstration, guided studio work, and one-to-one feedback from professional tutors, ensuring that every participant receives personalised support.
Discussion and critique play a key role throughout the course, helping students to expand their understanding of contemporary studio practice while deepening their appreciation of traditional techniques. Upon completion, each participant is awarded a Certificate of Achievement, acknowledging their progress and dedication to advancing their artistic practice.
Course fee: €595 · Solidarity rate: €480
“I would love to say that this course has so warm and welcoming atmosphere! Emma is a great teacher who helped me with my path of working on my painting. She shared knowledge, was very supportive, and helped me achieve my results. I would be glad to come back to another course! ”
Intensive Oil Painting Foundation
5 day intensive course
A five-day studio intensive covering the core curriculum of the Burnt Sienna Oil Painting Foundation Course. Learn essential oil painting techniques in a small group of max. 6 students, create a finished canvas painting and studies, and explore Berlin’s museums and galleries together.
€595 – All materials included
Workshops
Our workshops offer short, intensive sessions focused on specific themes such as still life, portraiture, or advanced oil painting techniques. Perfect for those seeking a creative boost, workshops provide concentrated learning in a single area, allowing students to experiment and expand their skills without committing to a longer course.
Each workshop emphasises hands-on practice, individual guidance, and group discussion, ensuring that students leave with both new skills and renewed inspiration for their ongoing artistic practice.
Artist residency - mentoring programme
Designed for emerging artists ready to take their practice to a professional level, our twelve-week Mentoring Programme offers a structured and supportive framework within Burnt Sienna’s historic Neukölln loft studio. Participants work independently on their painting projects while receiving personalised one-to-one guidance and monthly group critiques with fellow artists in a collaborative, international environment.
Each artist enjoys 24-hour studio access, a dedicated workspace, and full use of professional materials, a comprehensive art library, printer, scanner, and shared facilities. The atmosphere encourages focus, experimentation, and artistic growth.
Alongside painting development, the programme includes Professional Practice sessions covering how to catalogue and promote your work, network with galleries, organise exhibitions, and sell paintings professionally. These sessions provide artists with the tools and confidence to navigate the art world and sustain a professional creative practice.
By the end of the programme, artists will have strengthened their technical ability, refined their creative direction, and gained confidence in presenting their work publicly.
Key details:
Duration: 12 weeks
pre course 1 hour tutorial - structure and goals meeting in the studio
3 x one on one tutorials one per month
3 x group critiques of 3-4 hours weekends
1 3 hour class per month all materials provided
Access: 24 hours a day
east and west end studio locations
Outcome: Developing your own style, professional development, portfolio growth, and exhibition preparation
Our tutors are professional artists with exceptional skill and extensive experience in oil painting and drawing. Each brings a commitment to high-quality, hands-on teaching, combining academic rigour with personal guidance in an encouraging environment.
Courses take place in our historic Neukölln attic studio – an intimate, light-filled space designed to foster focus, creativity, and craftsmanship. With its raw charm, antique objects, and quiet atmosphere, the studio offers artists a true haven for concentrated work and artistic growth.
Inside Burnt Sienna Art School
Ready to start your artistic journey?
Join Burnt Sienna Berlin and experience hands-on, professional oil painting education in a supportive, creative environment.
All courses are taught in small groups of no more than six students. All materials are included in Foundation Courses, Intermediate Courses, and Intensive Programmes.
Next upcoming featured courses
Art Courses & Programmes – FAQs
-
We offer Foundation and Intermediate Courses, short Workshops, Mentoring Programmes and Online Tutorials—all designed to accommodate beginners through to experienced artists.
-
Most Foundation and Intermediate Courses run for six sessions of three hours each (6 × 3h). Mentoring and residencies offer longer-term, flexible studio access, with one-to-one tutorials and group critiques integrated into the programme.
-
Most Foundation and Intermediate Courses run for six sessions of three hours each (6 × 3h). Mentoring programmes and residencies are longer-term, offering extended studio access and one-to-one tuition.
-
Classes are deliberately small, with a maximum of six students per group. This ensures individual attention, meaningful feedback, and a supportive, intimate learning environment in our historic Neukölln studio.