18/06/2026
Since moving to Dunoon in 2023, I’ve been doing my best to establish portrait and life‑drawing classes here. Back in February I put out a survey and received a lot of positive feedback, many people said they’d be interested in attending classes, which gave me real hope.
Since then, I’ve tried everything I can to spread the word about the weekly drop‑in sessions and the three‑week beginners’ portrait block. Unfortunately, I’ve had to cancel the block due to low numbers, which has been disheartening.
For context, the going rate for portrait drop‑ins elsewhere is usually between £15 (for untaught sessions) and £40 (for taught sessions in London) for two hours. I originally priced my own drop‑ins at £25, with all materials included. That meant that even if only one person attended, I’d be paying myself just under minimum wage. I then reduced it to £20 which is £5.42 less than earning £12.71 an hour and that difference was meant to go towards replenishing materials for future classes. I simply can’t afford to lower the price any further. It becomes a race to the bottom when creative work is expected to be cheap or free, and even then there’s no guarantee people will turn up.
Two years ago I ran a free art walk with Dunoon on the Move. One person came. Experiences like that stay with you.
Despite all this, I’m still really keen to build regular classes here. At the moment, the only viable way for me to run them is by using reference images, partly because I’ve had no luck finding life models. If I did find models, they would need to be paid the proper rate (as set by the Register of Artists’ Models), plus transport. That means life‑drawing classes would need to be priced somewhere between £129 and £250+ for a block, depending on the level of tuition. I could reduce the cost slightly if people brought their own materials.
I’m fortunate not to have room‑hire overheads right now, but I’m still unsure what format would work best. I could run another drink‑and‑draw style event like last year, but I don’t drink and often feel out of place in those environments. I’m just not sure what the best direction is.
So this is a bit of an appeal. If you’d like to see portrait and life‑drawing classes re‑established in Dunoon, what would make you want to take part? At the moment I can only fit six people in my studio for daily classes. I could run sessions in a pub, but I don’t have the funds to buy extra easels or portable equipment. And if I charge less, I make a loss and can’t reinvest in materials.
I want to offer something meaningful, sustainable, and rooted in creativity, but I need to know what would genuinely support people to come along.
