North Yorkshire Art School

11/10/2026

We’re packed and ready for another busy, creative week at Cober Hill. The car is loaded, the materials are prepped, and we’re looking forward to welcoming 63 people over the next couple of days for a mix of residentials and workshops. It all kicks off today with the Byzantine Icon painters checking in from 3pm, along with a few people who’ve chosen to arrive early and settle into an extra couple of days at Cober Hill.

Tomorrow - while the icon painters start their first full day - the Forage and Create Your Own Art Materials group arrives ready to explore the Cober Hill grounds. They're here to make their own fantastic art materials with Edward and Lucy, and we may join them in the secret garden when they are firing the clay!

We also have a large group checking in tomorrow for A Week of Artistic Exploration. Over three days they’ll move through linocut printmaking, oil and watercolour exploration, and mixed media. Plenty of different approaches under one roof.

Evenings are looking good too. Linda and Dave are back with their Art History sessions and the end-of-week quiz, and on Wednesday Jacquie joins us for the murder mystery night, so there should be a fair bit of guessing (and probably some friendly accusations) once the workshops wind down. We have a line-up of films for our regular film nights and the pick‘n’mix and popcorn is all ready.

Behind the scenes the team has been getting everything ready: materials, equipment, rooms and Max will be based at Cober Hill all week to help keep things running smoothly.

Back in Scarborough the shop stays open as usual. You can still pop in for art essentials, and the new reductions section is well stocked with bargains if you’re looking for something useful for yourself or a gift for someone else at a reduced price. We also launch our ‘Countdown to Christmas’ offers this week where until the end of the month you can get gift vouchers at a reduced price.

The school is open for our pay-as-you-go classes minus one or two so that Darya and Molly can head over to Cober Hill to teach, but otherwise the regular timetable continues - and Chris has his final week of beginners drawing and painting courses.

All being well, our gallery in the heart of Scarborough (just next to the Grand) reopens next Thursday 11am-3pm after our second flood. Our team have been fantastic helping sort through damaged and wet boxes from the basement and all the rubbish has now been removed. The drainage people will be here Monday to hopefully sort out the problem once and for all and then it's just about checking the lights are all dried out. The current show is the very popular 1926 General Strike Open Call Exhibition, so if you’ve been waiting to visit, now is the time before it closes forever on 25th October.

So, it’s full steam ahead - residentials, workshops, evenings, shop, school and gallery, and we’re looking forward to it all. If you’ve been following along quietly just out of shot, maybe even with some trepidation about booking onto one of our events in 2027, why not just give it a go - from the feedback we get, you won't be disappointed. The places are going quickly, but there are still lots to choose from.

Thanks for reading and see you soon!
Best wishes,
Chris and Andrew

P.S. Click on the images to read the captions.

10/10/2026

📌 Bargains at Bookaclass.com
Check out our NEW reduced section ➡️

Scarborough's PREMIER art supplies store.
We are open Monday to Saturday 9am-5pm & Sundays 10am-4pm.
Find us on the high street directly opposite M&S at 79 Newborough, Scarborough. YO11 2ES.

07/10/2026

Unfortunately, the Open Call exhibition at our gallery Nicholas Cliff is having to close again due to another flood. It's connected to the boiler apparently bursting in the upstairs flat, so we need to get to the bottom of the problem and we're working closely with the owners upstairs who have had this issue ever since renovation work on their building came to an end just before we launched our space.

We think a condensate pipe running just above our fascia into a downpipe is blocked and so water is running up this condensate pipe to the boiler and finding its way into our gallery. In fact we know this is true, as the owner heard gurgling noises coming from the boiler and saw water begin to madly spout again. So he leaned through his window and broke the condensate pipe in two and now water is cascading just outside our front door, which is preferable to inside. No artwork has been damaged. The lights which have just been replaced at great cost will need replacing again. Obviously, there's insurance routes to go down, but those avenues take time and energy with lots of boring email exchanges that drag on getting in the way of a very busy schedule. If we want to open in days then we have to pay for it.

So, we will be closing again, but will reopen as soon as possible for the last week or two of the open call exhibition which has been so well received. Sorry for the inconvenience.

06/10/2026

It's been 12 months to the day we opened our art supplies shop on Scarborough high street at 79 Newborough, just opposite M&S. It was business as usual today but look who came in to get in some new supplies...

It's Karl - our very, very first customer!

Like many do, Karl came in to stock up on his quality materials and it's always great to see him. It's people like Karl that keep us going in very trying times for businesses. Thank you Karl.

And thank you everyone that supports us by coming in and buying your materials and booking your classes with us. Here's to the next 12 months, here's to you and your creativity and here's to keeping a candle burning for independence in high street retail.

03/10/2026

Peter Ruczynski first came to NYAS-organised Urban Sketch meets last year when Colin led them. Then when Colin told us he could no longer lead the meets because of other work related commitments, we asked Peter if he'd like to lead them which he has been doing brilliantly since 10th April this year. These Friday sessions (happening every week between 10am-12pm) became so popular that we introduced a weekly Tuesday session from 14th July (1pm-3pm).

We decided to make the meets free of charge to enable the group to keep its numbers up (we capped the number at 15 and insisted people book in advance) but we leaned on Peter to make sure he documented the weekly happenings and offer support and advice about materials and technique to anyone who wanted it. The rest would take care of itself.

That means people learning from each other, getting to know each other, sharing ideas and swapping advice during the 'throw-downs' at the end of every session when attendees would get together, have a coffee, a chat and a laugh, and discuss the preceding 2 hours.

Peter made a little stamp which read: 'Scarborough Urban Sketchers' which the artists could stamp their work with if they wanted to, and every week Peter posted the results on Facebook.

People as far away as York ask us how we get our sketch group to stay active and together and the answer is: commitment. We look after Peter, and Peter looks after our sketchers in person and via Whatsapp to keep them in the know re. meets, and they look after each other. Confidence with this sort of thing comes in numbers and we've been really thrilled with how it's gone.

It's been a great summer, but of course the winter months are coming and so the session will change at the end of October. There will be fewer meets (perhaps one a month) until next Spring when everything will resume.

Thank you to everyone who has come along to the sessions with Peter. We've loved seeing the results some of which I'm sharing here (we initially had 135 photos to post but FB will only allow us to post 80, so we've had to get rid of lots of good ones). Thanks to Peter for all the photos, enthusiasm and commitment to the group.

29/09/2026

Week 4 of my Beginners Drawing class this morning followed by my Beginners Painting class this afternoon. The drawers tackled one and two-point perspective. Rachel really took to it, asking me about light source perspective which was way too advanced for a beginner's class, but I was prepared. That took up much of the morning so there wasn't much time for the atmospheric perspective drawing which they had about 15 minutes to do. I gave them Indian Ink, ink pen and chalk for this one. The objective was to get the trees to appear to recede into a mist which would give the forest scene a sense of depth.

The acrylic painters took on a similar exercise, which was to make their landscapes sizzle and recede into atmospheric light.
Proud of all of them.

26/09/2026

Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2018 Samira Addo leading her Contemporary Portraiture retreat at Cober Hill, North Yorkshire, September 2026.

For more information on WHAT'S ON in 2027, as well as instructions on how to book a place on a masterclass or retreat, click on the 'Learn More' button.

North Yorks Art School is a provider of quality art classes, courses and workshops based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Through bookaclass.com you can view and book classes, courses, workshops and residentials delivered by professional tutors at venues including Scarborough, Knaresborough and Cobe...

25/09/2026

Join acclaimed watercolour artist Richard Burton for a wonderful four-night watercolour masterclass at the beautiful Cober Hill mansion house, just outside Scarborough.

🔳 This immersive residential is designed for artists of all abilities who want to develop their watercolour skills in a supportive and inspiring environment. Set against the stunning North Yorkshire coastline and countryside, the course combines outdoor sketching with studio-based painting, allowing you to capture the landscape while refining your technique indoors.

Each day you will enjoy two dedicated painting sessions (morning and afternoon). Richard will demonstrate a wide range of watercolour techniques and work through new paintings, exploring the expressive possibilities of the medium. You will then have time to apply what you’ve learned to your own work, with plenty of individual guidance and support from Richard throughout.

What you will explore:

🟣 Mastering water control, washes, and glazing
🔵 Wet-in-wet and wet-on-dry techniques
🟠 Creating depth, atmosphere, and texture
🟢 Capturing light and mood in landscapes and nature
🔴 Developing your own personal style

Whether you are a beginner looking to build strong foundations or an experienced painter wanting to loosen up and work more expressively, Richard’s encouraging approach will help you make real progress during the week.

About Your Tutor:
Richard Burton is an award-winning watercolour artist renowned for his mastery of landscapes, drawing inspiration from the stunning vistas of the Yorkshire coast. With a wealth of experience and accolades to his name, Richard brings passion, expertise and a unique perspective to his teaching.

🔳 Residential Details
This masterclass includes a full board four-night stay in your own en-suite room at the scenic Cober Hill retreat, just outside Scarborough and includes all materials and equipment.

➡️ Check-in: From 3pm, Monday 13th April 2027
⬅️ Check-out: By 10.30am, Friday 17th April 2027

To find out about ALL our classes, courses, workshops and residentials happening in 2027, including the one advertised here, please click on the following link: https://www.bookaclass.com/2027

23/09/2026

A very busy day yesterday. Over at Cober Hill a couple of 4-night residentials started. We had Introduction to Botanicals with Sandrine Maugy (no pictures yet) as well as Contemporary Portraiture with Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the year Samiro Addo - three examples of them getting started with their wedges (rather than brushes). At the school I did Week 3 of my beginner's drawing course in the morning, then week 3 of my beginner's painting course in the afternoon where Shirley painted apples and pears (pictured) from a photo, concentrating on good values, colour and tone. At the school we also had portrait class where Max kept time and created a charcoal and graphite portrait of Sue (pictured). At 1pm, Peter took the urban sketchers out (that's a free class we put on). At 6pm Molly arrived at the school for her weekly mixed media class and an hour later Linda did the same to deliver her art history lecture on Velázquez and Zurbarán. For the students at Cober Hill, Darya did a stamp-making class after the evening meal and then at 9pm switched on the evening film in the Drawing Room on the big projector.

During the last two classes, I had a couple of glasses of w**e under the school listening to the muffled sounds of people happily creating. We watched 70UP and found it compelling and devastatingly good at milking tears from us.

So, pretty much just another day at NYAS | Booka!

22/09/2026

My Beginner's Drawing Week 3 happened this morning. The group tackled self portraits. We started with a few exercises to get the group to look more closely at how our faces hang together, including a haptic drawing whereby they closed their eyes and drew what they could feel. Pushing, prodding and exploring the lumps, bumps, hollows and protrusions that make up their faces. We use two mirrors: a 7 inch mirror which we attach to the easel and a compact mirror to isolate and close in on detail. The drawings presented here took 30 minutes to complete.