
Botanical Inks with Artist David Begley
at Chester Beatty, Dublin
Saturday 09 December, 10am – 4pm
& Sunday 10 December, 12noon – 4pm
(new dates)
Due to popular demand, the Chester Beatty welcomes back artist David Begley for 2 days of making and painting with natural inks. David will demonstrate how to prepare materials, and how to grind, bind, cook and transform them into your own unique inks using ancient and contemporary recipes.
Participants will enjoy painting and experimenting with botanical inks and learn of their use in illuminated manuscripts in the Chester Beatty collection. Materials provided but please bring your own mortar and pestle.
€100 per person, booking essential. 10 places.

Making and drawing with charcoal
online with David Begley
Saturday 10th February 2024, 4pm - 5.15pm
David baked his first charcoal in 2012. Since then he has enjoyed gathering wood for charcoal and has used this for his drawings and animations. For this demonstration David will demonstrate how to make charcoal and will discuss the various tools he uses for his drawings. David will share and discuss a selection of his works in charcoal, followed by Q&As.
€30 per person. In case you can't attend this event live, it will be recorded and made available online.

Mentoring
David has worked as a visiting lecturer in Ireland and Wales and has taught drawing, painting, print and animation to adults and children for over 20 years.
If you are interested in one-to-one tutoring or mentoring write to davidbegleyartist@gmail.com for more information.
Fees for online or in person mentoring: €150 per session,
including feedback on 8 - 10 images in advance,
a one hour mentoring session and written debrief where relevant.
David is available for workshops for small groups.
Write to davidbegleyartist@gmail.com for bookings.

Alder Ink Online with David Begley
Saturday 4th November 4pm - 5.30pm
Alder cone yields a rich, transparent, amber colour. When oxidised and combined with metals and modifiers, it is possible to deepen and darken the colour, and increase its opacity. Like oak gall, its tannic acid reacts with iron water to produce a permanent black.
For this workshop David will discuss the versatility of alder cone ink compared to oak gall ink and its ease of preparation. David will demonstrate how to cook alder cones to make a variety of different colour inks; working with different modifiers and equipment to alter the ink and demonstrate painting techniques he’s developed. David will discuss a selection of his works in ink and this will be followed by 20 minutes of Q&As.
£30.00 per person, booking via Plants and Colour
Fully booked

Ink making and painting with David Begley at
Chester Beatty, Dublin
Saturday 12 August, 10am-4pm
To celebrate National Heritage Week, join artist David Begley at Chester Beatty, Dublin, for a day of making and painting with natural ink. David will demonstrate how to gather and prepare materials, how to grind and bind, cook and transform them into unique inks using ancient and contemporary recipes.
€50 per person, materials provided but please bring your own pestle and mortar. Limited to 10 participants, booking required.
Fully booked
Email David for future workshop details:
davidbegleyartist@gmail.com
Ink making and painting for children
Crinniú na nÓg, Blackbird Culture Lab,
Foulksmill, County Wexford
Saturday June 10th, 1pm
A fun and free workshop for children ages 7-12 and their parents. Participants will learn about tannins and how to make ink from alder cones and iron water. They will then use the ink to draw a portrait.
Limited to 15 children
Fully booked

Medieval ink making workshop
Sunday June 04 2023
Join David for an afternoon of making and painting with natural ink and learn how medieval illuminated manuscripts were made. David will demonstrate how to prepare materials and transform them into your own unique inks.
12pm - 3pm, Ferns Community Centre, County Wexford
Fully booked

Ink making workshop
Saturday April 29 2023
Join David for an intensive and fun day of making and painting with natural ink. David will demonstrate how to gather and prepare materials, and how to grind, bind, cook and transform them into your own unique inks.
10am - 4.30pm, Blackwater, County Wexford
€150 per person including materials

The Magic of Trees and Charcoal
Blackbird Cultur-Lab, Foulksmills, Co WexfordA free event for Cruinniú na nÓg
For ages 6 -12 yearsSaturday June 11 2022
Join artist David Begley on an exploration of the magic of trees and charcoal at the Blackbird Cultur-Lab. This family workshop, suitable for young people ages 6-12 years and their parents, is designed to make connections with the biodiversity around us. After going on a short walk to look at trees (weather dependent), participants will learn about how charcoal is made, and make their own charcoal drawings of trees.
Fully booked, to join waiting list see:
https://www.blackbirdcultur-lab.com/blog

Drawing the Tale of The Wexford Whale
Artist’s talk and film screening with David Begley
and musician Ruah Pearson
A free event for National Drawing Day 2022
Saturday 21st May via Zoom, 5pm - 6.15pm
For this year’s National Drawing Day, David Begley will discussed his work in creating The Wexford Whale animation. Featuring drawings and animations by David and pupils of Scoil Mhuire National School, Rosslare, County Wexford, this 12 minute film is inspired by the true story of the 25 metre blue whale captured by Ned Wickham in Wexford in 1891.
David discussed the fun and challenges involved in making the film, the children's fantastic drawings, the joy of recording foleys with Scoil Mhuire pupils and Richard Sabin’s (Principal Curator of Mammals, The Natural History Museum), contribution to the film. Ruah Pearson discussed her cello score and this event also included a screening of The Wexford Whale.

Animation Demonstrations
To request an animation demonstration for a group or one to one via zoom please email davidbegleyartist@gmail.com
Saturday April 2nd 2022, 3pm via zoom
Animation demonstration (fully booked)
Monday March 14th 2022, 10.30am via zoom
Animation demonstration (fully booked)
Saturday March 12th 2022, 10.30am via zoom
Animation demonstration (fully booked)
Monday March 7th 2022
Animation demonstration (fully booked)
David will discuss how he creates his charcoal animations including materials, equipment, filming, lighting, editing, and sound.