Online abstract painting course with Nicola Bennett

This is worth addressing directly, because it stops people who would genuinely love this course from enrolling.

Edible Abstraction uses food as a sensory starting point – the colours, textures, flavours, and sounds of ingredients and cooking become the raw material for abstract painting. You're not painting still life bowls of fruit. You're using a dish you love, or a memory of a meal, as an entry point into expressive mark-making, colour, and composition.

Several students enrolled despite not being particularly food-focused – and found the sensory framework unlocked something in their work they hadn't been able to access through more conventional approaches. Jan, who came with years of realistic painting experience, described it as finally having "loosely tethered freedom." Sandra, who draws from birds, rivers and gardens rather than the kitchen, wrote that it taught her to respond with marks that feel "uniquely my own."

The food is the door. What's inside is entirely yours.

Enrolment in Edible Abstraction is:
AUD $589 | USD $429 | GBP £314 | EUR €364 | NZD $689 | CAD $579

Payment plans of 2 or 5 months are available at checkout – no need to email us, just select your preferred option when you enrol.

A note on value: this is a course students describe going back to again and again. Lauren said she finds herself returning to the modules "over and over" and that lifetime access "is not a bonus – it is a necessity." You're not paying for eight weeks. You're paying for a resource that will keep working for you for years.

If you're a beginner wondering whether you're ready – you are. This course was designed to meet you exactly where you are.

Yes. This abstract painting course is designed to be accessible whether you've never painted before or you have an existing practice you want to loosen up. The course starts with your senses – your relationship with food, flavour, and colour – rather than assuming any prior technical knowledge. Many students who enrol in Edible Abstraction describe themselves as beginners, and the work they produce authentically reflects their starting point, and springboards to deeper work.

Edible Abstraction covers a range of abstract painting techniques including glazing, layering, and mark-making using brushes, rags, colour shapers, and kitchen-inspired tools. You'll work with both acrylics and oils – sometimes in the same piece – and explore how line, value, tone, and composition can be guided by flavour and sensory experience rather than a predetermined outcome. The goal isn't to teach you Nicola's style. It's to help you develop your own.

A minimum requirements list is available to download here so you can see what's involved before you commit.

The complete list – with images, supplier recommendations by country, and module-by-module guidance – is provided to enrolled students. Nicola's approach throughout the course is to encourage you to use what you already have first. You don't need to buy everything at once.

If the combined cost of course and materials is a concern, the payment plan option at checkout may help spread the overall investment. Any specific questions before you enrol? Reach us at support@taketwoart.com.

Enrolment closes on 8 June 2026 – and it won't reopen until 2027.

Every year, a handful of people miss the deadline by a matter of hours and have to wait a full year to join. If you're weighing it up, don't leave it to the last day. Once the cart closes, it closes.

Most abstract painting courses start with technique – a method to learn and replicate. Edible Abstraction starts with your senses. Before Nicola picks up a brush, she cooks. She uses the flavours, textures, and colours of food as the entry point into each painting. This means the abstract work you make comes from something personal – a taste you know, an ingredient you love – rather than from copying someone else's visual language. It's an approach that makes abstract painting feel accessible in a way that technique-first courses often don't.

No fixed schedule, no live sessions you have to show up for. The course was built for people with full lives – you watch when you want, pause when you need to, and return to a module three times if that's what it takes.

The only time-sensitive element is Nicola's live interaction period, which runs from 22 May to 17 July 2026. During this window she's active in the private student community, responding personally to your work and questions. Outside that period, the community remains open and the course content is yours to access whenever you want – for life.

As Wendy put it: "The freedom to take your time and disappear down your own rabbit hole is such a joy."

Between 22 May and 17 July 2026, Nicola is available in the private student community group on Facebook. This isn't a cursory presence – students consistently describe her feedback as detailed, personal, and genuinely engaged with their individual work. Corina, a professional artist with 25–30 years of experience, wrote that she learned as much from reading Nicola's responses to other students' posts as she did from the course itself.

There are also two live Q&A sessions where you can submit questions in advance:
Live Q&A #1: Mon 15 / Tues 16 June 2026 Live Q&A #2: Mon 6 / Tues 7 July 2026
These are streamed via YouTube so you can watch even if you can't join live.
After 17 July, Nicola steps back from the group – but the community stays open, and you have all the course content for life.

We know – and you're not alone. Chris joined with the same hesitation and wrote: "I didn't even use Facebook before!"

Facebook is where we host the community because it's free, accessible across devices, and allows Nicola to respond directly to posted artwork with ease. We've thought carefully about making this work for people who aren't regular users: the Q&As are livestreamed via YouTube for anyone who can't access Facebook, and we send regular updates by email too. Multiple moderators keep the group safe and welcoming.

The community is highly recommended but not compulsory. That said, the students who engage with it consistently describe it as one of the most valuable parts of the course.

Yes. Our students regularly report – with visible relief – how straightforward the platform is to use. If you can watch a video on your phone or computer, you can do this.
And if anything doesn't work as expected, we're easy to reach. We're well known for our customer support – just email support@taketwoart.com and a real person will help you.

Absolutely. The course is fully responsive and works across laptop, tablet, and phone. Switch between devices freely – all you need is an internet connection.

We've set up geolocation to display your local currency where possible and currently accept AUD, USD, GBP, EUR, CAD and NZD. If yours isn't listed, your bank will convert the charge automatically – you won't be blocked from enrolling.

Post in the student community group and someone will respond – whether that's Nicola during the live interaction period, a Take Two team member, or a fellow student. The group is active and genuinely supportive.

For technical questions, or if you'd prefer not to use the Facebook group, email support@taketwoart.com directly.

Yes – and it's a beautiful gift. Email us at support@taketwoart.com with the details and we'll create a personalised digital voucher for you.