This course also runs on Wed 5th - The 6th August. Click here for details.

Course Description

We will be using watercolours in a loose and lively way where the emphasis will be on creating exciting images rather than painting in detail. The subject matter will be varied and will cover several aspects of painting water including crashing waves, reflections, muddy puddles, and much more! There will be demonstrations employing a variety of techniques, all painted in an adventurous and exploratory way, and you can be assured of plenty of individual attention, which will allow you to create some dynamic and individual paintings.

All reference material will be provided but please feel free to bring along any images that you would like to work from.

Suitable For

This course is suitable for beginners or improvers alike.

Requirements List

Paper:

Watercolour block, loose paper, or pad approx. 9" x 12", or 12" x 16" 300 g/m2 (140 lb) NOT surface (Cold pressed). Arches, Fabriano, or Saunders Waterford are all excellent makes. More economical brands are Bockingford, or Langton.

Paints:

‘Artists Quality’ watercolours in small tubes are the best, as these allow you to mix large amounts of colour for washes. Or if you prefer, pans of colour in a folding palette. Winsor & Newton (preferably not Cotman), Jackson’s, Schmincke, Sennelier, or Daniel Smith are among the best quality watercolours.

Suggested colours:

This is a fairly comprehensive list, and you don’t necessarily need everything listed here, but these are the ones I use most of the time. Please adjust or amend it if you wish to include any of your favourites.

• Cadmium Yellow Light
• Cerulean Blue
• Cobalt Blue
• French Ultramarine
• Viridian Green or Phthalo Green
• Hooker’s Green or Sap Green
• Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochre
• Burnt Sienna
• Raw Umber
• Burnt Umber
• Cadmium Red
• Alizarin Crimson
• Permanent Rose or Magenta
• Winsor Violet or Dioxazine Purple
• Payne's Grey
• Neutral Tint

Brushes:

• Round, watercolour brushes in sizes 3, 8, and 10 or 12. It’s important that these brushes are of good quality and that they form a point when wet. Sables are expensive, so synthetic ones are a good substitute
• A square ½″, or 1″ brush, and a larger brush for covering large areas

Other Materials:

• HB pencil and sharpener
• Drawing board – large enough to hold A3 size paper
• Masking tape
• Tissues/kitchen towel
• Large palette with several mixing wells
• A small atomiser spray bottle to hold water, for re-wetting your painting
• Putty rubber
• Ruler
• A couple of jars for water
• A small tube of white gouache
• Blue masking fluid