Watercolor 101

This workshop covers everything you need to know about watercolor to use it fluently in your projects: how to mix colors, use washes, work from light to dark, use reserve and additives, and even such advanced technique as watercolor underpainting.

You will learn the science behind the watercolor fluorescent colors, learn how to lead your work, what to do to prevent and fix watercolor accidents. We will try our hands in both Classical European and Eastern watercolor styles. By the end of the course, students will paint a portrait of a pet, a portrait of a loved one, a couple of watercolor landscapes,  plenty of small studies, and a final project of a choice.

​It will be held ONLINE via ZOOM video conference. Students will need access to a computer/tablet/phone with internet connection and zoom.us. After the lecture and demonstrations teachers regularly check and correct the digital image of a student's work, explain what works in particular cases and what does not, and why.

Detailed Schedule:

• ​Day 1: Flat washes. Basic watercolor techniques and common mistakes. Painting a simple landscape a-la-Voloshin.
• Day 2:  Eastern Watercolor. Mastering various brushstrokes, painting a blossom tree, koi fish, and a dragon.
• Day 3: Combination of wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques. Painting a flower.
• Day 4: Wet-on-Wet watercolor. Painting a cat.
• Day 5: Classical watercolor with an underpainting. Starting a small realistic still life (trompe-l'oeil).
• Day 6: Finishing a trompe-l'oeil.
• Day 7: Starting a realistic portrait. Tips on painting human skin, hair, eyes.
• Day 8: Finishing a realistic portrait.
• Days 9-10: Final project of a choice.

​Materials:

• Watercolor paper (cold press)
• Watercolor paint
• Watercolor brushes (round with pointy tips)
• Pencil
• Eraser
• Masking fluid
• Regular printer paper