Watercolour: Beginners

With simple instruction you will learn how to draw and paint with watercolour.
It is great fun! The vibrant freshness in watercolour allows you to create expressive and beautiful paintings. Keeping it simple, we will combine aspects of nature, animals and the human form.
We’ll look at shadows (value), shapes (proportion) and composition (structure). Techniques and methods will be shown. I will work with each student individually.

Please Bring

• Winsor & Newton AA or AAA (series 2 or 3) rated watercolour paints,

Main Colours

• W&N Transparent Gold Deep

• French Ultramarine Blue

• Permanent Alizarin Crimson

Optional Additional Colours

• Daniel Smith Viridian (preferred brand for Viridian)

• W&N Quinacridone Magenta

• Or your own preferred yellow / blue / red / green / magenta combination.

Note

These colours are translucent and easy to remove, which helps correct mistakes.

Pencils

HB pencils are preferred. They don’t leave dark imprints when painting with watercolour.

Brushes

• Any water-medium brushes are suitable.

• Larger brushes help create a looser painting style.

Recommended brushes

• 13 mm flat brush

• 30 mm hake brush

• 5 mm pointed brush

• Fine point calligraphy or rigger brush

• Or any brushes you already own

Important

The quality of the brush is less important than how you use it. You can create a beautiful painting with any brushes.

Paper

• Arches 100% cotton Smooth (Hot Pressed Satine) watercolour paper

• 300 gsm weight

• Preferred size: A3 (420 mm × 594 mm)

• Minimum size: A4

Reason for larger paper

• Allows adjustments to drawings (e.g., resizing features like eyes).

• Small paper restricts adjustments and results in very small paintings.

• Lightweight backing board for watercolour paper

• Masking tape

• Roll of toilet tissue

• Palette or plain ceramic plate (for mixing paints)

• Container for water

• Eraser

• HB pencil and sharpener

• Ruler (cm)

Please Note: NBMC is not liable to for any loss incurred if a class is cancelled – please check with the college by calling 02) 9970 1000 or emailing enquiries@nbmc.nsw.edu.au before purchasing materials.

About the Trainer

Dee is an experienced Watercolour Tutor and Portrait and Figurative Artist with work represented in corporate art collections in Australia and Overseas.  Her portraits been commissioned throughout Australia, the United Kingdom, USA, South Africa, Singapore, Sweden and Vietnam.

“Watercolour is a beautiful medium that allows the artist great freedom.  We all see the world differently and each student will develop their own style.”

“In this 8 week  Beginners to Intermediate Watercolour Class we will be looking at tonal composition as well as some drawing skills.“

“Each week I will work with my Beginner students to show simple watercolour washes and glazes.  For those with Intermediate watercolour skills, I will provide slightly more complex images. Subject matter will vary over this 8 week course:  e.g. sunrises, seascapes, landscapes, snow scenes, still life, glass reflections, floral and figurative art – culminating in creating characterful portraits of people, birds and animals.”