Watercolor- Transparent and Opaque

Watercolor is a versatile medium, which can be both transparent and opaque. Using a variety of subject matter, some techniques explored will be drawing for watercolor, painting without drawing, wet-in-wet watercolor, glazing with watercolor washes, the use of gouache and other aqueous media with watercolor. The instructor will start each class with a demonstration or an explanation of the technique for the day. Students will be encouraged to work in their own personal style. This class is for can be for students looking to continue to build their skills in watercolor or to expand their understanding of watercolor with new techniques, advanced students welcome who are looking to focus on special techniques. Each class will end with a group critique with the emphasis on constructive criticism. Required Supplies This supply list is intended as a guide for the beginning painter. If you are already working in watercolor you may use your usual equipment. You may bring any other aqueous media you would like to try, i.e. watercolor pencils or crayons, charcoal pencils, ink or markers. BRUSHES: Good watercolor brushes are your most important tools. Watercolor brushes differ from oil painting brushes in feeling softer to the touch. A good round brush should hold sufficient water and paint to let you lay a good wash and come to a good point so you can get fine detail. If you are just beginning, a fairly large (#12 or #14) round brush would be a good one to start with. Other types and sizes of brushes may be added to your collection as you find the need, such as a smaller brush for detail, flat brushes for landscape painting, a stiff brush for scrubbing, etc. PALETTE: A plain white plastic palette or butcher's tray for mixing paint will be needed. An excellent and economically priced palette is the John Pike palette, which has a tightly fitting lid to keep paint moist from one painting session to the next. PAPER: Good quality, 100% cotton rag watercolor paper will give the best results. Watercolor paper comes in a variety of weights and surface textures. The easiest for beginners to use is 140 lb. Cold Press, a medium weight paper. D'Arches brand 140 lb. paper is available in a variety of surfaces, Hot Press, Cold Press and Rough. Not recommended: Lighter weight papers (70 lb. or 90 lb.) which require stretching of the paper to maintain a smooth surface, and heavier weights (260lb. or 300lb.) which are more expensive. PAINTS: Ten or twelve tubes of paint will be needed for a full range of color mixing and painting. Cotman brand, which is Winsor & Newton's student grade paint and Grumbacher's Academy brand are good quality for student purposes. Below is a list of some suggested colors: REDS: Warm ~ Cadmium Scarlet or Scarlet Lake Cool ~ Alizarin Crimson or Rose Madder YELLOWS: Warm ~ Cadmium Yellow Medium, Winsor Yellow Deep Cool ~ Aureolin or Lemon Yellow or Winsor Yellow BLUES: Warm, French Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue Cool ~ Winsor Blue, Thalo Blue or Prussian Blue Cerulean Blue is a light value, opaque color good for skies Some other useful colors: Sap Green or Olive Green, Permanent Rose, Cotman Mauve, Brown Madder, Quinacridone Gold, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Paynes Grey, Titanium White A warm and a cool of each of the primaries is recommended. Sketchbook, Pencils and Erasers: A small sketchbook for drawing to explore the subject matter and for planning composition and design is helpful. An ordinary #2 household pencil will be adequate, but you may prefer drawing pencils, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, or other sketching pencils for work in your sketchbook. A Kneaded Eraser is best to use on your watercolor paper, as it doesn't damage the surface. A Support Board for Paper: A piece of foam core board, Plexiglas, masonite, or Gator Board will be helpful to support your paper while working on it. Bulldog Clips, staples or masking tape may be used to hold paper in place. Other Useful Items: Paper towels, facial tissue, a small spray bottle, sponges, toothbrush, salt, Pebeo Drawing gum, or Art Masking Fluid, Miskit or Maskoid, and a rubber cement pick-up for removing it.