“Watercolor is a swim in the metaphysics of life; a mirror of one's own character. Let it be unpredictable and colorful.” (anon)

Thank you for inviting me to give a class at Sammy’s birthday. I was delighted to meet you, and hope that you had as much fun and enjoyment from the day, as I had preparing for it.

 Whether you are a complete beginner or watercolour whiz kid, I have included these notes as an aide memoire so you can carry on with your practice, and I really hope that you will continue to share your creative journey with me, whether that is learning about techniques, different media, finding your artistic spark, or just popping by to say hello and take a look at my work

Even if you do not feel confident enought to hang your watercolours or artwork on your wall (just. yet!) keep hold of them so you can add your own notes, or to tape small examples of your work on there for future reference. Annotation will turn your experiments into a useful reference and learning source, so don't be afraid to write on your work that doesn't meet your expectations (and even experienced artists have work that doesn't); better to use your failed attempts as a tool than having them end up in a bin and forgotten about.

Class content

I created a loose structure for the day, although there was   some flexibility to meet the needs of everyone in the group.  But hopefully you found the following information and activities useful:

•      Materials and equipment

•      Colour

•      Technique

•      Style

•      Practical exercises

•      Tips and shortcuts

You had the opportunity to practice some different techniques during the workshop and hopefully left the day with a completed painting that you are proud of – I would love you to send a photo of it

There are four main areas in the practice of watercolour:

Paint ~ Brushes ~ Paper ~ Water

These can vary from the cheap and readily available, to the exquisite and eye-wateringly expensive. Which end of the scale is a choice dictated by depth of pockets and purpose.

During the class I provided good quality student grade materials: 220 gsm Watercolour Paper, Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour Paint, and a variety of brushes. Of particular note are the Rosemary & Co brushes, which despite being from the entry level end of their product line, are of exceptional quality and handmade in Yorkshire with a huge amount of care. If you would like to take your artistic interests further these are all good quality items to start with and I know of many artists who even use these brands in their professional practice. Irrespective of the quality, you can extend the life of your materials with proper care:

Paint: store it somewhere dry and at room temperature. If you use tubes, clean the inside of the caps every few uses so they fit properly. Shake the tube before you use it to mix the pigment with the binder. If a paint gets hard and dry in the tube (which some pigments are prone to), you can cut the tube open and use it as a pan. You can also do this with almost empty tubes so you don’t waste any paint.

If you use pans, there is a trend of spraying water over the entire palette to activate them; this hydrates paint that doesn’t need to be wetted and can make it dull over time. The less you interfere with your media, the better it is for them, so just drip a couple of drops of water from a clean brush onto the pan you intend to work with a few moments before you use it. If the paint will not activate you can scratch the surface to break through to the fresher binder below.

Paper: touch the paper as little as often. Store it lying flat, and in its original packaging if loose sheets. Only handle the paper by the edges to avoid getting oils from your hands on the surface. Keeping your workspace clean means you can use the reverse of paper from studies or if you are practicing.

 You can use masking tape for small paper pieces secured to a board (always recommended).

Brushes: Prolong the life of your brushes by limiting their use! There is no need to add a water wash with an expensive sable brush – a DIY brush or sponge would be acceptable for this, or even a spray bottle to dampen your paper. Use cheaper brushes to mix paint from your tubes or pans on your palette, they can wear down pretty quickly if you use them for mixing. Keep your expensive brushes just for the work they were meant to do: painting!

Keep your brushes clean! You can ruin a painting by leaving even the tiniest hint pigment in the bristles of an otherwise clean brush. Rinse them, and pat them onto a paper towel. Do this before and between every use. Never stand them in water (and we all do it!), and always lay them flat to dry so that the bristles are not in contact with anything (on top of the water jar is a good place).

Water: use two water jars; one just for cleaning, one for wetting the clean brush. Change the water often. Keep a jug filled with water so that you always have water at room temperature and are not using very cold water straight from the tap.

POST-WORKSHOP EXERCISES

 1.       Get a box for your supplies, and choose somewhere to work that has good lighting, and space to observe your reference material.

2.       Create a chart from any paint you had left over and mix hues to create different colours.

3.       Keep a wish list of materials needed, ideas, and things learned from your practice pieces.

4.       Find a binder and use it to file your work plus sources of inspiration – pictures, words, photographs, styles, colours, themes, etc.

5.      Finally if you have enjoyed the day, come along to another of my classes!