Watercolour Painting Techniques with Yvonne East

This class is suitable for both beginners and intermediate students.

Learn essential watercolour techniques with friendly step by step instruction. This course will support your artistic development with weekly projects and encourage the development of your own unique watercolour painting style. Intermediate level students will be provided with increasingly complex activities and provocations to expand and consolidate their skills. 

Students will be introduced to a variety of methods and techniques including brush handling, charging and dragging techniques, laying washes, glazing techniques, resist and masking methods, lifting techniques, and paper stretching. Students will learn how to mix colour and develop an understanding of colour theory to create lively and engaging artworks.

You will explore composition and expressive approaches to a variety of topics including still life, flowers, landscapes, urban scenes, birds and animals, reflective surfaces such as water and metal, abstract compositions, figurative works, and portraits. Experienced students will be supported to work on individual projects and bring along studio works in progress for feedback.

Towards the end of the term all students are encouraged to create their own unique compositions utilising the skills gained throughout the course.

Image Credit: Yvonne East, Southern Magnolia, 2023, watercolour on paper, 18 x 18 cm.

Materials List

NOTE FOR BEGINNERS: We will cover materials for the course in the first week, so if you are unsure/unfamiliar with some of the items listed you can wait until the second week to purchase them. The materials required for the first week are 2 to 3 sheets of good quality A3 watercolour paper, French Ultramarine and Yellow Ochre watercolour paint, brushes, pencil, palette, water container, and rags/paper towel. 

Paper:

• Pad of A3 Watercolour paper (300 gsm recommended)

Media and stationery:

Bring what you have!

• Watercolour paints – at least 1 warm and cool of each primary colour
  • Warm red – e.g. Cadmium Red, Vermillion
  • Cool red – e.g.  Alizarin Crimson, Quinacridone Red, Madder Red
  • Warm yellow – e.g. Cadmium Yellow, Indian Yellow
  • Cool yellow - e.g. Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Lemon
  • Warm blue - e.g. French Ultramarine, Cobalt Blue
  • Cool blue - e.g. Cerulean Blue, Prussian Blue, Phthalo (Green shade/turquoise)
  • + Yellow Ochre and Payne’s Grey.
• 2H Graphite pencil
• A selection of round pointed brushes and a rigger brush
• A selection of flat brushes (some firm for dry brush techniques, some soft for applying washes such as hake brushes)
• Watercolour Palette (note: plastic palettes will need to be treated to avoid beading)
• Water Container
• Masking Tape
• Masking Fluid
• Plastic eraser and Crepe eraser
• Watercolour sponge set
• Crayons, clear wax candle
• Sticks / wooden skewers
• Ruler 
• Sharpener

Other:

• Paper Towel/Rags 
• Notebook
• Miscellaneous paper (test paper, protective sheets)

Terms & Conditions

Please choose carefully as fees are non-refundable. Refunds of course fees will only be given if the course is cancelled or a place is not available in the course.

Payment of course fees implies that you have read and agree to the WAC Terms & Condition