floral.jpg

Floral Explorations in Watercolors
w/ Susan Waite

Date/Time: 3 Thursdays / 1-4pm / Feb 27, March 5 & 12

Cost: $175 + optional $5 supply fee

Registration: Call in, come in, or register online. 425.697.2787

Location: Cole Art Studio, located on the lower level of Cole Gallery   107 5th Ave S, Edmonds WA 98020

Process_step 2 flower.jpeg

Description:
Do you want to take your watercolor painting to a new level? Want to break out of the same things you’ve been doing, and try some fun and different approaches? In this 3-week class with Susan as your guide, you’ll explore some creative new approaches to watercolor!

Spring’s fresh flowers will be our springboards to new explorations in painting methods that let you develop your uniquely personal watercolors.  Explore using many assorted tools for textural effects while celebrating flowers’ fleeting beauty.  Watercolors, pastel pencils, bamboo pens and ink, packing tape, salt, wax and plastic wrap will be sampled, so you can see how you can put them to work in your unique creations.  Each class will focus on a different method of paint application - using varied tools for that style.

Process_step 1 flower.jpeg

Here’s a sampling of what you will explore during these three classes:

  • Warm-ups with blind contour drawings, first with markers and then pastel pencils with bold watercolor washes on top.

  • Practice paintings using all the various textural tools.

  • Play with ink and watercolors

  • Wet into wet abstract washes, responding intuitively to our paint, letting  our florals evolve in fresh bold color, accented with any of the  textural  tools.

This is the chance to use all those brilliant opera and quinacridone hues that don’t get much real estate in the typical green-gray Northwest landscape.  By sampling varied approaches to painting, you’ll gain a better sense of what works best for YOU.

Supply List:
Around the corner from Cole is ARTspot, where you can find quality art supplies. Registered students receive a 10% discount on all their art supplies from the time of paid registration until the last day of class. All items on this list are available at ARTspot.  

Questions about these supplies? ARTspot staff are happy to help you. Call 425-640-6408 or email at ARTspotEdmonds@gmail.com.

M graham wc tube image.jpg

Paints: Professional brand such as Daniel Smith or M. Graham

  • Permanent or Quinacridone Rose

  • Permanent Red Light or Medium, or Cadmium Red medium (whichever is more economical)

  • Phthalo or Winsor Blue

  • Cobalt Blue 

  • Manganese Blue

  • Aurelian Yellow or Lemon Yellow

  • Cadmium Yellow or Hansa Yellow medium

  • Quinacridone Gold

  • Permanent Orange

  • Sap Green

  • Phthalo or Winsor Green

  • Burnt Sienna or Quinacridone Burnt Sienna or Quinacridone Burnt Orange

  • Any brilliant quinacridone hues you might have to play with - examples are Dan Smith (DS) quinacridone magenta, violet, coral.  Opera and Mineral Violet and Scarlet Lake (all Winsor Newton WN) or Nickel Azo Yellow (DS) are great additions -all fun to use but not absolutely necessary.  

Brushes*:

  • 1 1/2 inch hake brush (not the ones with segmented handles) - in the sumi painting dept. of art store - this is for washes

  • 1 inch WATERCOLOR flat brush – Susan loves the Silver Brush Black Velvet 1 inch wash brush

  • 1/2 inch WATERCOLOR flat or angled brush

  • Round brush - #12 or #10 or #8 - here again the Silver Black Velvet series in a size 16 is a favorite of Susan’s.

  • A liner or rigger brush – Skinny: 0 to 2
    *Note: Many watercolor wash brushes have a beveled end - this is a clue that it is a watercolor brush and not a multi-purpose brush. Don’t waste money on brushes that are for acrylics and watercolor - they aren’t the same as true watercolor brushes.

Bamboo drawing pen, small size (included in optional $5 supply fee. See note below)
OR
twigs or reeds 

Inks, either one of these two options (included in optional $5 supply fee. See note below):

  • Black (non-gloss) small sumi ink bottle (water soluble)

    OR

  •  Black small India ink bottle (permanent)

Note: **You don’t want to use your good watercolor brushes in any of these inks**

Watercolor Paper, 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper:
Arches, Fabriano Artistico, or Winsor Newton, at least half of a sheet per class. Arches 90 lb paper sheets are fine too. All these professional papers are 100% rag and sized with artist grade sizing.

(Note from Susan: Strathmore, Canson, Fabriano and Fluid student grade papers or pads are a waste of money -even if they are 100% rag. They work like blotters because of their cheaper type of sizing. The paint sinks into the paper’s fibers, and multiple layers of paint just make mud, unlike the real watercolor papers that have a better sizing which allows paint to float upon the surface and stay transparent.)

Other:

  • Covered Watercolor Palette

  • Pencils - on the hard side, HB to 3HB

  • Kneaded eraser

  • Paper or sketchbook for planning designs

  • Black sharpie marker

  • Support board - 1 16 x 20”. Gator board is good. (A second 9x12 board is nice to have as well)

  • Tape

  • Paper towels

  • Egg carton - to prop up your board

  • 2 Water containers – Cole has these if you’d like to borrow them for class

  •  Optional: packing tape, salt, credit cards, sponges for creating varying textures·        

For optional $5 supply fee - Susan will bring more materials for your use, such as:
ink and bamboo pens, packing tape, salt, credit cards, sponges - so you don’t need to pack these additions. 

Check this out! ARTspot Concierge Service. ARTspot will personally do your shopping for you! They can set aside the materials you need, ready for pickup - they can even deliver your supplies to Cole Art Studio before your class. Call ARTspot at 425-640-6408 for this great service. Note: To ensure your order can be filled, please order as early as possible.