Intermediate Watercolor March 2024 – Session 4

Friday Apr 18th 2024 – 1pm-3pm EST

Click here when we’re due to start Zoom link

Some color this week. No more browns and grays – it’s all of the color all of the time.

This should be fun. But also instructive in learning how bright colors (high chroma) can fool our value judgements. And we’ll be doing some crazy loose edges as well.

I will record the drawing ahead of time and send out a link to it (it will also be on the youtube playlist too). Please do the drawing ahead of time please go ahead. I know that often people want to take time over this and it gives us more time in class for painting.

(All session materials are linked off the main page)

Materials:

  • Student paper for mixing color swatches
  • 100% cotton paper for the full painting (I’ll be using 10″x10″)
  • Value scale (See the Useful Tools page)
  • Pencil/Paint/Palette/Water/Paper towels/masking tape
  • Brushes: A larger brush for the early loose washes. Smaller brushes for the later feather and face details.
  • Colors: Cobalt blue, Ultramarine, Burnt sienna, Vermillion/napthol/cad red (orangey red), Permanent rose (pinkish red), Cad lemon/hansa yellow (greenish yellow), yellow ochre, black.

I will be using the new ChromaMagic app for mixing. Definitely not necessary for the class and the free version is always available. The app does have a nifty new feature for showing swatches that you can mix from though which will be handy in class.

Reference Photo (click to enlarge and right click to download)

Reference Photo with grid

New England Snow Scene Reference with grid

My version

New England Snow Scene Reference my version

Drawing Video:

YouTube player

Class Video:

YouTube player

Bonus Video (finishing the painting):

YouTube player

(All Videos)

6 thoughts on “Intermediate Watercolor March 2024 – Session 4

  1. Not as loose as we were trying for.. wish my background was a little stronger! Other than that.. super fun! FYI I have to leave a bit early this week. Thanks Michele:)

    1. I know what you mean about the looseness. It always feels as though you’re going too far when you’re doing it and then it turns out you’re not going far enough. But lovely strong colors and nice shape to those birds.

  2. Here are my macaws – not perfect by any stretch of the imagination and the feathers leave a lot to be desired!!! Don’t get me started on the feet !

    Luckily although the leaves aren’t great they aren’t the focal point so hopefully people won’t notice!

    All in all I thoroughly enjoyed these macaws! They were so much fun to do that I will definitely do them again!!! Thank typo Michele!!

    1. So glad you liked these. I always enjoy loose birds. Again lovely strong colors and a hint of looseness in the background including a nice exploding tail. Don’t worry about the feet – they’ll get there. You know how much I like bird feet.

      1. – luckily people will be distracted by the pretty colours!!! That was so much fun!! And thank you for the bonus video

  3. I found this very challenging. I fiddled too much and did not leave clean brush strokes. I guess I am not a loose splashy kind of painter! Good learning experience.
    Carol

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