This 11×15 painting was done as a paint-along in Watercolor Immersion
Are you are considering learning watercolor and wonder if I may be the guide for you?
Have comments like “watercolor is difficult” and “unforgiving” influenced you?
For me too watercolor was hard while teachers insisted that I paint quickly, loosely and with barely a sketch as a guideline. Then I realized that I could draw and paint in the way that is natural to me (Linda Doll was my example/teacher).
There is no one way or right way to paint watercolor.
The right guide for painting is the one that somehow matches with what you want to do; the way you imagine your painting might be. For my painting, I plan and draw a detailed drawing that I then paint. If that sounds appealing, then we may have fertile ground in which to paint together.
This is how it works:
In watercolor immersion you paint a painting, the same painting I am painting, along with me. It is a full immersion into my way of painting.
Through this immersion into my process, you will not be thinking (too much) about what or how to paint but be experiencing moving watercolor on the palette and onto the paper as you paint while watching me paint. You are immersing yourself in the way I mix and apply watercolor. You see and feel how much water is just right. It might be a little like being led through a dark passageway by someone who knows the way.
Here is the step-by-step detailed:
The image we use for the painting is my photograph. It has been chosen to best demonstrate the grisaille method (explained below). It will be a close-up of a flower, backlit, with large spaces of dark and light to paint.
We will complete a ¼ sheet (11 x 15) painting.
– Identify and paint around or with the lightest light, all the areas that will be almost “white in the finished painting.
– Paint the “dark” areas in an “underpainting” which is varying values of purple. (This underpainting will block out the light so that darks can become even darker when the local pigment color is painted over it). The technical term for this process is grisaille. It was used during the early Renaissance; it was a colorless grey painting over which oil glazes washed over. My grisaille is permanent rose and cobalt or French ultramarine blue mixed together, so purple.
– Continue painting, color by color to the finished painting.
Watercolor Immersion:
32 hours taken 4 days/week for 2 weeks. 4 hours each 8 days – $550 (receive 10% off for you and a friend who immerses with you)
The image we use for the painting is my photograph. It has been chosen to best demonstrate the grisaille method (explained below). It will be a close-up of a flower, backlit, with large spaces of dark and light to paint.
We will complete a ¼ sheet (11 x 15) painting.
Watercolor has been described as “unforgiving” and a “difficult” medium.
For me too, watercolor was “hard” while teachers insisted that I paint quickly, loosely, and with barely a sketch as a guideline. Then I realized I could draw and paint in the way that is natural to me. This is a description of the process:
- Identify and paint around or with the lightest light, all the areas that will be almost “white” in the finished painting.
- Paint the “dark” areas in an “underpainting” which is varying values of purple. (This underpainting will block out the light so that darks can become even darker when the local pigment color is painted over it). The technical term for this process is grisaille. It was used during the early Renaissance; it is a colorless grey painting over which oil glazes washed over.
- Continue painting, color by color to the finished painting.
Watercolor Frogs on a log: One 2 1/2-hour day – $75
This is a pre-requisite for Watercolor Immersion. I will show The grid system I use for drawing; we will make a grid, you will receive a set of grids; we will draw a drawing from my photo for the paint-along in the Watercolor Immersion. The drawing will be done on vellum and then transferred to the watercolor paper using graphite paper.
Watercolor Tadpole: Two 4-hour days – $200
This is for people who have not mixed colors and would like to mix the secondary colors from the primary. We create a color wheel for reference. We also make 3 color studies of the secondary colors including how to grey them with their complements. This can be taken before or after a Watercolor Immersion.
“As a true newbie to watercolor (last art class was 40 years ago I think) I was a little hesitant. With each session I became more engaged with Meg’s process and with watercolors. Now I so look forward to exploring it further-What a great experience.” MJ Sedona, AZ
These basic supplies are my tried and true paints, brushes, palette and paper. They are the foundation for the slow-step watercolor results. These basic supplies are approx. a $200 investment in you and your art. They are a non-negotiable requirement to immerse into watercolor with me.
Materials List (updated Aug 2021)
All the materials may be purchased from cheapjoes.com
Watercolors:
Holbein Ultramarine Deep 14ml $9.69
Holbein Cobalt Blue 14ml $ 9.69
Holbein Viridian 14ml $21.09
Holbein Aureolin 14ml $17.79
Winsor & Newton Quinacridone Gold 5ml $ 7.79
Winsor & Newton Permanent Rose 14ml $14.57
Palette Cheap Joe’s
Brushes Dreamcatcher #10 $28.59
#14 $56.99
Paper Arch’s 300lb CP ¼ sheet $ 3.25
General’s kneaded eraser $1.19
#.5mm mechanical pencil $4.49
lead refills .5mm $1.69
Reference photo
Drawn grid
Acetate grid set for ¼ and full sheets (purchased from me) $20
Foam core 10 ½ x 14 ½ (purchased at Michael’s) $10
Weights (rocks)
Paper towels