Getting Loose And Bold With Travel Watercolor
Workshop description
Want to make watercolor sketches on the spot when travelling but just don’t see how to get started — or how to produce something right there and then without spending hours on it? This workshop will give you some pointers on how to size up a scene, sit down, get going quickly with watercolor — and get out. Some suggestions I’ll show: find a hook and an anchor for your picture; use a thicker pen or pencil; use a bigger brush; use more pigment; use a smaller (or a bigger) format.
Supplies
- Paper: Either in sketchbook or block form or single sheets that you can clip or tape to a support. Bring a variety of formats, ranging from postcard size (approx. 4 x 6 inches) to medium (approx. 6 x 8 inches) to larger (8.5 x 11 inches and above). Alternatively, use larger format paper (8.5 x 11 inches and upwards), which you can tape off into windows of various sizes. Paper should be appropriate for watercolor or wet and mixed media, from 90 to 140 lbs/sq.inch.
- Two watercolor brushes: A large brush (10 or above or 1 inch flat) and a small brush (no. 2 to 6 round)
- Watercolor paints. Basic selection of your choice. Keep it simple and don’t rush to buy everything I mention here. I usually use: cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, alazarin crimson/magenta, burnt sienna, burnt umber, cadmium red, a light lemon yellow, a medium yellow like cadmium yellow. I may add quinacridone gold, cadmium orange, phthalo blue. You can go very minimalistic and work with three colors (e.g. a blue, alazarin crimson/magenta, lemon yellow) or just two (e.g. ultramarine blue and burnt sienna). I suggest a tube of permanent white gouache for mixing with watercolor to make opaque mixtures and to use on its own for highlights or details.
- Suggested drawing materials: a thick 2B or darker pencil or a charcoal pencil or stick; an ink pen with thicker nib, whether fountain pen or dip pen, preferably with waterproof ink; a brush pen, preferably with waterproof ink; a stick or wire picked up from the ground to dip in ink; colored pencils or watercolor pencils; wax crayons or oil pastels; brush markers.
- Painter tape (optional)
- A portable stool
- A small cotton towel
