Watercolour for Beginners

This is a perfect gateway class for absolute watercolour beginners. Learn the basics of watercolours through creative exercises and demonstrations, then spend afternoons working on a range of works including landscape, figurative, animal, bird and flowers.

You will learn about papers, brushes, colours and how to use them. Learn how to paint a scene or subject in watercolour, use light and colour and then enhance and emphasise using ink or pens to bring your work to life. Get lots of tricks and fun things you can add to your work without the stress. Find your own artistic style and become confident in your painting.

Enrol
  • Full days - Monday to Friday - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
  • Suitable for ages 16 to adult
  • Beginner
  • Join waiting list

Course Info

This course is all about having fun and learning the magic of watercolour. Watercolour has a chemistry that no other medium has. The aim is to get confident using it and enjoy the process.

For absolute beginners

Please bring the following on your first day of class:

Paint

Artist quality watercolour paints.

Brands to use include Art Spectrum. Windsor Newton. Tubes are best but you can buy watercolour in palettes with the colours already in them. Schmincke. Holbien, QoR, and Rowney to name a few.  Ask at your art supplies for artist quality or Cotmans Student colours can be used. They are made by Windsor Newton.

Colours I use in the course are

  • Ultramarine Blue
  • Burnt Sienna
  • Sap Green
  • Van Dyke Brown
  • Phthalo Blue
  • Alizarin Crimson or Permanent Crimson
  • Quinacridone Gold
  • Lemon Yellow
  • Cadmium Yellow

General supplies

  • Watercolour paper 300gsm. Brands to use: Fabriano Rough. Saunders Rough. Arches Rough. This paper comes in sheets 56 x 76cm. We cut them up to use. Alternatively, you can also use watercolour blocks or pad
  • Artliner type fine-liners 1mm to 8mm. You don’t have to have all the sizes.
  • Pilot Fineliner
  • Dip Pens and nibs. An old fountain pen will also work.
  • Art Spectrum Acrylic Ink in Black and Burnt Sienna
  • Watercolour palette with plenty of mixing space
  • Watercolour brushes in round sizes no.1,3 &6 and a small flat. Roymac Revolution is a good synthetic brush and reasonably priced.
  • A large taklon flat for washes
  • Liner brush or rigger for detail work
  • Medium Board to tape your paper to approx 40 x 45 cm
  • Masking tape
  • Kneadable eraser
  • White Gouache – Rowney or Art Spectrum
  • Spray bottle. The reject shop has these.
  • Water containers 2 x
  • Paper towels
  • Old towel or part thereof for taking moisture out of brushes
  • Notebook and pen (optional)

Happy Camper Reviews

Our tutor Marion was such a great teacher. She taught many different applications of watercolour was very inclusive and positive to all members of the class and made it all so much fun. A great week.
Tutor Marion Hughes was very experienced and great at demonstrations. We learnt a lot of cool tricks and techniques for watercolour painting. She was very approachable and a nice person to talk to and interested in the people in the group and their experiences and personal interests etc.
Great course for beginners and intermediate, I had started watercolour painting twelve months earlier but still picked up many new techniques, Marion Hughes was an excellent tutor.
Marion the tutor took us through a variety of watercolour exercises. From mixing colours to producing certain projects incorporating the techniques she had introduced to us. She is a very approachable tutor and encouraged us to ask questions and experiment. This is the second time I have done Marion's course and very much enjoyed it.
I was an absolute beginner but found tutorial very informative and easy to follow. Tutor made it easy and the pace was excellent with lots learnt.
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Marion Hughes
Course Tutor

Marion Hughes

Marion has been a practising artist for over twenty-five years, working in watercolour, acrylics and oils. She is an experienced art teacher who loves passing on her knowledge and passion for art. Her inspiration comes from the natural world, seen in the landscapes, wildlife and flora in her art.