Watercolor: Tips, Tricks and Techniques

No middle-value blah paintings here!  Learn some of the fun techniques used when painting with watercolors, including masking sections of your work to “save the white,” creating various textures, and pushing those values. Together we will work on a 15 x 22” image and create small samples of various techniques for you to refer back to later.

Sunday, July 18 
10 am – 3 pm

Instructor: Ronnie Rector
Ages: Adult (15+) | Working knowledge of watercolor painting is recommended:

Supply list: 140 lb cold press watercolor paper or a watercolor sketchbook, we’ll be working on smaller pieces, approx. 5×7, to practice and take notes on, pen and pencil to sketch with and take notes, watercolor brushes: A #12 Richeson’s “Steven Quiller” 7000 series brush is an excellent, not too-expensive choice, watercolor paints, “artist grade” paint is best; colors are stronger and more vivid, I recommend Daniel Smith’s product line. Consider Ultramarine Blue (Blue), Alizarin Crimson (Red) and New Gamboge (Yellow), watercolor palette; if your palette of paint is one of the smaller travel sizes, bring a white plate or metal cookie sheet with sides (Source: RESCO – 6×9” size is great) to make sizeable puddles of paint in. Roll of masking tape (NOT blue or green painter’s tape), wide mouth water container – the plastic “Folgers Coffee”-style tubs are great, small container or paper packet of salt, spray bottle for water, sea sponge, small towel or paper towels, blow dryer.

Suggested Colors: Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Phthalo Green, Cadmium Yellow Orange, Cobalt, Yellow Ochre, Scarlet Lake, Azo Yellow, Opera, Quinacridone Gold, Olive Green, Sap Green.
*Buy what you like; don’t limit yourself to my choices!

If you don’t already have watercolors of some sort, here’s a good place to start:
Source – Nevada Fine Arts: 1 full sheet of Arches 140 lb cold press watercolor paper (~$10) 1 size 8(ish) round watercolor paint brush – Richeson 7000 “Quiller” series (~$15) 3 tubes of Daniel Smith watercolors, a blue, a red and a yellow; each are from $9 to $12. I suggest: Cobalt or Ultramarine Blue, Carmine, Pyrrol Red, Azo Yellow, Hansa Yellow Medium, a plastic palette with a few good sized wells ($5-$15) or butcher tray for mixing paints And a good-sized container for water, a roll of plain masking tape, and some paper towels. If buying supplies at NV Fine Arts, tell them you’re taking my class and they’ll give you a 10% discount. Questions? Send me an email! ronnierector@yahoo.com