Wetter is Better! 

Watercolor with Teri Valentine

The best way to learn about painting with watercolor, is to keep on painting with watercolor! Whether you want to paint in a traditional manner, add some pen and ink with it, or, incorporate watercolor into your mixed media practice, just do it!  Join me! 

Dates:  Mondays:  11/20, 11/27, 12/4, and 12/11 at the WAL Studio

Time:  1:00 - 3:00

Cost:  $125.00 for WAL members, $150.00 for non-members, payable to WAL

During this class we focus on creating complete paintings.  

Find your own reference material.  What excites you? Do you want to copy a painting, paint an image from a magazine, use your own photographs as reference material, paint something out of your head?  

The techniques below will be ongoing throughout. 

We will continue to explore the relationship between paint and water, as this is the foundation of watercolor.  We'll practice just how wet (or dry) paper needs to be to achieve hard lines, soft lines, no lines.

We will practice washes, glazing (layering), creating texture, masking, lifting

I will bring a few of my favorite watercolor books to share (during class), showcasing several different styles, as variety is the spice of life!

Supplies:  This list has been put together, balancing cost vs performance.  Avoid the temptation to rush into a local craft store for any old store brand paint/paper/brushes.  You'll be disappointed!  I buy the majority of my watercolor supplies through Dickblick.com.  The listed price ranges are from the Dickblick.com website.  You can also checkout Jerry's Artarama, Cheap Joes, or Amazon.  

• HB Pencil and sharpener
• White plastic eraser
• Paint Brushes - I highly recommend Black Velvet by Silver Brush.  The Susan Louise Moyer Set of 3 Rounds would be a great starting place.  Set includes a size 4, 8, and 12 round for approx. $60.00.
• Paint -   Good quality student level brands include Cotman by Winsor Newton, Grumbacher Academy and Van Gogh.  Both Cotman and Van Gogh can be bought in tube sets, 1/2 pan sets, or open stock tubes.  Academy doesn't offer pans.  Open stock tubes in these brands cost approx. $3.50 - $5.00 each.  12 - 18 color half-pan sets are in the $25.00 - $40.00 range.  Professional grade paints are more expensive.  I personally use Daniel Smith brand.  Their 5 ml tubes run from $8.00 - $10.00 each, and their 15 ml tubes cost $10.00 - $19.00 each.  
• Watercolor palette.  If you buy tubes, you will need a palette.  I recommend (and use) a Mijello Airtight 18 Well watercolor palette.  $10.00 on Amazon.

Recommended colors to get started:

• Raw Sienna 
• Burnt Sienna
• Permanent Green Light
• Sap Green
• Cad Yellow Deep (Hue) or New Gamboge
• Lemon Yellow
• Cad Red Light or Medium, or Permanent Red Light
• Alizarin Crimson or Quinacridone Rose
• Ultra Marine Blue
• Cerulean Blue
• Pthalo Blue 
• Violet/Purple
• FYI...  3 Daniel Smith colors I can't live without are Quinacridone Rose, Quinacridone Gold, and Quinacridone Burnt Orange.  These 3 colors get used in almost everything I paint.

• Paper - Arches is the gold standard, but is very expensive!  I recommend Canson Montval 140 lb cold pressed watercolor paper.  It is very nice paper for the price!  A 9x12 block (15 sheets) costs about $17.00.  You will also need a watercolor sketch book.   Any of the Canson Artist Series Watercolor books, Canson XL, or Strathmore Visual Journal will work.  They are all wire bound, and range in price from $8.00 - $15.00.
• Masking Fluid - I use Pebeo Drawing Gum
• Small spray bottle
• 2 cups/jars, etc for holding water
• Paper towels, tissues
• A couple of small, cheap synthetic brushes for lifting paint and applying masking fluid
• Blue painter’s tape (like Frank's Hot Sauce, I put that * on everything!)