This online watercolor course is the 5^th of the “Forms of Nature” series, and has become one of the favorite topics by the students,

In this  6-session course,  dedicated to Flowers and Plants, we will practice a variety of approaches to paint floral subjects, from detailed to more painterly styles, paying particular attention to capture the flower’s bright and clean colors, practicing color mixing, smooth washes, harmonious color palettes. We will also discuss colors particularly well suited for botanical subjects because of their high chroma and brilliancy. These paints are not included in the basic palette below but I will demonstrate them in class.

I will provide you with a variety of photographic references I took of a variety of flowers, so that the artworks you will create will be original and not copied from images downloaded from the net. This will permit you enter your paintings in competitions or sell them without copyright infringement issues We will also create a master copy or two from copyright free Botanical artworks, to study specific techniques and, is so doing, improve ours.

You will also be encouraged to create a few watercolors, copying a subject of your choice from life outside the class time and from your photographic references.

Materials:

• Paint: cadmium red medium, alizarine crimson, cadmium yellow lemon, cadmium yellow medium, earth red, (Indian red, Venetian red or burnt Sienna) yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, ultramarine violet, black, burnt umber, sepia, cobalt blue, cobalt violet, sap green, Hooker’s green, and any other colors you might already have
• Paper: a pad of cold press paper 12” by 16” or so
• Brushes: #2 and #8 or 10, round. You can use synthetic or natural sables (Kolinsky or red sable), a flat, synthetic brush, about ¾ “will do.

You can also get a small sketchpad for quick studies and sketches, to be done in studio together or for sketching outdoor during one of your nature excursions. Make sure that the paper of the sketchpad can withstand light watercolor washes.