Watercolours: Monday evenings Spring Term
with Sophie Newnham
Watercolours are a pleasure to work with, whether adding a wash of colour to a drawing, layering to find new colours and shades or as a way to create delicate textures and form.
This medium has subtlety, translucency and an element of surprise. Over the course, we will also be looking at a handful of artists who have found new and interesting ways to use watercolours.
Open to all levels
Course Dates: 7-9:30pm each Monday
5, 12, 19, 26 January
2, 9 February
(Half term 16 February)
23 February
2, 9, 16, 23, 30 March
5 - 26 January: Flowers & Form - inspired by Frances Palmer
In this four-week module, we’ll take inspiration from the beautiful ceramics and floral arrangements of Frances Palmer. We’ll discover how to draw and paint flowers and the containers that hold them - from ceramics to glass - exploring shape, form, light and proportion.
We’ll experiment with flower shapes, colour mixing and composition, learning how to simplify what we see into balanced, harmonious compositions. Students will learn how to build structure from soft layering to adding tone and opaque detailing.
2 February - 2 March: The world of de Gournay - Layered Gardens and Landscapes
Painting, pattern, atmosphere and detail.
Drawing inspiration from the beautiful hand-painted wallpapers of De Gournay we will explore how to use translucent and opaque layers of watercolour to create a sense of depth and atmosphere.
Students will learn how to:
Build backgrounds with diluted colour washes to evoke softness, distance and light.
Layer- learning how to allow forms to either recede or emerge from the background.
Add structure and rhythm through repeating botanical motifs- palms, trees, wildlife and garden details.
Balance freedom and precision - allow colour to flow freely in the background before applying refined, decorative details in the foreground.
9 - 30 March: Colour & Energy - inspired by Pierre Bonnard
For the final 4 weeks, we will celebrate the expressive use of colour and light inspired by the work of Pierre Bonnard. Students will explore how to imbue a sense of energy into their paintings by layering watercolour from soft, sun-lit washes to adding richer, more vibrant pigments and marks.
We’ll focus on colour relationships, understanding cool vs warm tones, colour opposites and soft vs contrasting tones, Through layering and contrast, we will discover how to make colours sing through. With confident mark-making we will then apply coloured pencil and oil pastels over dry watercolour layers to add texture and vibrancy, creating surfaces that feel spontaneous and alive.
Skills covered: From drawing to watercolour painting. Painting with washes vs detailing; Fine-tuning our watercolours with pencils and fine-liner pens; Adding depth, seeing a range of tones; highlighting.
All necessary materials will be provided for your first session.
Materials provided throughout the course: Pencils- Hs to Bs; rubbers; basic paint, palettes and water holders.
Materials to bring with you: a range of watercolour brushes of various sizes; a block of watercolour paper; a simple set of watercolour paints; a set of fine-liner coloured inks; a bottle of masking fluid, and paper towels.