When you combine
watercolor with different mediums and surfaces, you will explore an entirely new world. Learn these exciting new techniques as you work with gesso, gouache, matte medium, stamping and various textural mediums. In this class, you will experiment with dramatic exercises that will show you a variety of approaches which will enhance the quality of your painting adventures. Join professional artist Betsy Dillard Stroud for this one-of-a-kind course at
Artist's Network University!
COURSE BEGINS: August 21, 2012
COURSE LENGTH: 4 weeks
COURSE MATERIALS (included with tuition):
Course Instruction comes with a digital download of
The Artist’s Muse: Open the Door to Your Creativity by Betsy Dillard Stroud
TUITION AND MATERIALS: $149.99 ($135.00 for
VIP)
INSTRUCTOR: Betsy Dillard Stroud (
Bio)
What You’ll Learn in This Watercolor Course:- Working with layers of different media and watercolor
- Working with collage and textures and contrasts of transparent and opaque pigments
- Changing the surface of your paper for exciting and unusual painterly results
Who Should Take This Online Watercolor Class:- Artists who have had at least one or two years of experience working with watercolor
- Artists interested in exploring new avenues of expression by mixing media
Supplies You’ll Need:- Your usual watercolor pigments and palette with the addition of some more opaque pigments such as: in Holbein: Shell Pink; Compose Green; Jaune Brilliant #1 and Grey of Greys. (Or, if you prefer you can get American Journey pigments in Sag Harbor Grey and Peachy Keen instead of Jaune Brilliant #1.) Just make sure you have some more opaque watercolors like Naples Yellow and some of the pigments listed above.
- Fluid White gesso
- Moulding Paste, Gel Medium, and/or any other textural mediums you might like to try
- A tube or tubes of iridescent or interference acrylic paint. For example: gold, silver or copper. (If you prefer, you can also substitute Acrylic Gesso in silver or gold or bronze made by Holbein.) It might also help to have a tube of Mars Black
- A soft safety kut Linoleum Stamp with a linoleum cutter. The linoleum stamp should be soft on both sides
- Fluid Matte Medium (small bottle) Liquitex or Golden
- 4 sheets of 140 pound watercolor paper, three in cold press and one in hot press (or four in cold pressed)
- Water-soluble colored pencils and a 2 B pencil for drawing
- Kleenex
- One tube of titanium gouache or Chinese White (avoid zinc white gouache)
- One tube of black gouache
- Paper towels
- Several foam core or Lean Cuisine type containers to mix in
- Some sheets of newspaper
- Plastic paper cups to mix paint in; 3 or 4 small spray bottle (from beauty supply stores)
- Imprinting bric-a-brac, like gauze, plastic stencils, bubble wrap, etc.
Lesson 1:
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Homework Assignment: Lift Out Your Creativity. Read pages 78-80 in
The Artist’s Muse. Work on 140 lb. watercolor paper (cold pressed or hot pressed) and coat one side with a mixture of one half matte medium and one half water. Allow this to dry completely. It must be bone dry. Dry it overnight or for an hour in the sun. The matte medium mixture will allow you to lift back to white and change the way the watercolor reacts to the surface, making it flow more out of control. The directions on page 80 in the book, list the steps, but in this particular case, do not begin with an abstract underpainting first. Also, do not use Yupo for this exercise. You may do any subject you wish, and if you’d like. Use card no. 23 from the Circles of Growth (Round) Color Scheme Pack for your color palette.
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Lesson 2:
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Homework Assignment: Read pages 34-39 in
The Artist’s Muse. “A Line to Creativity.” Use the example of “Drawing Over an Underpainting,” which is on page 38. You may also use a painting that doesn’t work for the surface to apply the gesso to. If you do an underpainting, make it light and allow this layer to dry completely before you begin your drawing. Another tip: Use enough water with the gesso as you apply it to create a translucent surface. A translucent surface means that you can see the form underneath but it is hazy and ambiguous. It is not transparent. Mix your favorite watercolor with gouache to draw your subject. Use this mixture in areas throughout the painting and contrast it with areas of transparent watercolor painted over the gesso. Select your subject from the rectangular pack of cards—“The Doors of Awareness.”
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Lesson 3:
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Homework Assignment: Read pages 25-29 in
The Artist's Muse, “Pouring on Creativity:” The easiest pour is the one described by me on page 29. You’ll need about five pigments dissolved with water, drafting tape, various imprinting items like saran wrap, wax paper, your stamp, and lots of plastic cups to dissolve paint in. For this lesson, pick an item, like a shell, a leaf, a book…. anything that appeals to you and draw it first on your paper. Think about varying the size, direction and shape of the same object. Draw with a 2 B pencil. Mask out areas with tape, wax paper, etc. and pour your first pigment. Make sure you have dissolved the paint completely so you won’t have lumps. Pour each pigment separately before the other pigments dry. Lay the paper flat so that the paint won’t run after you pour. You may pour on the paper flat, as opposed to tilting it, if you wish tilting the paper gently for a less splashy look. Allow this surface to dry before you begin painting. You should have interesting textures on your paper or board after the paint dries, even under the tape. Also refer to page 55 for more information about this exercise.
Lesson 4:
Homework Assignment: Read pages: 81-83
The Artist's Muse, “Homage to the Creative Square.” Here’s your chance to explore abstraction with texture and collage. Moreover, it offers you an opportunity to try using a different format. For this exercise, I suggest you use a straight edge and cut your paper very carefully into a square after you paint and texture it. I suggest 20 inches by 20 inches. Select card no. 1 from the square deck of cards. This gives you a textural base. You may add other textures to this. You will need some double stick tape (white) as we use the collected cut-up layers to stick to the surface. If you’d like also paint some small pieces of watercolor paper with the same color scheme for extra pieces of collage. We will also collage newspaper on this painting.
Linear Mode
