Creative Visual Texture with Watercolour

Instructor: Alison Montgomery
Thursday 1-4pm
1 day: February 5
Location: In-person Williams Building room 118
$75 (supplies not included)
Prerequisite: None

Visual texture in a watercolour painting refers to the illusion of different surface qualities that are created using various brushstrokes, colours, and techniques. It adds depth, dimension, and interest to the artwork. Artists can use textured areas to create focal points and draw the eye to specific areas of the painting. Texture can be used to convey emotions and enhance the expressive qualities of a watercolour painting.

By employing various brushstrokes, exploring different techniques such as dry brushing, splattering, and salt application, as well as experimenting with granulating paints and unconventional tools like sponges and scraping implements, artists can create visual textures that bring their watercolour paintings to life.

* This workshop is most suitable for painters who have some experience in watercolour, although beginners are welcome.

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Supplies

Materials:

1. Watercolour paints of your choice (I use the six hues listed below)
2. A variety of WC papers of your choice – although these techniques are best illustrated on Arches cold press, either 140 or 300 lbs. Because most of these exercises will be exploring textures and experimenting with a variety of techniques, I encourage you to bring old paintings or practice papers that you can use the back of or are already in your scrap paper pile. Perhaps bring one or two good sheets of paper if you'd like to try applying some techniques in a painting towards the end of the workshop.
3. Brushes - Bring a variety of watercolor brushes that you like working with. Perhaps small, medium and large. Large being a 20, medium being a 16, small being anything less.
4. Other materials: plastic wrap, cut up credit card or small rubber scraper; large pore sponge (cut up into several pieces), small pore sponge, old toothbrush; salt (fine /coarse) ; water-soluble drawing ink, or fine tip sharpie; resist materials: one roll of green painter’s tape (FROG is recommended) masking fluid
5. Photographs of images you would like to work from. Specifically, images that have texture challenges like water, sand, trees, bark, etc. I will also have images on hand for you to try.

General watercolour supplies: use what you have on hand.

Painting Palette: plastic hinged or oval open palette – approx.  9 x11.

Brushes:

• #12 or 16 WC brush (Princeton round)
• #20 WC brush (Princeton round)

Paints: *always use professional grade pigments. The hues listed below are Daniel Smith except for the Cerulean Blue

• Ultramarine Blue (or French Ultramarine)
• Cerulean Blue *use Holbein or Winsor & Newton.
• Hansa Yellow Light
• Hansa Yellow Med
• Permanent Alizarin Crimson
• Quinacridone Rose (Daniel Smith) or Permanent Rose Madder (Winsor & Newton)

Paper

• 22 x 30 - 300lb cold press Arches watercolour paper (to be cut or torn to size in class) OR:  Arches Cold Press 140 lb 12 x 16 watercolour pad 
• 11 x14 watercolour pad for in class exercises (Fabriano is recommended)

Misc

• 2b pencil
• gum eraser
• kneadable eraser
• one Masonite painting board - approx. 22 x 26
• roll of paper towel