"Monte dei Bianchi": a Paintalong with Randy Hale

In our 2.5-hour ZOOM workshop you will join Randy online as he paints the fortified hilltop village of Monte dei Bianchi, complete with medieval stone church perched as a sentinel to the valleys below. Randy will show you how to recreate those dramatic clouds that swirl around the rugged peaks of the Apuan Alps, and he’ll take you step-by-step through how to backlight the church so that it sits in rich silhouette against the sky. He’ll have you working with cools transitioning to warms, as well as protecting the white of your paper so that you depict strong light illuminating the tops of the clouds as well as slashing thru the foreground. Blending forms, feathering edges, graduating your washes, and employing lost edges will all play an important role in making this subject come alive, and to make the church your strongest contrast and focal point!

Whether your preference is in creating travel journal entries, or taking a more painterly approach, Randyìs step-by-step instruction will be easy to understand and ensure successful renditions. Afterward, be sure to post your work on the Watermill’s “Cluster” gallery where Randy will provide detailed feedback on each participant’s work. These critiques are done in a positive manner to help everyone fully understand the nuances of our medium. There will also be a recording available to everyone who registers, so don't worry if you cannot make it on the day!

Materials

BRUSHES

· Any size soft goat hair blending brush

· #12 synthetic round (I use Escoda’s PERLA rounds)

· #16 Escoda Evolution Ultimo mop brush

· #4 Escoda rigger

PIGMENTS

Warms

· Yellow Ochre, or Raw Sienna

· Burnt Sienna

· Transparent Orange

Cools

· Manganese Blue

· Cobalt Blue

· Ultramarine Light

Greens

· Lemon Yellow

· Golden Green, or Leaf Green (apple green color)

· Turquoise

PAPER - Cold press watercolor paper, approximately 30x40 cm (or smaller); 12”x 16” or 11” x 15” or smaller.

BOARD - Loose paper clipped or taped to a mobile board; or use a watercolor block – so you can control the direction water & paint might roll across the paper’s surface.

Unlike many online painting tutors, Randy will not expect you to ‘look over his shoulder’ for a long demonstration, and perhaps be allowed to ask the odd question or two. No, you will be painting along at more or less the same time, trying out the watercolour techniques that Randy shows you, step-by-step. He will demonstrate some basic techniques for only a few minutes before you start painting the same subject at home. Then, after you've been given a little time to catch up, Randy will move onto the next part of the process. Lois Breckon from The Watermill at Posara will be on hand during the session to feed your questions. The session will last a couple of hours.

When you register for the session you will be asked for a donation. Some people ask how much this should be and so we suggest a minimum of £30 GBP. Our Zoom painting demonstrations do take quite a bit of time in preparation and administration and your support is very much appreciated. With your generosity we can plan and run further sessions and, more importantly, provide a regular meeting place for creativity, camaraderie and fun. We hope that you enjoy the international, online painting community that we have created.

Once you have registered you will be provided with two links. The first is the Zoom link for you to join the session. Please note that the start time is 5pm UK time (GMT) which equates to 12 noon - East Coast USA; 11.00am - Central Time USA; 10.00am - Mountain Time USA; 9.00am - Pacific Coast Time USA.

The second link is where you will find Randy's final painting and a list of equipment and colours for your palette. If you would like to paint along with Randy, be warned that he works fast and you definitely should have your own drawing ready.

After the event, you are invited to add your painting to the private gallery, where you will be able to view the same scene uploaded by your fellow painters on Zoom. Randy will comment on your painting if you post it within a week of the event. In addition, we will send you a link to a video that will enable to you revisit Randy’s step-by-step teaching.

When you have painted with Randy online, why not join him for real at the Watermill in Tuscany Italy next summer? We would love to welcome you to the Watermill. You can find more details of Randy’s week-long course, 13 to 20 June 2026, here.

Randy's background

Randy is from Colorado in United States and, as well as his workshops in the USA, he has taken painting groups all over the world. After a successful business career, he returned to his first love, watercolour painting. (He was taught by James Green, a founder member of the California School of Watercolor.) But Randy’s true passion proved to be to be in sharing his knowledge: enjoying the excitement of travel with fellow painters, helping them to create expressive paintings to enrich their experience. One of his students said: “He knows his stuff and he knows how to teach! Best watercolor instructor I have ever had!”

You can find out more about Randy's style of teaching online by watching the edited video below from a Zoom session earlier this year, hosted by The Watermill at Posara: