*ONLINE* Beginner-Friendly Watercolour Tutorial: Painting a Vase of Flowers

*Please note: I will be using water colour pencils in addition to paint for this one! There's also the option to include pigment powder - not at all necessary but fun to play with! Please read below in the materials list for details*

How many of us have watercolour paints lying around, bought with good intentions but as yet unopened... or maybe you've had a go before but you're needing a bit of guidance?

Well...grab a ticket and let's meet up online to paint some florals! This is a fun one, we've not done flowers in a vase before so it will be something new!

No experience is needed for this workshop in fact you will probably find it easier than my animal workshops as the painting method is quite free and there's room for artistic license! It's led step-by-step making it suitable for complete beginners to follow.

For this workshop you can use ANY colours so if you have a set of paints that will work fine. More info on colours is listed below. Please also have a few colouring pencils on hand - red, purple and dark green will work. I've also recommended some pigment powder and you'll want a fineliner of some kind.

The reference pic will be sent out the night before - no drawing guide is needed for this one as there won't be much drawing so any that we do need to do can be done together during the class.

Painting is a meditative activity meaning it's great for your mental health and well-being. It's the perfect way to spend an evening. For me I like to make the most of it by brewing a cosy cup of herbal tea and lighting a candle to really help me wind down for the evening. I encourage you to make the most of the experience and do the same!

So, grab a ticket and let's get painting together...

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Please check the below list for what you need. I've added some link suggestions for paper but if you already have stuff at home then you can just use what you have:

Watercolour paper - You can use any pad of watercolour paper that you may already own if you'd like to just use what you already have. However, if purchasing new I suggest using a block because this means you don't have to deal with any paper rippling. Ideally, you want Hot Press (HP) watercolour paper which is very flat with no bumps which will allow the watercolour to move around in the right way. I do personally prefer cold press paper for florals however we use hot press for the wildlife workshops so makes sense to use the same for both. I've listed two options below:

A good quality but still cheap option can be found here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bockingford-Watercolour-Block-300gms-228x305mm/dp/B00LIYPZO8/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2YT7FXNTS0OOA&keywords=watercolour+block+hot+press&qid=1666520904&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=watercolour+block+hot+press%2Caps%2C74&sr=8-5

Brushes - I will be using one large, one medium and one very fine 'rigger' brush but if you only have the medium and the fine that will work. The fine brush must be able to paint thin lines. Message me if you'd like to invest in some good brushes and I can recommend!

Paint, Colouring Pencils and Pigment Powder- I always recommend tubes of paint as they are more versatile, but if you have pans that's fine we can work with anything :) The colours I will be using will be yellow, red, pink (I recommend a nice hot pink like Opera Quinacridone by Holbein, or something similar!) green, purple and white.

For colouring pencils you will find water-soluble 'watercolour' pencils work best as we will be using them on top of wet paint. The colours I will be using will be dark green, red and purple but you can use anything you like. The brand I will be using is Arteza but any brand will work.

Pigment Powder... not needed but FUN! I love using this as it creates fun speckles of colour and texture - it's cheap too at just £2.50 a pot. It's not actually featured in this painting but if you have bought it for my other florals we could throw some in! Any colour that you like will do but for me I would say an emerald green could work. It's just to add a little interest to your painting, treat it like you would if it was seasoning in a soup!

If using, you will also need something to apply it with. I use an old (dry) paintbrush which allows me to take a little out on the bristles and sprinkle it onto the paper. But you could use anything.

Pigment Powder in Emerald: https://www.jacksonsart.com/brusho-crystal-colours-powder-paint-15g-emerald-green

Palette - I use plastic trays but feel free to use anything e.g a plate

Generous water pot - glasses like old jam jars work fine

Pencil, a rubber, a black fineliner, kitchen paper