SketchingNow Watercolor (Lessons 3 to 4)

Merry Fisher
Watercolour and Ink
Moleskine A4 Watercolour Album
297mm x 210mm (11.69" x 8.27")

I’ve completed Liz Steel’s SketchingNow Watercolor course. Lessons 3 and 4 have the same well-balanced mix of theory videos, demonstrations, handouts and exercises as the first half of the course (see SketchingNow Watercolor (Lessons 1 to 2)).

Master Palette
Watercolour and Ink
Moleskine A4 Watercolour Album
297mm x 210mm (11.69" x 8.27")

Lesson 3 is about Using Colour. Liz offers a pragmatic explanation of colour theory and suggests creating a master palette of your favourite colour mixes. She hypothesises you make sketching easier by using a palette of tried and tested mixes instead of trying to match a specific colour while you are out in the field. She also recommends using colour and value studies in preparation for a sketch as a useful discipline for novices.

Colour and Value Studies
Watercolour, Graphite Pencil and Ink
Moleskine A4 Watercolour Album
297mm x 210mm (11.69" x 8.27")

The assignments for this lesson are to create a master palette and to try some colour and value studies. I enjoyed the exercises. Some of the mixes in my master palette were experiments rather than my usual combinations, but I learnt from this and will adopt some of these new blends. I am also going to change some of the paints and will repeat the exercise using the new colours.

Lesson 4 is about Sketching with Watercolour. Liz discusses the traditional watercolour approach of working from light to dark and suggests starting with the darks as an alternative.

The assignments for the lesson are:

• Paint some cakes either from life or Liz’s photo reference. You can decide whether to work from light to dark, or to start with darks, or to mix things up. I chose to use Liz’s photo and to start with the darks.

• Sketch something you enjoy sketching, but use a different approach to your usual. It could be starting with darks, working wet or layering. I sketched the boat from a photo I took during Elaine’s, Doris and my recent holiday in Dartmouth. I chose to start with the darks and to work wet. I’m pleased I stopped when I did. My original intention was to add a tint to the background, but it doesn’t need it.

Liz's Cakes
Watercolour and Ink
Moleskine A4 Watercolour Album
297mm x 210mm (11.69" x 8.27")

The last section of the course is another review of sketches. There are also additional theory and demo videos. There is a final exercise to re-do a sketch you did prior to the course and to notice how different your approach is and how much you have improved.

I’ve learnt a lot and acquired some ideas I will incorporate into both my sketching and more considered watercolour paintings.