Watercolour/Travel Landscapes - 3 days - GOLD COAST – AUGUST 2024 with Chan Dissanayake

This 3 Day workshop will suit students who have been exposed to the medium of watercolour and want to extend their knowledge to the next level. We will specifically concentrate on how to inject and capture the mood of the subject. The truly magical qualities of watercolour can best be demonstrated in portraying atmospheric effects, using wet-in-wet technique. We will paint a variety of subjects, producing two paintings a day from start to finish; each painting will be chosen to demonstrate a certain technique and key learning points. There will be lots of useful discussions as well as tips on how to avoid potential pitfalls.

If you enjoy the challenge of producing loose and bold watercolours, then this is for you.

Chan will be covering:

• Properties of Colour & Colour Relationships
• Understanding Light and Shadows
• Wash and Glazing techniques
• Secrets of Wet-into-Wet Technique
• Understanding Timing in Watercolour to create magical effects
• Tonal Values
• Planning & Composition

At the end of this course, you should:

Have a greater understanding and appreciation of watercolour medium and its techniques

Be able to plan and approach a subject, then complete a painting with confidence

Learn how to paint variety of subjects with solid technical understanding

Work with the magical properties of watercolour to create mystical effects with effortless ease

Complete a series of fresh, bold, and lively paintings 

MATERIALS

When it comes to materials, Chan highly recommends buying the best quality materials you can afford. These will make a significant difference to your work and avoid unnecessary frustrations. In the list below he has avoided, where possible, any unnecessary expensive materials and provided you with cheaper alternatives.

Paper - Saunders Waterford 300GSM Rough Surface or Arches 300GSM rough or medium texture. (Chan mostly uses rough, and it is also much more economical to buy the full sheets and cut it into various sizes. These are available from all major art suppliers. For students trying to use quarter sheets, you can use Arches 185GSM medium surface (Cold Pressed) which will be little cheaper. Alternatively, you may want to buy blocks which come in books (expensive). Chan encourages the students to work in half or quarter sheet papers. My of my demonstrations will be done on half.

Brushes - Chan uses a medium size squirrel mop brush with a sharp point (Size 8 to 12) for most of his paintings. As the sizes vary with different manufacturers it is difficult to specify an exact size. A good quality brush will hold lot of pigment and present a sharp point when fully loaded. You don't need to buy Sable brushes which are very expensive, but please get a few artist quality brushes. It will make a significant difference to your work.

Essential Brushes

• Medium Size squirrel hair (natural hair) Mop brush (Size 8 to 16)
• Size 16 round Brush with sharp point (Synthetic)
• Size 12 Round with sharp point (Synthetic)
• Size 8 Round with sharp point (Synthetic) Extra Brushes (Optional)
• 2'' inch Hake (Natural Hair)
• Size 6 Dagger also known as a “Sword brush” (Natural Hair)
• Size 0 or 1 Rigger (Synthetic)

Paint - If you already have watercolour paint, bring what you have. But if you are buying, please make sure you buy artist quality paints. Chan prefers to use tube paints as they can be left on the palette to dry and can be reused. There are well known artist quality paints available, but Chan mainly chooses Windsor & Newton due its excellent quality and vibrancy. Even its student grade paints, Cotman, is superior some of the other artist quality brands! Essentially you will need warmer and cooler primary colours.

Essential Paint

• Cobalt blue (Cool)
• Ultramarine blue (Warm)
• Turquoise blue Light or Australian Turquoise (Green) Yellows
• Raw Sienna (Cool)
• Cadmium Yellow Light (warm)
• Quinacridone Gold or Australian Red Gold (Warm/Bright) Reds
• Cadmium Red Light (Warm)
• Permanent Rose or Alizarin crimson (cool) Darks
• Burnt Sienna Extra Paint (Optional)
• Cerulean blue
• Winsor blue (red shade) or Phthalo blue
• White Gouache
• Neutral Tint

Other Items

Watercolour Board - You will need a board for mounting the watercolour paper. These are available from art stores but a cheaper option is to get them from a hardware shop. A board with some sort of coating will be desirable as it will be saturated with water.

Mixing palette - Plastic or Metallic mixing palette with sufficient wells for mixing large washes. Chan uses a foldable mixing palette from Holbein (Japanese brand), although a little expensive it's a good investment. However, there are inexpensive plastic imitations that serve just as well. White porcelain plate or butchers tray would also be fine.

Other Extras

• 2B Lead Pencil or Mechanical Clutch pencil with fillable 2B Lead
• Box of tissue paper
• Water container
• Water spray bottle - Atomizer
• Masking Tape or Paper clips
• Old towel or sponge to remove/control excess water
• Failed or old painting so we can use their backs for rough work.
• iPad / Tablet to use for reference photos

LOCATION
Sculptors Society Gold Coast, 173 Ashmore Rd/Carrara St, Benowa QLD 4217

BOOKING CONDITIONS

Please note that Artable does not provide refunds for workshops under any circumstances. If you provide more than 7 days notice, you can apply for a credit to another workshop. Check our refunds page for further details and COVID-19 related policies.

Please note that if a workshop is sold out a sold out sign will appear on the listing and you will be unable to book in. If a workshop does not have the number or spots that you require, a note will pop up saying 'out of stock'.

LUNCH
There are food options in walking distance at Benowa Gardens Shopping Centre and a fridge/microwave on site if you'd prefer to bring your own.

PARKING
You can park in the carpark onsite or in the surrounding streets next to the venue but please be aware of metered parking.

Location:

Sculptors Society, 173 Ashmore Rd, Benowa 4217