Characterful Squirrel
Are you keen to try a loose style of watercolour painting and learn some tricks, tips and techniques on how to use watercolour more successfully?
This is an opportunity to join artist Nicky Hunter for a special one-off mini taster workshop enabling you to try her watercolour style. Thereafter, giving potential to join mixed level workshops, if you wish to continue on your journey with watercolour with her.
Open to all adult learners enthusiastic to progress with the challenging yet magical medium of watercolour who are NEW to learning with Nicky and not currently part of her regularly monthly mixed level watercolour workshops (Yardley Arts or elsewhere).
All materials are provided. All you need to do is join and enjoy learning good watercolour practice, tried and tested methods and techniques from an experienced artist and generous tutor alongside a small group of like minded people keen to trial watercolour painting with her.
There will be plenty of 1 to 1 tuition alongside Nicky's painting demos that break down the painting into manageable stages.
Drawing skills are helpful foundations to good painting, though for this workshop you have the option to use tracing so there is no need to worry about accurate drawing. This is all about enjoying the painting process and gaining lots of tips and knowledge you can transfer to other watercolour subjects, whilst creating your own artwork of a squirrel.
Specific Skills Students Will Learn:
Use the wet into wet watercolour method and direct painting along with minimal brush strokes to keep your painting feeling spontaneous and expressive.
Use a glazing technique (wet in dry ) for the facial features and also capture the lovely expression and shiny eyes.
Learn which is the right brush for each section and how to handle it well and get the most effective results with them such as covering large areas working wet into wet and colour mixing and blending on the paper rather than the palette, splattering and dry brushwork effects also how and when to add detailed areas.
Learn how to use a limited colour palette and mix the hues well to achieve warm, vibrant colours that are fresh rather than muddy or insipid which many learners find a challenge. Make colours rich dark colours that are sufficiently dark in tone so your painting is vibrant rather than flat and your artwork sings from the page.
Understand how to layer one colour into the next using the correct paint consistency and levels of wetness in ratio to pigment to help make watercolour work better for you and achieve a more satisfying result with this painting and future artworks.
Learn how to retain highlights in the initial stages and how to add them at later stages of your painting with impact.
Simplify the composition from the photographic image and draw or trace the image so you have an accurate start to then enjoy painting.
“Nicky’s workshop was most helpful in giving me feedback on my materials. I found the step by step approach enabled me to learn new skills and produce a painting of which I was proud. Would recommend definitely”
Who is this workshop for?
18+ years
Mixed level - although some experience even if just a little is helpful as the tutor covers lots of technique but does not cover very basic knowledge during a general workshop so it would not be appropriate for an absolute beginner with no drawing or painting experience.
Contact tutor direct to discuss if the level is suitable for beginner options.
“Nicky is an inspirational watercolour tutor. She guides us through each step she uses to produce one of her beautiful watercolours, so her classes are suitable for all levels. I’ve always felt very comfortable and relaxed in her classes.”
What you need to bring
Old cloths or an apron
What is included
All materials are provided.
Tea, coffee and biscuits
Cost
£39 per person
DATE & TIME
Monday 18 January
12pm – 4pm
Booking
Booking is direct with Nicky Hunter, artist & tutor.
Advance booking by email required and advance payment by cheque or bacs transfer required to confirm booking (booking is none transferable or refundable once payment is made)
Spaces are limited to a maximum of 13 people
Contact the tutor
If you have any questions at all about the course, please get in touch with the tutor.
Email nickyred@gmail.com or call 07899 942 944
CAR PARKING
Please park only in one of the 8 spaces clearly marked for Yardley Arts at the rear of our building.
The remaining spaces belong to Oakfield and are reserved for their residents, visitors and staff, including people with disabilities. Please do not park in these bays, even for a short time.
If all Yardley Arts spaces are occupied, there is plenty of free parking available in the surrounding streets.
DISABLED ACCESS
If you require disabled access, please contact the tutor in advance so this can be arranged.
About the tutor
Nicky Hunter is a professional water colour artist and tutor specialising in painting florals but inspired by many other colourful and light filled subjects too. Nicky teaches regular watercolour workshops in Buckinghamshire & Northamptonshire with a loyal following of students who love to learn how to paint florals, birds, animals, landscapes and other subjects. Nicky is hosted as a guest artist at prestigious art schools and art societies around the country, teaching a loose and lively watercolour style. She enjoys helping others to free up their watercolour artworks. Her teaching style is enthusiastic and generous, you are sure to enjoy and develop your techniques working with her, whether you wish to build on some basic experience and refine your painting skills, or liberate them and become freer and more expressive with your watercolour painting.
Nicky’s love for painting in watercolour and her illustration skills have developed over 20 years, designing printed patterns for textiles for the UK and international fashion and interiors market, before she returned to her fine art roots in more recent years.
For more information about Nicky Hunter, check out her Facebook page (Nicky Hunter Watercolour Painting) or her website www.nickyhunterart.com.