Beginner’s watercolour

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

■ Practise new brushstrokes

■ How to use skewers and credit cards to achieve special effects

■ Paint simple vignettes

You will need

• Cotman watercolour tubes: ultramarine, light red & raw sienna

• Stephen Coates Spearhead No. 8 Round brush

• Pro Arte Prolene No. 2 Round brush

• Bockingford NOT 140lb (300gsm) watercolour paper

• Palette or tray for mixing

• Kebab skewer

• Credit card

Welcome to the fourth part of my watercolour course for beginners. Last month we dealt with fluidity and blending colours then went on to paint two winter scenes. This month we are going to play with various special techniques that are unique to watercolour. They involve using the brush in a slightly different way and will introduce other tools that can be used apart from brushes.

For these exercises you can use a full sheet of watercolour paper or various smaller off-cuts. Conveniently, with Bockingford paper you can use both sides. There will be two studies to paint