Watercolor Joy! [section 2]

Watercolor Joy!

(for beginners and casual painters who want to jumpstart their practice)

With Ellen Santoni and Rebecca Rickabaugh

A four-session class

Tuesdays 10 am to noon on April 12, 19. 26, and May 3

Suggested donation: $5-$10 per session if you are able

We invite your playful spirit to enter the magic world of watercolor. No experience with watercolor or painting or drawing is necessary. A beginner’s mind and a few supplies (list below) are all that is needed.

Watercolor painting can be confounding until you learn some basic techniques that unlock the magic of the medium. This class is designed as a journey of discovery. We will introduce you to a wide range of materials and styles, and we will encourage you to follow your curiosity. In each session we will offer opportunities for experimentation and learning. We’ll explore color and venture into lights and darks; we’ll dip into shapes and layering and experiment with textures. By the end of the four weeks, you will have a collection of souvenirs from your journey. You’ll find yourself able to look at watercolor paintings—both your own and those of others—and recognize how the painter achieved their result, and you’ll have a toolbox of techniques you can use to move forward on your own. This class will awaken the playfulness in your soul and introduce you to the meditative calm of deep seeing.

Limited to 15 students

All must have proof of vaccination and wear a mask

You need to bring a small set of supplies to the class (see list below)

Ellen Santoni has been making art for as long as she can remember. She has a BFA in illustration. After college she had a 42-year career in marketing and advertising. Three years ago, she moved to Whidbey Island and restarted her journey with art. Watercolor is her chosen medium and her only medium. She says: “I love the unpredictability, the way the colors mix and blur, and the fluidity of the process. Ellen is a member of Whidbey Island Sketchers and Bellingham Sketchers, and she takes classes at Create Space and with local artists.

Rebecca Rickabaugh has been making art nearly all of her life beginning in her teens with oils and pen and ink. She discovered mixed media in college, and then pursued watercolor painting in private classes as a young adult. “The physicality of creating is what nudges me forward on a daily basis,” she says. “I try to embrace process over product and am thrilled when a vision or end goal is accomplished and I have fully engaged my creative chaos.” Rebecca’s work has been in art shows at Ballard Works in Seattle, Pickles on Whidbey island, and Women in Art on Whidbey island. She has also illustrated two books with pen and ink drawings.

Supply list: You need a small set of supplies for the class. You can buy the following supplies at Casey’s Craft or online at art supply stores like dickblick.com

· Paper: Canson Cold Press Spiral Bound watercolor heavy weight paper journal, 140 lb  paper. Journal size 7x10 or smaller. ($10) (If you already have a watercolor journal that’s fine, but the paper must be 140 lb and cold pressed. Not all watercolor paper is 140 lb and cold pressed. If you don’t know what you have, please buy the Canson journal. It’s great to practice in, inexpensive with good paper. (available online at dickblick.com)

· Watercolor brushes: 2 round watercolor brushes size #2 and #8 inexpensive synthetic brushes for watercolor. Both round brushes should come to a good point. 1 flat brush – also called a chisel blender size 6 (casey’s craft or online)

· Watercolor paint: we are using quality watercolor paint - we picked a palette you can also travel with in the future. The sets are either pans or tubes. It is best to have pans if you want to take your paints outside or travel with them.

Daler Rowney 12-piece watercolor set. ($15) (awesome starter set of colors) (available online at dickblick.com: “Daler-Rowney Aquafine Watercolor Half Pan Sets”)

Other watercolor pan sets we recommend are by Sennelier, Winsor Newton, Daniel Smith, Holbein. (available online) We love all these brands. You can get a bigger set with more colors if you want, but please stick to these recommended brands. The quality of the paint makes a big difference and many other paint brands add chalk which means the watercolor won’t move the same way.

· 1 black micron pen .05 (casey’s craft)

· 1 pencil HB (casey’s craft)

· 1 grey gum eraser or a white tombow or mono eraser- these erasers are designed to work on watercolor paper (casey’s)

· 1 small spray bottle for water. The bottle can be small 3-4” or whatever you have at home. (caseys or drug store)

· 1 white ceramic dinner plate to mix paint on (thrift store)