On Thursday, I had a playdate at my friend Louise's house where the talented watercolorist Suzanne DesLauriers held a mini-workshop for us. Suzy is not only a gifted painter; she is also an excellent teacher. You can check out her Facebook page for more about where she teaches.
We began with exploring texture achieved by various surprising means--string, cheesecloth, plastic wrap, and salt.
Then a quick exercise on primary and secondary colors and the mixing thereof...
Next Suzy walked us through a mountain scene: sky and clouds (formed with dabs from wadded paper towels) and the rows of mountains (illustrating layering washes of color) to the green and yellow foreground where we used the sharp end of a brush to scritch little weeds into the paint. It was a fun exercise--but I'm going to have to go back and put a little more color on the farthest row of mountains--they weren't meant to look snow covered.
We began two more paintings--a sunrise and a stormy sky--but it was growing late. We were thrilled to hear Suzy say we'd finish them next time. Next time!
