Introduction to Watercolour Basics

I will be sending you a detailed supply list when you sign up. In the mean time here is an example supplies list in summary:

• masking tape or painter’s tape
• old tea towel
• paper towel
• watercolour palette
• 1 sheet of 22×30 ARCHES Cold Press 140lb (300 gsm) Watercolour Paper or other 140lb 100% cotton paper
• 1 set of 18 Pentel Paints or 1 small tube each of cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, hooker’s green, transparent yellow such as aureolin yellow, raw sienna or yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and a dark pink colour such as permanent rose
• 4-5 pieces of cardboard, boards or thick card to tape your paper to
• Watercolour brushes have long bristles that come to a point when you flick a wet brush. I mainly use a ½” flat, a size 6 round brush, and a size 1 rigger/liner/script brush.
• a small utility blade with a ½” / 9mm wide blade with a lock mechanism 
• a clear or white tealight candle
• salt
• scissors
• pencil
• white eraser
• a water bottle to stay hydrated
• a black pen with permanent ink such as a fine tip sharpie
• sea sponge or torn pieces of a household sponge

The classes are all pre-recorded and available immediately. This was originally a 6 week course and now it's even better because each video has been edited to add multiple camera angles and annotations such as letting you know which colours I'm using and which techniques we are doing.

It's all available right away as soon as you sign up and you can watch the videos in your own time at your own pace and as many times as you like. You'll have lifetime access to the videos and notes.

That's ok, everything will already be in the course area when you join and it will always be there for you, so you can take your time and watch the videos at your leisure. 

The colours I will be using will just be a suggestion. Since we are focused on learning the basic techniques and not producing masterpieces it will be fine if you substitute different colours.

Surprisingly the paints are not the most important supply. I recommend saving money on paint and splurging on paper. You can get a super high quality huge sheet of watercolour paper for around $10 whereas a good tube of professional watercolour paint can cost you $10-40 per colour.

If you want to start with the minimum cost, look for a set of 18 Pentel Watecolours. They cost about $15 total for the whole set and they have vibrant bright colours which don't crack or separate. PSA: Do NOT buy Reeves or Maries or Artist Loft paints though, they are not nice to paint with.

I will be using 140 lb (300gsm) Arches cold press watercolour paper. It comes in bright white and natural, both are fine. I really recommend that you use Arches 140lb cold press watercolour paper so that we are all on the same page, literally. It really helps with consistency of results. If you don't have access to Arches, look for a 100% cotton paper. Cellulose or pulp papers will be difficult to work with and cause frustrations. 

Watercolour brushes have long bristles that come to a point when you flick the brush while wet. I will be using a 1/2" flat, a #6 round, and a #1 script/rigger/liner brush.

You could get away with a larger sized round brush if it comes to a nice point. You could also get away without a rigger brush if you have a small round brush which comes to a nice point.

Wonderful, I love teaching beginners. You would be a perfect fit for this course.

That's ok, don't worry, no drawing skills required. Any drawings we do will be very basic and I will walk you through the shapes.

Email me at kendra@kendraart.com. I'm happy to answer any questions you have about the course.

To encourage you, most of my students have raved about my classes and many of them come back time and time again to take my in-person classes over and over. I think that speaks louder than any testimonial. But just in case you are unsure, have a look at what my previous workshop participants are saying below: