Watercolour Essentials: A Beginner's Guide

Grab a brush and discover the joy of painting! Embrace your inner artist as you delve into the world of painting with this beginner-friendly watercolour painting course, as part of our painting short courses in Sydney.

Join us for a fun watercolour class where your tutor will introduce you to the very beginning of your watercolour journey. The workshop will start with an introduction to wet-on-wet, which includes dampening the paper with clean water and then applying watercolour paint, resulting in soft, blended effects ideal for creating backgrounds. In the technique of wet-on-dry, you'll learn to apply paint on dry paper, allowing for precise detailing and focusing on more intricate elements. Additionally, we'll explore the technique of dry brushing, utilising a mostly dry brush with minimal water to create textured effects within the artwork. 

Throughout the workshop, you will practice these techniques by painting a small landscape image to get a taste for the art of watercolour painting. 

The beginner's guide to watercolour painting offers essential guidance and foundational knowledge in this artistic medium.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this watercolour beginner guide, you should have:

• An understanding of the watercolour brushes and their capabilities 
• Experience with watercolours and how to transition from one colour to another
• Introduction to how to paint a simple landscape scene
• Experimented with wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, and dry-brushing methods

Course content

What will be covered in this watercolour painting workshop?

• Wet-on-wet: Wet the paper with clean water and then apply watercolour paint to create soft, blended effects mostly used for backgrounds.
• Wet-on-dry: Apply paint to dry paper, for more precise details in the second phase.
• Dry Brushing: Use a mostly dry brush with minimal water to create texture.
• Gradients: Create smooth transitions from one colour to another, how to use slope to make the transition smoother.

Intended audience

Who is this painting course for?

This class is perfect for those who are brand new to watercolour painting and want to explore a new creative avenue.

Course venue

Rozelle Campus

2A Gordon Street, Rozelle NSW 2039 (corner of Gordon St & Victoria Rd on the grounds of St. Joseph's Church)

Course materials

What to bring to class:

• Pencils: 1 × 2B, 1 × HB and 1 × 2H
• Sharpener and eraser
• Drawing pad (A4)

What we provide:

• Watercolour paints
• Watercolour paper (A3)
• Watercolour brushes

Additional information

Please note the following:

• Closed-in shoes required
• Please wear old clothes
• Long hair must be tied back