Wonderland Watercolor
Wonderland is a place I visit often, and I can't wait for you to join me...
My journey as an artist has it's roots in the times I spent as a child romping through the backwoods and hills of the North Carolina mountains. This is where Wonderland became real to me - the land full of color, the streams full of life, and magic was found everywhere... Including the tiny cabin that my grandmother and I called home for the summers. We lived primitively, oil lamps, wood cookstove and water that came right off the mountain. My best friends were the salamanders in the creek, the cows on the hillside and my pencils and paints. Creating these magical little landscape paintings allows me to escape back there, to get lost in the moments of Wonderland. Come with me on this journey as we explore the wondrous ways of watercolor!
This course is a 'pay what you can' offering.
There are many ways to feel and receive abundance and my hope is that we all connect with that energy and allow it to flow.
Please contribute what feels right for you and your situation.
I receive in love and ask for the circle of abundance and inspiration to flow for us all!
Thank you for supporting my work. I hope you enjoy this class!
You can support here:
Or here.
SUPPLIES
PAPER:
For this class, I highly recommend artist grade, cold press, 140lb watercolor paper. There are many different brands out there - take your pick... for this class, and pretty much for everything I paint, I use Arches 140lb cold press in block form.
​
PAINT:
I really have no loyalty to brand - only to color. And with the rise of handmade watercolors, and everybody and their sister making paints right now, the sky is the limit! I will use specific colors during this class, but please don't get hung up on specific brands or colors. If you don't have them, explore what you do have - the techniques don't change.
Here are the colors I am using the MOST for my watercolor landscapes right now, subject to change at any moment ;)
Pthalo blue by Daniel Smith (this color is available from most companies, and pretty consistent)
Pthalo Turquoise by Daniel Smith
Green Gold by Daniel Smith - this is one of those colors I probably couldn't live without
Serpentine Green by Daniel Smith - created with genuine Serpentine, it's a really lovely, earthy green - and while we will not be using it during this class, I can highly recommend it.
Mineral Violet by Holbein - once again, a color you can get from most brands. Lovely, deep violet
Amethyst Genuine by Daniel Smith - obsessed with this one because it's made from Amethyst!!!
Hansa Yellow Deep - very versatile yellow, intense but mixes and blends beautifully
Permanent Rose - a definite go-to paint. I use it for all shades of red and pink. Mixes well, intense color
Mauve by Winsor Newton Cotman - favorite color of all time. Just get it.
Moonglow by Daniel Smith - magic paint!
Brushes:
I suggest a good mix of rounds. I use sizes 0 to 8 most frequently. I prefer synthetics over natural fiber, but this is truly an artists preference. Mainly, you want a brush that will keep it's shape. You don't have to have expensive brushes to create a beautiful painting. In these videos, I am using ProArte Prolene Plus round brushes.
For star making:
I use white paint pens by Sharpie or Posca, as well as white gel pens by Signo. For my 'criss-cross' stars, I use white Acrylic Ink by Daler Rowney - however, they can easily be drawn in with a gel pen. Do what works for you.
​
Other extras:
I use white ceramic plates for my palette - easy to clean up and cheap!
Paper towels or cloths
and obviously, water!
Getting Started
Before we get started painting, I hope you'll watch this video that might help you with these painting techniques.
Are you ready? I hope so! Because we're off to Wonderland...
1st Video: Getting Started - Colors Used - Drawing and Planning our Landscape
For your notes - here are the paint colors I gave on the video:
Mineral Violet by Holbein
Pthalo Blue by Daniel Smith
Mauve by Winsor Newton Cotman
Permanent Rose by Winsor Newton
Hansa Yellow Deep by Daniel Smith
Remember, don't get caught up on using these exact colors - experiment with what you have. Brands really don't matter too much with these either - most companies offer these standard colors.
2nd Video: Painting the Sky:
3rd Video: Paint the Stars and Moon:
4th Video: Background Mountain:
5th Video: Second Mountain with Trees and Mist:
6th Video: Foreground Mountain:
7th Video: Adding Final Trees and Lettering:
8th Video: Final Magic!
I hope you enjoyed that trip into wonderland - I am SO excited to see what you create!
Second Landscape...
Let's get started!
1st Video: Paint Colors, Composition and Drawing our Second Landscape
Paint colors for reference:
Green Gold by Daniel Smith
Amethyst Genuine by Daniel Smith
Pthalo Blue by Daniel Smith
Pthalo Turquoise by Daniel Smith
Mauve by Winsor Newton Cotman
Permanent Rose by Winsor Newton
2nd Video: Paint the Sky:
3rd Video: Stars and Thoughts...
4th Video: Paint the Moon:
5th Video: Painting the first mountain:
6th Video: Tie Dye Mountains! Second Mountain..
7th Video: Final Mountain/Foreground:
8th Video: Painting the bushes:
9th Video: Final Trees and House:
10th Video: Painting the Tree Trunks:
11th and FINAL video! Glazing the back mountain and final magic...
WOW! We did a LOT of work! Take it all in and let it marinate, that was a lot of information.
Remember - the more you do it the easier it gets...
The next lesson will offer some extra variations and options for continuing your Wonderland Journey!
Extra Wonder
Once you've watched the landscape videos and have familiarized yourself with Wonderland techniques, these final videos will help further your watercolor enjoyment.
​
One of my favorite things to create are these small, intuitive, made up landscapes in circles (of course, you can create them in squares, rectangles, or whatever shape you like best!)
​
They don't take long to create and are a great way to explore colors and ideas.
This video is just of my painting process - the techniques I've used here are the exact ones you've learned in previous videos, you'll be able to quickly identify them - but if you have any questions, please ask away in the Facebook Group!
I've sped up areas where I am just applying water and taken out the bits where I'm using the hair dryer or adding stars, but everything else is there to see. My total painting time was almost exactly thirty minutes start to finish. Thirty minutes to create two little pieces of magic!
This class has been an absolute joy to create - and I hope that joy comes through to you. These landscapes are my absolute favorite thing to paint, I don't think I'll ever stop painting them... I am so grateful I got to share them with you.
HAPPY CREATING IN WONDERLAND and THANK YOU SO MUCH for supporting my art by being here!
If you feel inspired by this class and would like to financially contribute to support the creation of more magical things, I so greatly appreciate it. You can help support my classes and offerings here:
Or here. THANK YOU!