Texture Demonstrations (Lessons #3-9)

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This class includes seven individual texture demonstrations that are highly encouraged to follow along with! Both a blank template and a template with pre-drawn guidelines can be found in the "Resources" area to the right of this description. They are formatted to print at 3.5x3.5" per square on a 8.5x11" sheet of printer paper, but can be adjusted based on your need.

If you are using a blank template and/or drawing free form, sketch out your own guidelines that you'd like to use while painting. Use your kneaded eraser, if you have one, to lighten your sketch so that the graphite doesn't smear or show through while painting.

If you are using the template with guidelines, print out the template and use a light tablet or brightly lit window to trace the guidelines onto cotton watercolor paper. Use your kneaded eraser, if you have one, to lighten your sketch so that the graphite doesn't smear or show through while painting.

I recommend watching each lesson first, then going back and follow it as you paint along. I also recommend watching them in order, as I often reference past exercises to identify certain techniques. Upload your exercises under the "Your Project" section as you go so that you can ask questions, request feedback, and/or just share your paintings with the class!

Class Projects: Fur, Feathers, and Scales (Lessons #10-14)

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This class is for intermediate to advanced watercolorists who have preferably taken my Mastering Water Control class and have spent some time on the texture demonstrations before continuing to the class projects. The reason for this is so that you are familiar with the way I work and can follow a visual tutorial on these final projects.

These videos are concisely narrated and do not contain background music so that you can put on what you prefer to listen to in the background while you work. After all, we're going to be spending a lot of time together completing all three of these paintings! Of course if you are only interested in learning one or two of these textures, you're more than welcome to skip the other(s), but for those of you who want to tackle all three, I can't wait to see them all!

The reference images are cropped to 6x9" which is half of a 9x12" sheet of paper watercolor paper, but again it can be adjusted based on your needs. I find this size agreeable to work on - not too small for meaningful detail but also not too so large that it's overwhelming. There are no templates for the class projects so that you can either draw your own sketch or to practice tracing what information is most important to your painting process.

These lessons are best viewed on a computer or television screen to get the most out of them, as they show most of my work space. This is so that you can see how I interact with my supplies, but sometimes means that the painting area is a rather small portion of the screen. I zoom in when possible.

Feel free to follow these tutorials however best suits your learning style. However, if you're looking for a bit of extra guidance, I'd recommend watching the lessons layer by layer. Watch me paint a layer, pause while mine is drying, and then paint yours. Watch the next layer while yours dries, and repeat.

Don't forget to add your paintings to Your Project once you've finished! Let me know if you'd like specific critique you'd like, any general questions you have, or if you just wanted to share them with the class.

All images for these exercises and projects were sourced from Pixabay and are credited with the photographer in the file name.

Materials
Cotton Watercolor Paper (Arches 140lb Cold Press)
Watercolor Brushes (Silver Black Velvet, Round Size 8 and Size 4)
Watercolor Paints (Denise's Earth Friendly Da Vinci Watercolor Palette)
Two Containers for Water
Reusable Rag or Paper Towels
Pencil & Eraser

Kneaded Eraser (optional)
Mounting Board & Masking Tape (optional)
Light Tablet (optional)
White Gouache (optional)

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Amy Zhao

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