Hello, Creative Friend!

If you are joining me in real time, you'll know we are just beginning a new year! To start off 2024 I've decided to teach on birth flowers, beginning with carnations for January. This class is PACKED with generous amounts of knowledge as we dive deep into several ways to paint a carnation.

We tackle a new brush in this class, along with a watercolor you might not have in your supply, so I invite you to purchase these (I'll include a link below for you) if you're able and would like to. If not, a size 2-4 filbert brush and a similar color can be substituted. Please note: I am not affiliated with these companies.

Before diving into the class, I'll walk you through each choice I make as I paint a carnation, providing the valuable narrative so that you truly understand the "Why" behind each stroke and placement.

Next I'll briefly show you how to hold and wield this brush to achieve the desired result. From there we will break down the structure of the carnation, discovering how to notice and marvel, picking out important details while striving not to overwhelm the flower with too many details.

You'll learn more about my current process and style invoking gestural movement - the art of capturing the essence of what we see rather than every detail found in nature. I encourage your voice to emerge as we paint, laying down the foundation and providing the education necessary for success while inviting you to make your own decisions along the way. We'll also cover a myriad of color possibilities and wrap up by adding stems and leaves to create flowing lines with the composition.

Let's get started!

- Cara

SUPPLIES

PAPER:

Canson 140 lb. cold press paper

BRUSHES:

Princeton Heritage Flat Brush Size 8 - Purchase a similar brush HERE

Princeton Umbria Bright Brush Size 8 - Purchase the brush HERE

Princeton Velvetouch Round Size 6

PAINTS: acceptable brands are Winsor and Newton (Cotman or Professional), Van Gough, Maimeri Blu, Sennelier, Daniel Smith, Holbein.

Daniel Smith:

Burnt Umber (PBr7) Undersea Green ( PB 29) Rich Green Gold (PY129)

Maimeri Blu: Quinacridone Red, Carbon Black, Verzino Violet

Winsor and Newton: Permanent White Gouache

Let's Make Art: Orchid Liquid Watercolor - purchase HERE

Additional Supplies:

Reference flower, paper towel, palette, water cup.

Introduction and Supplies:

Taking a moment to welcome you to our class and go through the supplies you will need to complete this class.

Talking Process & Brush Familiarity:

Before diving into the material, we will take a few moments to "notice and marvel," important step in the painting process where we look closely at the flower and find the details most special to us. We'll also begin laying paint to paper by exploring a new brush.

Carnations With A Vintage Palette:

Next I'll show you how I mute the straight-out-of-the-bottle pink to bring it toward something a but more earthy by adding Burnt Umber to the palette.

Wet-into-Wet Technique:

Using the flat brush and expanding on the education gained from the creation of the carnation, I'll show you what to look for when timing wet-into-wet technique as we add details to the petals.

Dry on Wet Technique:

This time we will allow the media to full dry before adding details to the petals.

White Carnation:

Clearing the palette and rinsing the brushes, we will use a blend of colors to create "white" watercolor and begin the process again.

Carnations in Coral:

We will create one final color, explore timing bleeds and work on how to cluster these flowers together in a natural, aesthetic way, which will prepare us for our class project.

Stems and Gestural Lines:

Here we conclude by looking at the flowers we've created and intentionally making connections by adding stems. We will observe the white space around the edges, and learn when it's best to and not to fill it, and how to add flowing lines. We'll discuss composition and take this education with us into the class project.

Aleksandra Kulinska

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