I published yesterday :) I´m so excited for this class! I hope you´ll join me!!!!

PRESENTATION

Hi! Thanks for letting your curiosity bring you here...

My name is Alexandra, I´m an architect by profession and an artist by devotion.

I spend my days painting and creating surface patten designs. I´ve recently started doing digital collage as a segway from digitizing my art to create my patterns. And now, I´ve added teaching online to my resumé!

Welcome to my first Skillshare class!

In this watercolor painting class you´ll learn about plants...What?

Quick backstory...

When I started learning to paint with watercolors, the Monstera leaf was the most common subject to paint as I scrolled through artists´ accounts on Instagram, plus, I´d find it on notebook covers, on planners, home decor items...it was a true tropical takeover and, eventually, it also took over my heart.

The monstera leaf was my first muse as a beginner watercolorist and she was quite the challenge.

I just could not get her right...she was a true mystery to me...

-why does she have so many holes?

-those leaves, does the owner have to cut them up as a form of pruning? and…the size,

-is she really that big?

All these questions interfered with me drawing the leaf and couldn´t help feeling like an imposter among the many artists majestically painting their monsteras.

That´s when I created my hashtag #TropicalLeafQuest on Instagram.

I was on a quest to understand, recognize, draw, paint and call these leaves by their names.

The Monstera Deliciosa started it all, now I have about 100 posts under that hashtag ranging from monsteras to caladiums, calatheas, begonias, banana palm leaves, etc.

Taking this class will benefit you in meaningful ways.

The watercolor application techniques are very important to your over-all watercolor art practice, they require you to develop the basic abilities of water control, confident brushstrokes and timing… for example, to paint in dry, hot weather like the desert city where I live is not the same as painting by the sea or in cold climates, time is of the essence!

Another skill you will start to work on is visual analysis. It is only by looking intentionally at the images I provide that we can grasp the particularities of this beautiful leaf. We will talk about its size and structure and be mesmerized by its hole-yness.

I believe that once you understand your subject you can give yourself creative freedom to interpret it in your personal style and gain confidence in your artistic voice.

Mindful, intentional observation is key for us creatives because inspiration is truly all around us.

Final Project

And when all this is achieved we will get to the final project, where we will…

- draw the monstera and paint her two ways:

-realistic, with an extended palette of greens we will create; and

-fantasy, using a palette of our choice.

Is this class for you?

If you are a watercolor enthusiast who wants to add botanical motifs to your art practice, then IT IS!

Some experience is required, although we will do a quick review of the basic watercolor application techniques needed for this class. Since this is a self-paced format you can practice these basic skills several times before you continue with the class.

You don´t need to go out and buy new supplies, although I know you are looking for a good excuse

We will be using

-3 sheets of thick watercolor paper (300gsm, ideally),

-watercolor paint brushes, a flat #4 or #6 and a round pointed #8 or #10.

-3 glass jars with about 1.5in of water,

-paper towels, and

-watercolor paints, tube or pans, either is fine.

-reference images, I have provided some in the resources section though, with a quick Pinterest search you can find other Monstera leaf photos to use.

I hope you are hearing the call of the Monstera.

See you in class!

CREDITS:

REFERENCE IMAGES AND INFO

https://www.florismart.com/flower-knowledge/monstera-care/

https://plantasyflores.pro/monstera/

https://www.realestate.com.au/lifestyle/5-monstera-growing-tips-how-to-care-for-your-monstera-plant/

http://www.greenjeansinteriorscape.ca/monstera-swiss-cheese-plant/

BACKGROUND MUSIC

Spring by Ikson https://soundcloud.com/ikson Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/5WPnrvEMIdo

CLASS DESCRIPTION

By the end of this class confidently draw and paint in two different styles one of the most loved tropical leaves: the Monstera Deliciosa

The Process

To build your confidence we will be following the same process I use in my personal practice:

1. Starting with a review of the basic watercolor application techniques: wet-on-dry, wet-on-wet and color transitions,

2. Since most premade palettes come with two or three shades of green, we will be creating new shades to use on our realistic painting,

3. Having the watercolor abilities down, we will learn a bit about the leaf´s habitat and understand its physical structure to ensure that our drawing resembles the real leaf as much as possible.

4. We will take a moment to observe the reference images to identify and take note of the details and particularities that make this leaf so special and unmistakable, gathering the information needed to draw our own Monstera leaves

5. Once our sketches are ready, using our extended green palette, we will apply the techniques reviewed at the start of the class to paint our first monstera in a realist style.

6. For the fantasy painting, we will be choosing our personal palette and practicing color transitions with it,

7. Now, it´s your turn…Confidently bring your Monsteras to life

The Final Project

As a final project we will draw and paint with watercolor two monstera leaves:

-one in a realistic style using our extended palette of greens. and

-a second one in a fantasy style, with a palette of our choosing

Self-Paced Progress

We all learn differently and create at our own pace, which is why Skillshare is perfect for all of us. Some of you might want to paint along with me, while others, might watch the whole class first to get a feeling and into the flow, gather their supplies and go over the class videos one by one again, slowly, this time painting along… this is how I do it when I´m the student Don´t forget to enjoy the process

Your Monstera Journal

I encourage you to share your works-in-progress so that you have a photographic recount of your process. And, proudly show us your two wonderful Monstera Leaves.

Hoping to start forming a community of Tropical Leaf Lovers ready for the next watercolor leaf quest.

Attaching the link to my Draft Intro Video

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VW3UOp0XI8YYFHOHc-h4weHd0kPnHeNp/view?usp=sharing

Alexandra Uro

Tropical Leaf Quest Guide

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