Let's explore one of the most exciting parts of watercolor painting: COLORS. This session is part of my Color Theory Basics series to help you understand colors better.

Who this class is for

You can paint dozens of beautiful paintings with the instruction of a good teacher without knowing anything about colors, which is perfectly fine... but at some point, you might want to understand what you’re actually doing when putting your color scheme together. Getting familiar with the artist’s color wheel is an ideal first step in this journey.

What you will learn

During this project, we’re going to paint an expressive color wheel from the 6 basic watercolor paints that even the simplest hobby watercolor palette includes.

You will learn about the concept that is behind the color wheel, where it comes from and what its purpose is. You will also learn about the meaning of each color and what emotional response you can expect from the viewer when using them.

Working with colors is fascinating, but it can be much more exciting with some knowledge in your pocket. So, I encourage you to come with me, and let’s explore our watercolor paints together. This will be the beginning of an exciting journey.

What tools you need?

In this class we'll be using the very basic watercolor painting tools. Nothing special is required.

To make your own color wheel, you will need the following tools:

a sheet of watercolor paper
I’ll be using an A4 size (similar to the US Letter size), Cold Pressed, 300 gsm / 140 lbs watercolor paper.
a graphite pencil for drawing some guidelines
6 base colors: yellow, orange, red, violet, blue, and green.
watercolor brushes
I’ll be using a flat brush for wetting the paper, and a size-12 round brush for applying the paints. But you can use whatever brush you’re comfortable with.
For creating a special effect, I’ll be using a straw, but you can also roll up a piece of paper creating a paper pipe for the purpose.
To provide flexibility, I’ll be using a drawing board that my watercolor paper will be taped down to. You can also use a paper board for the purpose.

Other than that, you will need the common watercolor supplies… in this case two water containers, a paper towel… and optionally, a spray bottle to dilute the paints.

Learn & practice

Whenever you’re ready… I’ll see you in the first video.

Skillshare Member Michelle Harmon

Bookmark with Sewing Scraps

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