Why take this class: In this class you’ll paint a vibrant, colour-rich snow leopard, in a loose impressionist style. The focus is on capturing expression, emotion and atmosphere rather than hyper-realistic detail.

You’ll work through the painting in clear stages, learning how to balance loose washes with controlled detail, and how tonal values bring form and character to an animal portrait. The techniques demonstrated are adaptable to other wildlife subjects and expressive watercolour styles.

You’ll explore:

Fur textures, lifting techniques and white accents
Wet-on-dry facial features and wet-on-wet backgrounds
Tonal shading to create form and depth
Mixing a strong, vibrant black
Painting a convincing animal eye

This class is suitable for all levels, including beginners, looking to loosen their style while maintaining structure.

A warm welcome to my class! Watercolour is an enchanting, magical medium, and by the end of this class, you will have the skills needed to create this stunning Snow Leopard. The course is packed with exciting ideas and techniques. I will show you exactly how to paint this beautiful animal from start to finish - you’ll get a real glimpse of what goes into my painting as you work alongside of me up-close and personal. I will remove the mystery of watercolour and show you how to discover new ways to unleash your creativity as you join me on this inspirational journey of start-to-finish demonstrations and techniques. As the video unfolds, you will see how colours work together, how to step into impressionism and push colour to capture the mood and essence of your subject. This class will inspire you to use watercolour in a range of different ways. Best of all, you’ll gain a real sense of accomplishment by creating your own beautiful, evocative Snow Leopard painting.

Is this class for me? Absolutely, 100% yes! Watercolour basics are very simple to learn - like everything else it just takes practice to master, whilst also allowing the watercolour to ‘do its own thing’ and not trying to overly-control those ‘happy accidents’. All are welcome. If you are a complete beginner, you will learn the simple methods needed to paint with confidence. There are also techniques and ideas for those who already have some experience but want to loosen up a bit, become more expressive, and enhance their watercolour skills. You don't need to know how to draw, as I provide a template of the drawing for you to download and trace - so you can just concentrate on the fun of painting.

What will we explore? This course is packed with:

* Start-to-finish demonstrations so you can see first-hand how to build up the painting every step of the way. I verbally explain the entire process in a friendly and easy-to-understand manner.

* I’m a big believer in ‘learning by 'doing' rather than by lecture, so you will paint right alongside me, up close and personal and learn the skills in a practical way.

* Step-by-step guidance and best practice for a range of creative watercolour techniques - I'll be guiding you gently through the whole thing (eg, simplify a subject, add shadows, wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, layering colour, glazing with colour, blending and softening, adding depth and contrast with tonal values, using masking fluid to preserve white paper, using brush strokes to create texture in fur, to name but a few!)

* Some of my favourite studio tips and tricks for successful working practices and saving time (eg, use twisted paper towel to create abstract texture, use an artist scalpel scraping off colour, paint animals eyes, avoid washed out paintings)

What do I need? A selection of watercolour paints (at least one red, blue and yellow): a few watercolour brushes, paper, palette, water sprayer, paper towel, pencil, rubber, water pot - you'll probably already have some of these items in a cupboard somewhere.

Alright, let's do it! Come join me for a fun, creative class! Let's get going. Just follow the video boldly along, and you’ll soon have the knowledge and confidence to produce your very own gorgeous Snow Leopard painting that zings with colour and energy.

I can't wait to see what you create!

My Artwork: I’ve been teaching people how to paint with watercolour for many years - you can see more examples of my artwork on my website: http://www.carriemckenzieart.co.uk

Stephanie Belk

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