Welcome to class!

Painting water with watercolor just.. makes sense! But how do we get that effect of water, how do we start painting something that's basically transparent? By using those beautiful qualities that watercolor automatically encourages, giving the paint some water to play in, we'll be using thin layers to practice transparency and getting the effect of that underwater magic!

During this class I'll be sharing some of my favorite essential techniques, using the wet in wet technique for the soft blurry ocean background and wet on dry to paint our jellyfish. I have some different approaches so you can see which one fits you the best, as I believe trying out different techniques can help you find the way YOU enjoy painting (which I think is the most important thing in any creative activity!)

And in an effort to battle perfectionism, I do have some unexpected situations in class and instead of editing them out, I'll be demonstrating how I can roll with the new results and work in a new direction, finding solutions and options when things don't go as planned, without blaming myself or throwing away my work (Is this a metaphor for life? You bet ;) )

You will also get tips and tricks for using supplies that will work WITH you and not against you in the techniques used, as well as

How to tape your paper
Check if your paper is wet enough and (afterwards) dry enough to paint on
How to use sparkly paints
How to hold your brush for different effects
How to tear off the tape safely
And a reminder to sign your work at the end

Feel free to treat this class as a buffet, watching and following along with the lessons you want, as I'll be demonstrating 4 slightly different versions of this underwater bookmark. If you are a beginner, I recommend watching the technique lessons in the beginning of class, and if you're a more experienced artist, you might already know your supplies well enough to hop right into the lessons for our project.

I'm so excited to see what you create!

Remember to share it in the project gallery when you're ready or you can always share on Instagram too, tagging @aqua.d.elise so I can see your work.

Let's go!

(PS Extra shoutout to everyone who agreed that "The Magic of Transparen-sea" would have made an excellent title for class :D )

Michelle Schenker

Learning watercolor since Nov 2020.

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