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Skillshare

Watercolor in the Woods: A Beginner's Guide to Painting the Natural World

via Skillshare

Overview

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Slow down and take your appreciation for nature a step further with this step-by-step watercolor painting course! In this beginner-friendly class, you'll gain the tools you need to turn the inspiration you find outside into vibrant watercolor paintings. 

Join natural history illustrator Rosalie Haizlett for a painting lesson in a little off-grid cabin on her family's farm in the Appalachian mountains, where she spent her childhood. 

In this course, you'll learn how to:

  • Find the right materials (hint: you might already have them!)
  • Take a good reference photo outdoors
  • Create an accurate pencil sketch
  • Use watercolor layering techniques to bring your sketch to life
  • Add realistic textures
  • Paint a mushroom and fern!

So make yourself a cup of tea, gather some basic watercolor supplies, and get ready to learn some new skills in a fun and relaxing environment! 

You can either paint from your own reference photo or use the two photos that Rosalie will be working from (which are downloadable under the "resources" tab). 


Rosalie's other classes on Skillshare include: 

  • Watercolor Your World: A Meditative Approach to Painting Landscapes
  • Painting Nature with Watercolor & Gouache: Create Mixed Media Art 
  • Urban Nature Journaling: 7 Days of Artistic Prompts

Syllabus

  • Welcome to My Class!
  • Gathering Your Materials
  • Taking Your Reference Photo
  • The Pencil Sketch
  • Preparing Your Palette
  • Color Swatch Exercise
  • Starting Your Painting
  • Layering Watercolor
  • Adding a Background
  • Creating Texture
  • Refining Your Painting
  • Bonus Lesson: Paint a Fern!
  • Final Thoughts

Taught by

Rosalie Haizlett

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