Watercolor: Painting a House Portrait

Home Sweet Home... Learn to paint this cozy cottage! Each step of my process is explained and demonstrated. You learn SO many options for the fine details (stone, bricks, greenery, windows, etc) that will make your portrait pop with charm and character!

You won't want to miss the handouts included in this class. See below for where to locate them. 

Infinite memories and moments are captured when you paint a home. House portraits make the most special gift! Learn how to do this today so you can brighten someone's day tomorrow...

Please note: Focus of class is painting the home & the beautiful options for windows, stone, bricks, and more.... I simply could not cover the process of measuring & drawing a free hand architectural rendering. For that reason, I trace the house with a light pad to save time. This is shown in class. You have access to the reference photo & a micron drawing in the handouts for you to trace, copy and practice on.

In class:

• You learn my step by step process for completing this 8x10 house portrait from start to finish
• You manage the process in bite size pieces as we paint together
• You overcome the feeling of "where and how do I even start?"
• You have access to 14 detailed HANDOUTS. They are located under the "Projects and Resources tab"
• You learn eye-appealing options for the detail work of bricks, stone, doors, greenery, and so much more. This knowledge can easily be transferred to other art pieces you paint or illustrate.
• You see my process for tracing the house with a light pad (as noted, this is not an architectural drawing class. I preferred to focus on the painting aspects) 
• You learn the valuable tool of masking fluid 
• You learn to keep your colors cohesive and simple
• You learn in real-time with no voice-overs during the lessons (it was vital to speed up only some parts within the lessons to save you valuable time. Otherwise this class would be 5 days long!)
• You will have a completed house portrait by the end of class
• We have fun and learn together in this nicely paced, packed full of information class!

It's important for me to teach you, not just have you watch me paint. This is how I conduct all of my classes.

CLASS SUPPLIES: (Please, no pressure to have the exact supplies. Use what you have...)

• HANDOUTS - I recommend printing before class. They are very helpful and we use them in class.
• Reference photo for house (which is not our house): http://www.houseplans.net (Cottage House Plan #963-00391) - A copy is in your handouts.
• Watercolor paper (I prefer Arches, 140# cold pressed) - Needed for practice and final portrait
• Watercolor paint:
• Blue - Indigo, Ultramarine, or Prussian blue are options. But, only a LIGHT value is needed for the main area of house.)
• Cobalt blue - or whichever blue you prefer for the sky
• Black
• Sepia - or similar brown
• Burnt Umber
• Perylene Green (Daniel Smith) - or a deep grey/green shade
• Sap Green
• Burnt Yellow Ochre (Daniel Smith) - or, Indian red or terra cotta color
• Buff Titanium (Daniel Smith) - or a light cream color for the underwash of the bricks on the house
• Shadow Violet (Daniel Smith) - or, a grey mixed with ultramarine and burnt sienna OR ultramarine mixed with burnt umber
• Permanent Rose - or any pink/red shade
• Yellow
• Brushes: I use a variety: round (size 3, 4, and/or 6), chisel blender (size 2), flat shader (size 2 or 10/0 - depends on the brand), fine detailers (size 10/0 and 3/0) & a scrumbler brush (I have a Marseille Fitch Scrumbler brush by Artist Loft, I found at Michaels craft store, or a round blender brush, size 6 or 10. Used for some of the greenery.
• White pen - A Gelly roll pen by Sakura or White Uni-ball pen by Signo OR Dr Ph. Martin's Bleed proof white
• Micron pens (black) (or any archival, waterproof pens)
• Paper towels / Kleenex
• Water jars
• Pencil & eraser (regular &/or a kneaded eraser)
• Light pad (for tracing house portrait) - or you can choose to rule it out or use tracing paper. 
• Artist tape to secure your painting to a board while painting
• Board for securing your portrait when painting
• Ruler(s) &/or T-square
• Masking fluid or liquid frisket (if you don't have this, not a problem!)
• Ruling pen or old paint brush for masking fluid
• Watercolor pencils - optional - not used for house portrait, just in a demo I do
• Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen - optional - not used in house portrait, just in a demo I do - Warm Grey III, #272, Cold Grey IV, #233