Learn to Paint:
Watercolour - Still Life

About the course

Learn to paint still life in watercolour. In six sessions with Linda as your tutor (and Laura working along as a student), we’ll cover the materials and equipment you’ll need and a variety of techniques for painting your chosen objects including:

  • colour mixing tips
  • quick methods to draw your subject easily
  • washes
  • lifting out
  • masking fluid
  • water soluble pencils
  • oil pastel resist
  • negative painting
  • composition

We’re delighted that you’d like to learn to paint with us. Here’s a little more information about what the course is all about:

The subject of the course is the Still Life. We have devised the sessions to suit both those new to watercolour painting and those with some experience who wish to follow a structured approach. Linda will be your teacher and will demonstrate the techniques that experience and experiment have proved work for her. Laura has volunteered to work alongside Linda throughout all 6 sessions so you’ll benefit from two different styles of painting.

We’ll be sharing everything we know to help you create a beautiful still life painting of your own and with our usual chatty style you’ll have a load of fun along the way. You’ll be able to feature your own favourite objects or print out photos of the exact things we work from if you prefer to do that. Sign up at any time and work entirely at your own pace. You’ll have unlimited access to the videos and will be able to watch as many times as you like.

Sign up here..

What do I need?

To follow along with us you will need the following basic supplies plus a few optional extras that aren’t essential and can be added as you progress  through the sessions if you like the way they work. We would prefer you to watch the videos before making any purchases and also to use what you already own if you have some supplies already. If all of this is new to you, don’t worry at all, we’ll cover it all in the videos.

A watercolour paintbox of half pans which will probably include a cool lemon, a warm yellow, a cool crimson, a warm scarlet, a cool cyan, a warm ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, raw umber. Optional but desirable – indigo blue. If you have tube watercolour instead that’s also fine. You’ll be able to mix almost any colour you want from the above!

Watercolour paper as a pad, sheets or preferably a gummed block. It should be a minimum of 140lb weight and your preferred surface, either Not or Rough. Smooth HP paper isn’t so suited to our course but if that’s what you’ve already got then experiment by all means! If you wish to stretch lighter weight papers you’ll need a drawing board and a roll of gummed tape.

Round watercolour brushes in a size 4, 8 and 12 should be sufficient but you might add to them as you find your own favourite way of painting. We favour synthetic brushes over sable or squirrel as they are less expensive but very effective and perfect if you don’t want to work with animal derived products. Please don’t invest in lots of new brushes if you already have some – try them out and see if they suit!

Masking fluid – preferably in a bottle with a needle tip applicator.

Water-soluble pencils in a variety of colours. You might already have a box of these but they can be purchased individually as well.

Optional extras;
Derwent Inktense blocks.
White gouache paint.
Oil pastels.

The classes...

In Session 6 of the course we'll work on completing our paintings. Join Linda and Laura for a short critique of Laura's painting and to see the final touches to complete it. Don't miss the accompanying paint-along video with Linda. To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour - Still Life.
Painting

Watercolour Still Life – Session Six

In Session 6 of the course we’ll work on completing our paintings. Join Linda and Laura for a short critique of Laura’s painting and to see the final touches to complete it. Don’t miss the accompanying paint-along video with Linda.

To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour – Still Life.
Enjoy an hour and a half painting time with Linda as she works on her watercolour still life in real time. To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour - Still Life.
Painting

Watercolour Still Life – Session Six Paint Along

Enjoy an hour and a half painting time with Linda as she works on her watercolour still life in real time.

To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour – Still Life.
In Session 5 of the course we'll carefully consider the selection and grouping of a collection of objects as a subject to paint. Setting up a successful arrangement of objects is key to making a good painting. Laura will make a start on her final painting for the course and Linda will demonstrate a neat lifting out technique for retrieving highlights. To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour - Still Life.
Painting

Watercolour Still Life – Session Five

In Session 5 of the course we’ll carefully consider the selection and grouping of a collection of objects as a subject to paint. Setting up a successful arrangement of objects is key to making a good painting. Laura will make a start on her final painting for the course and Linda will demonstrate a neat lifting out technique for retrieving highlights.

To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour – Still Life.
In Session 4 of the course we'll look at ways to paint fabric in our still life. A draped cloth can add interest and movement to your arrangement. We'll look at painting a striped cloth and also a lace fabric, experimenting with using resist methods and negative painting. To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour - Still Life.
Painting

Watercolour Still Life – Session Four

In Session 4 of the course we’ll look at ways to paint fabric in our still life. A draped cloth can add interest and movement to your arrangement. We’ll look at painting a striped cloth and also a lace fabric, experimenting with using resist methods and negative painting.

To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour – Still Life.
In Session 3 of the course we'll paint a patterned 3D object. We'll demonstrate painting teapots and china jugs, but maybe you have a patterned vase or or tin that you'd prefer to include in your still life? Linda will demonstrate how to handle the pattern without painting every detail.  To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour - Still Life.
Painting

Watercolour Still Life – Session Three

In Session 3 of the course we’ll paint a patterned 3D object. We’ll demonstrate painting teapots and china jugs, but maybe you have a patterned vase or or tin that you’d prefer to include in your still life? Linda will demonstrate how to handle the pattern without painting every detail. 

To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour – Still Life.
In Session 2 of the course we'll look at how to paint a transparent object. Linda will demonstrate painting a glass of water but you can paint any glass object. See how she uses masking fluid to preserve the highlights. To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour - Still Life.
Painting

Watercolour Still Life – Session Two

In Session 2 of the course we’ll look at how to paint a transparent object. Linda will demonstrate painting a glass of water but you can paint any glass object. See how she uses masking fluid to preserve the highlights.

To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour – Still Life.
In the first session we'll take a look at the materials and equipment you need to get started with watercolour painting, talk about the colours you might choose in your palette, different papers and brushes, then we'll jump straight in and paint a piece of fruit. To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour - Still Life.
Painting

Watercolour Still Life – Session One

In the first session we’ll take a look at the materials and equipment you need to get started with watercolour painting, talk about the colours you might choose in your palette, different papers and brushes, then we’ll jump straight in and paint a piece of fruit.

To access this post, you must purchase Learn to Paint: Watercolour – Still Life.
You can stretch your paper to ensure perfectly flat results and easier painting when using watercolour. In this quick demonstration Linda shows you how.
Free Workshop

Stretching Paper

You can stretch your paper to ensure perfectly flat results and easier painting when using watercolour. In this quick demonstration Linda shows you how.

The next classes in this course are coming soon. Here’s the calendar:
Session 5 – 24th June 2021
Session 6 – 8th July 2021

Student Work

Here’s a selection of work from students following this course. Please head to the Gallery to see more.