Wednesday Watercolor Group (Utah County)

Feel free to bring your lunch/snacks to this ongoing instructed VAI Watercolor Group every Wednesday 12noon-2pm.

Shelley will demonstrate with step-by-step paint-a-longs showing varius fundamental Watercolor techniques.  We will offer a variety of photo references, and subject matters such as landscape, cityscape, still life, seascape, portrait, animal, and figure.

Open to beginning, intermediate, or advanced students.  If you are a seasoned watercolorist and would like to work on your own pieces, Shelley will be glad to coach or give constructive critique

Class is held at the HIGHLAND COMMUNITY CENTER.

Instructor: Shelley Young

Supply List is a general suggestion for starting the class. 

Good sources to buy supplies include Cheap Joe's online and Blick's in Sugar House 1025 East 2100 South SLC, or online. 

PAPER: Arches # 140lb. Cold Press paper – 12x16 Block or 4-5 22x30 Sheets You will get a much better result if you use "quality" watercolor paper, and a very poor result if you buy cheap, student grade watercolor paper. 

BRUSHES: Please buy "quality" watercolor brushes. Cheap starter-set brushes will not last long or hold their shape/point very long. 

Start with synthetic sables or squirrel-hair brushes which are reasonably priced. Pure Sable brushes are very expensive. Flats: I have a 2", 1", 3/4", 1/2", and 1/4" I prefer Richeson Professional 7010 Steve Quiller brushes that can be found at Jerry's Artarama online. Rounds: 2 Large (10-16), 2 Medium (6-9), 2 Small (2-4) Good Brands: Windsor Newton, RichesonProfessional 7010 Steve Quiller, Isabey, Robert Simmons, Escoda ,Kolinsky, Blick, Princeton etc. 

Oil Painting Brush: One small FLAT boar bristle brush (for help in lifting out color if needed) Palette with separate wells There should be separate wells in the palette to squirt your tubed paints into and let it harden up. You will also want mixing space. I recommend labeling your colors with a black sharpie near or on the inside of the well, so you can remember them while you're using them. 

PAINTS: For beginners, you may start out using an Educational Crayola or Prang Watercolor Set Surprisingly enough, they have good bright colors and strong pigments which work pretty well when you're just starting out. If you want to go one step up… Tube 

Watercolors to Start: 

o Cad Yellow Medium 

o Yellow Ochre 

o Cad Red Medium 

o Alizarin Crimson 

o Cerulean Blue 

o Sap Green 

o Cobalt Teal 

o Burnt Sienna 

o Ultramarine Blue 

Good Brands: Windsor Newton, Holbein, Daniel Smith, Senneliar, Cheap Joe's etc. Please do NOT buy inexpensive student-grade starter sets tube paints like Artist's Loft. They are grainy and have fillers and do not produce a good result. 

***NOTE OPTIONAL For more intermediate/advanced watercolorists: I use Ted Nuttle's palette which consists of the following purely transparent colors. 

You are welcome to get these colors if you'd like to use exactly what I do: 

Holbein:

Brilliant Orange

Vermillion

Yellow Light

Burnt Umber

Daniel Smith:

Ultramarine Blue

Quinacridone Burnt

Peacock Blue

Orange Windsor

Mineral Violet

Newton

Indigo

Permanent Alizarin

Antwerp Blue

Crimson Scarlet

Windsor Blue Red Shade

Lake

Hooker’s Green

Quinacridone Gold

Aurelian Yello

Windsor

Blue Shop Towels They are very absorbent, and can be thrown in the washer and dried and reused over and over again for watercolors. Please bring one roll of these to class. 

Masking Tape: 1 Roll of 1” Masking Tape. We will be taping up all our projects so this is required of each student. Don't bring blue or other colored tapes. Just get regular cream-colored masking tape. 

Water Container Any jar will work. I prefer a divided container so I can wash out color in one side and continually retrieve clean water from the other. 

A board to tape your paper to. This can be gatorboard, light wooden board, plexiglass, sintra, etc. The board should be at least 4-6 inches bigger on all sides of the watercolor paper you are taping up. I use Sintra board. 

A table easel or something to tilt your board on. 

Fine Mist - Spray Bottle 

Pencil(s) - 2B, HB, 2H 

Kneaded Eraser Non Abrasive to watercolor paper and can be molded into different shapes to make erasing easier. 

Misc. Items: 

*tooth brush for splattering 

*Masking fluid or miskit (fluid for masking out whites) *Course salt for texturing 

*sketchbook to take notes or draw out thumbnails or try different techniques 

*Mr Clean Original Magic Erasers or sheets, found in Grocery Stores 

*Permanent Black marker fine tip for inking/sketching 

*Tote Bag or case to keep watercolor supplies in 

If you have any questions, please call or text Shelley Young at 385-375-0728

Minimum Enrollments and Refunds:

We need a minimum of 5 participants to be able to provide the class. If we don't reach our minimum enrollment, we may need to cancel the class. The best way to ensure your class goes on is to get your friends to join in on the fun!

This class is drop-in and Flex Pass eligible.

If you are unable to attend the class, we are able to process refunds up to 2 weeks before the first day of class. After that date, we can either transfer you into a different class or offer you a credit towards your account up to the first day of class.

Please contact our office if you have any questions.