Imagining with Watercolour
Part 1
A guide to creating beautifully illustrated worlds
Learn a unique approach to watercolour painting while developing your own personal style and visual narratives.
Creating YOUR story
Do you have a creative vision that you're eager to bring to life and turn into a captivating story?
If you're tired of following generic painting tutorials that don't reflect your individuality, then this course is perfect for you!
Together, over this three part series we'll explore valuable techniques and unleash your boundless imagination, helping you create one-of-a-kind watercolor artworks that truly speaks to your unique artistic style and voice.
Discover the enchanting world of watercolor techniques and unleash your creativity to create an awe-inspiring illustration in your signature style. Get ready to embark on an exciting artistic journey filled with experimentation, learning, and self-expression!
I will guide you through the painting process and share my personal approach that I have developed over 20+ years of mastering watercolours, to help you create magical worlds of your own. I have used many mediums over the years, including: oils, acrylics, gouache, pencils, pastels, pen, digital and I can confidently say that watercolour is my absolute favourite with it's unique undefinable quality, it's such a interesting and exciting medium.
Is this course for ME?
This course is literally for anyone who would like to be more creative experimenting with watercolour. It has been designed for beginners and beyond.
It doesn't matter if you're a beginner and have to buy a watercolour set OR you've been painting for years but feel you now need help to develop your skill set further. You will definitely benefit from this course. I will teach you from my unique perspective and share with you the most important things to know and understand about watercolour painting.
Checkout the Course Curriculum and frequently asked questions below!
What you will learn
Watercolour Techniques
I have learnt a variety of techniques over the years that I have incorporated into my creative projects, leading me to develop my own unique style.
Through my experiences and exploration with different techniques, I have gained a unique perspective and a wealth of knowledge to share.
In this course, I will demonstrate the exact techniques I use in all of my artworks, giving you a basic understanding of how to incorporate them into your own creative projects.
Wet-on-wet, Wet-on-dry, Wash, Masking fluid, Graded wash, Glazing, Lifting, Blending, Scrubbing, Blooming, Wet on damp, Flat wash, Layering
A clear process from ideas to execution
No longer feel stuck on how to take your ideas to paper with a streamlined process.
You will learn a clear process for creating beautiful watercolour paintings, from generating ideas to executing your final piece.
I will guide you through each step of the process, including selecting high-quality materials, mixing colours, building up layers, adding details, and finishing your painting.
By the end of this course, you will have a completed watercolour painting that you can display with pride.
An abundance of tips & tricks
I will share all my tips and tricks I have learned from practicing watercolour for the past 20 years.
These will be explained and shown visually when we paint our masterpieces!
- Use high-quality materials
- Work from light to dark
- Plan ahead
- Control water flow
- Use negative painting
- Create depth with layers
- Don't overwork your painting
- Use a limited colour palette for a cohesive look
- Vary brush strokes for texture
- Use salt to create interesting textures
- Use masking fluid to preserve white areas
- Use a hairdryer to speed up drying time
Course Curriculum
What's included in the course?
- Equipment video: Overview of paper, brushes, paints and other useful tools.
- Colour Theory: Create a colour chart to help understand the basics of colour theory.
- Watercolour Techniques: Learn essential techniques that will be the foundation of all your creations.
- Tree Project: Paint your own creative tree by combing observation with imagination. A valuable approach to learn for any project!
- Unlocking Inspiration: An important video about discovering your own inspiration and artistic voice.
- Painting Creatively From Objects: Take still-life painting to the next level by using interesting objects to ignite your imagination.
- Final Project: Apply everything you have learnt to create a scene from your own imaginary world.
- Stretching Watercolour Paper: Learn how to stretch paper before OR after you paint a picture.
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Bonus Video: Reward for all your hard work.
This course consists of pre-recorded modules, which you can complete at your own pace and convenience. You can also post your course work with the platform at any time to receive direct personal feedback from myself.
Introduction to Materials
I will show you everything you need to get started and explain the purpose of each tool. Additionally, I will provide you with a list of my personal 'must-have' tools for watercolour painting ease.
Unlocking Inspiration
Break free from creative blocks and produce innovative work! At times, you may feel inundated with ideas or lacking any at all. I'm here to guide you in recognising the significance of having an open mind and curiosity about the world around you, as this can help you discover inspiration in unexpected places. Through exploring new ideas and perspectives, seeking out new experiences, and remaining receptive to new concepts, you can broaden your artistic vision and unlock your full creative potential.
Overview of Colour Theory
I will guide you in understanding the relationships and properties of colours, enabling you to create harmonious colour schemes in your artwork. When you grasp the fundamental principles of colour theory, you'll naturally utilise colour more effectively to produce powerful and meaningful artwork. It will almost become a matter of feeling colour choices rather than merely knowing them. While colour theory can provide a framework for understanding how colours interact and influence each other, ultimately, the selection of colours depends on your intuition and subjective experience.
Technique Development
I demonstrate the most valuable watercolour techniques you will need to develop your own ideas and themes. I will guide you through learning these techniques so you can confidently experiment with various approaches, resulting in more visually captivating and engaging artworks.
Transferring Finial Drawing to Paper
I will demonstrate various methods to effectively transfer your artwork onto watercolour paper, ensuring the best possible outcome. Additionally, we will discuss the options available for stretching the paper, both before and after completing your artwork.
Painting your Masterpiece!
Now you've learnt some important fundamentals, let's jump into painting your masterpiece! You will have full control of what you paint.
Join me as I guide you through the watercolour painting process I use to paint all my watercolour paintings. I sharing helpful tips and techniques along the way that you can apply to your own work. You'll get a chance to see how I approach watercolour painting differently, providing a fresh perspective on the process. If you're anything like me, you'll appreciate this visual approach to learning!
Some TECHNIQUES you will learn:
Wet-on-wet, Wet-on-dry, Wash, Masking fluid, Graded wash, Glazing, Lifting, Blending, Scrubbing, Blooming, Wet on damp, Flat wash, Layering
Bundle & Save!
Get access to both of my popular courses:
Imagining with Watercolour PART 1
Imagining with Watercolour PART 2
product.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the course Live or Pre-recored?
A: It consists of 9 pre-recorded modules and has no live components.
Q: Do I have life-time access?
A: Yes you will have life-time access. The author does reserve the right to change this at anytime without any prior notice, but has no plan to do so.
Q: How long is the course?
A: 1.5 hours of video content. This course is designed to be concise so you can spend more time actioning what you have learnt.
Q: Is this course a step-by-step tutorial on how to paint your beautiful pictures?
A: The course is much more valuable, I help encourage you to develop confidence with knowledge so you can make creative decisions and discover a unique voice and style of your own.
Hi, I'm Chris
I’m an Australian illustrator, artist and author with a strong passion for wordless children’s picture books, and a desire to create beautiful images that tell a story.
As an owner of many children’s books I have an appreciation for a variety of illustrative styles, but have always been drawn to illustrations portrayed with greater visual information, using a more refined technical approach.
Even as a child I found myself getting lost in illustrations with an abundance of detail, and been fascinated by the depth of imagery. My illustrative style is comprised of multi layered watercolour washes with intricate details, and crisp clean lines without emulating realism. Dreamlike situations are created through fanciful compositions that are brought further to life with bright colours, high in saturation and contrast with complementing subtleties. I have developed my own unique, technical and timeless style that is enhanced through the use of traditional elements, without following current trends.
My style is not just about showcasing my technical ability but stems from a strong belief that children’s illustrations should not only appeal and bring joy to the youngest minds but also be appreciated and admired by parents and grandparents alike, by evoking nostalgic feelings.
