From burnt sienna to ultramarine, carmine to cerulean: the history of pigment is fascinating. Each class will be filled with historical anecdotes, science, symbolism and of course lots of watercolour painting. You will end up with a composition every week that celebrates the colour/colour group.
Your teacher Katie will paint live on screen so you can follow along, ask questions and engage with others in the group. All pigments will be detailed in a printable course guide so you can prepare the correct materials, but you will also need basic watercolour supplies (materials list below).
When are the sessions?
All classes will happen live on zoom 7-9pm between the 8th November - 13th December.
In total there will be 6 weekly evening classes which are recorded incase you miss the live class. Tuning in live will offer you the chance to engage and connect with your teacher and peers. It's recommended to join live if you can, but the recordings will be available for a month after the course finishes so you'll have plenty of time to revisit the sessions if you do miss one.
What will I learn?
where pigments came from
symbolism and story of colours
how to mix colours
which colours compliment or contrast each other
h ow to build a composition (from landscapes to flowers - each week will focus on the stories of the colours to create a playful watercolour composition)
Course structure
Week 1 - Red - from Carmine to Scarlett
Week 2 - Blue - from Ultramarine to Prussian blue
Week 3 - Yellow - from Ochre to Citrine
Week 4 - Green - from Sap to Hookers green
Week 5 - Black - from Mars to Paynes Grey
Week 6 - Brown - from Burnt Sienna to Sepia.
Materials List
You can get a starter kit with materials hand picked by the teacher here.
Once you have purchased your ticket you will be added to the mailing list and sent a full materials guide, but for an idea see below:
- A set of decent paint brushes. Try to get a selection fo flat headed and pointed brushes. Katie uses a size 5,6 and 8 by a brand called Da Vinci.
- Watercolour Paper (at least 280gsm thickness, A4 or larger is best - you can buy these in pads)
- A watercolour palette tin set, or a set of watercolour paint tubes.
- A water glass and some kitchen roll or toilet roll.
- Masking tape - its recommended to use Washi tape as its less likely to tear your paper.
Who is my teacher?
Katie's approach is playful, bright and contemporary, and offers an alternative way to look at watercolour paint that pushes the boundaries of its pretty reputation.
"Katie Rose Johnston is an illustrator and watercolour painter based in London. She has been painting with watercolour for as long as she can remember, and teaching others how to use it for over 4 years. With a MA from the Royal College of Art she has illustrated for clients including Penguin Books and taught classes across London in venues such as The Design Museum and The V&A. She also has her own book on watercolour called Paint Play."
Praise and testimonials about previous courses:
'What a fantastic watercolour course you created for us. I really enjoyed every class, both for having the time to paint with other people and for providing techniques that meant I ended up with some super paintings I didn’t know I could do.’
‘I have been trying to paint with watercolours for a while, often in either a very detailed controlled way, or in a loose messy way that always seems to lack depth and interest. The way you paint showed how you can showcase the looseness and spontaneity, through strong shapes and colours.’
