A couple of months ago, I wrote about my watercolour debut. I tried out watercolour painting for the first time, and was completely captivated. My husband took inspiration from this, and for Christmas he got me some lessons.
The lady responsible for introducing me to watercolours is, fortuitously, our friend. She is a member of my choir and my book group, and now she is my teacher! Nicholas had secretly contacted her before Christmas, and they had conspiratorially arranged my lessons, and for him to get me the requisite equipment. He even put his woodwork skills to good use by making me an easel! On Christmas morning, my confusion gradually abated as I opened first a flat piece of wood, then another piece of wood to prop it up on, and then a sketchbook, some pencils, some paper, and some watercolour paints. (The only thing he had forgotten was a palette – cue a quick trip to Hobbycraft!)
Last weekend I had my first lesson. My friend only lives a few minutes’ walk from our house, so I popped my new portfolio bag over my shoulder and walked down the road. When I arrived she made me a cup of tea, and then we settled in her studio.
Nicholas had been instructed to buy me nine paints, and my friend had suggested I have a little play with them before my first lesson. I had done so, and marked them up:
I brought this to my lesson, and it was a good basis for my friend to talk me through the different features of the paints: the opacity, the granulation and the lightfastness. (I found all this fascinating – it’s very scientific!)
Then we tested out some brush strokes. She showed me about twenty different marks you could make. I made all of the below with just one brush!
Then we worked on doing a little tonal study. In cobalt blue, she demonstrated how to achieve different tones. She made a little landscape and I followed suit (though they turned out very differently). Here is mine, along with some practice bits:
Finally we realised that the afternoon had zipped past, and it was about time I was getting home! But before I left she showed me how to mix colours, and my homework is to have a go myself.
Another thing I need to do before my next lesson is some sketching, just to get some practice. This initially filled me with apprehension, as I always disliked drawing at school. I couldn’t ever seem to make anything look quite right… But I made a start this week by sketching my bedside lamp, and it went better than I expected! I think I’m more patient than I used to be.
I’m very excited for my watercolour journey. Something else I got to do in my friend’s studio was have a look round at the things that she’s working on, and they’re beautiful! I hope I have a knack for this and might be able to create some lovely things myself.
Cryptic Meg 