Rachel Collins, Watercolor Artist

Watercolor by Design

A 2-Day Workshop

Wednesday-Thursday, December 13-14, 2023

10:00 am - 4:00 pm each day

Thoughtful pre-planning does wonders for ensuring the success of a painting.  This class will focus first on exploring possibilities by working with design elements to construct strong compositions, and then on realizing these compositions through the process of painting in watercolor.  For watercolorists with at least a little experience. 

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Students will probably already own many of the supplies needed, so should bring them to the workshop. If you have questions about any aspect of the workshop, please contact Rachel at rbcollinsart@yahoo.com.  Students should plan to work on professional quality watercolor paper, preferably Arches or Saunders Waterford.

Jumpstart in Watercolor

A 2-Day Workshop

Saturday-Sunday, January 6-7, 2024

10:00 am - 4:00 pm each day

This “total immersion” in watercolor will give students a chance to explore some of the many possibilities of the medium.  It can serve as a basic introduction to watercolor, a refresher for someone who hasn’t painted for a while, and as a preparation and confidence-builder for students intending a longer-term study of the medium.  No previous experience in watercolor is assumed, although very basic drawing skills are helpful. 

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Students will need to acquire supplies for this workshop; a supply list can be found here. If you have questions about the workshop, please contact Rachel at rbcollinsart@yahoo.com. 

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2024 Winter Classes 

Watercolor for the Joy of It

Tuesday evenings, 7:00 - 9:30 pm

9 classes - first class is January 9, 2024

Brush in hand, paper and paint at the ready, you will begin an exploration of the techniques and tools of expression in this ever-surprising medium. This class starts with the basics of the interaction of water and pigment and uses this as the foundation for a variety of painting projects, which build from the simple to the more complex. We will cover techniques specific to watercolor, like wet-in-wet painting, using the white of the paper and taking advantage of the medium’s transparency, as well as some of the many aspects of making a successful painting, no matter what the medium. Total beginners are welcome to join, as are students who perhaps have had a class or two but don't yet feel well-grounded in the basics. In addition, people returning to the medium after a hiatus of months or years find that the careful structure of the class give them a solid review that gets them back up to speed.

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Class sessions will include demos and explanations, but painting by students is emphasized. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions. Painting outside class is encouraged, with recognition that sometimes this is not possible!   During the class term, students will have access to the variety of visual resources used in each class that they can review as needed.

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Students will need to acquire supplies for this class; a supply list can be found here. If you have questions about any aspect of the class, please contact Rachel at rbcollinsart@yahoo.com. This class will be taught in the spring term as well.  

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Watercolor Process and Progress

Wednesday mornings 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Wednesday evenings 7:00 - 9:30 pm

             9 classes - first class is January 9, 2024anuary 9

This class is for watercolor students with some experience in the medium who want to expand their "watercolor vocabulary" and create work with greater impact and emotional connection.  A variety of painting projects will enable students' sense of what is possible in this most luminous of media.  Through practice and experimentation, students hone their craft, develop a stronger sense of design and composition, and gain greater confidence in working with their paints, brushes and paper.  Classes will include exposure to work by a wide variety of contemporary watercolorists, instructor demonstration, and a lot of opportunity to paint and be inspired by the experience of everyone in the class! During the class term, students will have access to the variety of visual resources used in each class that they can review as needed. 

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Students will probably already own many of the supplies needed, so should bring them to the first class. A supply list is available here for anyone wanting to be sure to have at least a basic minimum. Students should plan to work on professional quality watercolor paper, preferably Arches or Saunders Waterford. If you have questions about any aspect of the class, please contact Rachel at rbcollinsart@yahoo.com. This class will be taught in the spring term as well.

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SpringWorkshop

Playing with Textural Illusion in Watercolor

A 2-Day Workshop

Saturday-Sunday March 16-17, 2024

10:00 am - 4:00 pm each day

Because watercolor does not have literal texture in its painting surface beyond the texture of the paper, watercolorists experiment with all sorts of ways to create the sense of a textured surface.  Giving this a try will introduce you to a whole different approach to putting paint to paper! For watercolorists with at least a little experience.

 

Students will probably already have many of the supplies needed, but they should contact Rachel Collins for a complete list -- rbcollinsart@yahoo.com .   for  for