Patreon Mini Course: Plein Air in Ink and Watercolour

Welcome to Plein Air in Ink and Watercolour - A Patreon Mini Course.

Course Links

Course Discord:  Discussion board for live feedback and student interaction. 

Course Outline

Nature journaling, urban sketching, plein air painting...many different artistic disciplines focus on sketching from real life on location, for good reason.  Sketching from life is an incredibly effective way of building up your drawing skills and visual library.  Sketching from direct observation, you will see your drawing and painting skills improve dramatically in a short period of time.  In addition, the practice of observing our environment builds our connection and intuitive understanding and appreciation for the world around us.

In this course, I will work with you to build your confidence and skills sketching outdoors with ink and watercolour through four weeks of video demonstrations, step-by-step instructions and practical advice practice assigments/exercises and live feedback.

Materials

This course does not depend on owning specific materials - most basic ink and watercolour materials are appropriate.  Please do not rush out and buy new materials for this course.

You will want some version of the following basic materials:

  • Portable tin of professional/artist grade watercolours in pans.  I am currently frequently using the set I put together in this video:

  • Watercolour Brushes:  A small range of basic brushes.  My most commonly used brushes are sizes 2, 4, 8 pointy round and 3/8"(~1 cm?) flat.  Natural hair such as kolinsky sable is lovely for water flow characteristics, but well made synthetics that keep their point work fine too - I use both.
  • Sketchbook(s): I do most of my on-location sketching in sketchbooks.  I like hardcover sketchbooks to create a stable surface to sketch in.  For watercolour, I look for watercolour or mixed media paper, at least 220 gsm.  100% cotton is ideal for layering techniques, but not necessary for this course.  Medium to large sketchbooks - A5 or larger allow for room to explore.
  • Waterproof Ink Pens: I primarily use fountain pens with bottled waterproof pigment ink. Platinum Preppy and TWSBI Eco fountain pens are my favourite for reliable, affordable pens. I use Platinum Carbon (black) and Sailor Souboku (Blue Black) ink most frequently.  Alternatively/in addition, fine-tipped waterproof rollerball pens such as the black Signo Uni line are an affordable/reliable option i tend to keep in to-go kits.  Fineliners and Sharpie liners are not my personal preference but fill the same function.

The following materials are not required, but are fun extras to experiment with:

Weekly Topics


Week 1: