Masterclass: Fur, Feathers and Scales - Animals in Watercolour

Details

Day: Sunday

Dates:
March 30

Time: 1:15 - 4:45pm

Fee: $195+ HST

Location: CSI Annex
720 Bathurst St
Toronto, ON
M5S 2R4

Led by:

Diedre Wicks

Enroll Now

Join artist Diedre Wicks for an immersive masterclass in "Fur, Feathers and Scales - Animals in Watercolour," where you’ll delve into the world of animal portraiture through watercolour. With a professional background rooted in capturing the beauty and essence of the animals in a unique and cheerful way, Diedre will share her unique approach and expertise in capturing animals from birds, dogs, cats and more, providing valuable insights into her artistic process.

In this engaging workshop, participants will be introduced to Diedre's techniques for creating lifelike animal portraits, exploring essential tools, materials, and methods. You’ll learn how to observe and interpret the intricate details of fur, feathers, and scales, as well as master colour mixing and layering techniques to bring your subject to life. Diedre will guide you through each step of the process, offering personalized feedback as you create your own animal portrait, whether it is your beloved fur family member or

Understand Watercolour Techniques: Gain proficiency in essential watercolour techniques specifically tailored for depicting fur, feathers, and scales, enhancing your ability to create realistic textures.
Colour Mixing: Develop advanced skills in colour mixing to achieve a diverse palette that accurately represents the hues and shades of various animals.
Observe and Interpret Details: Learn how to observe and interpret the intricate details of animal features, enabling you to capture their essence in your portraits.
Apply Layering Techniques: Discover effective layering methods to build depth and dimension in your animal portraits, resulting in more dynamic and lifelike artwork.
Utilize Tools and Materials: Familiarize yourself with the tools and materials best suited for animal portraiture, including brushes, paper, etc..
Receive Personalized Feedback: Benefit from individual guidance and constructive feedback from Diedre Wicks as you create your own animal portrait, fostering your artistic growth and confidence.

Pencils for sketching
Eraser
Masking tape
Masking fluid
Paper towels
Plastic water container
Plastic or ceramic palette for mixing colours
Watercolour Paint – can be blocks or tubes depending on personal preference. You’ll need a good basic set of colours as we’ll be going over mixing techniques

My basic set includes: (please bring whatever colours you prefer or have on hand)

Cadmium Yellow Light
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Sienna
Burnt Umber
Cerulean Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Hooker’s Green
Cadmium Red
Alizarin Crimson
Opera Rose
Payne’s Grey
Paper – Good quality 140 lb (300 g) cold press watercolour paper as a sheet, pad or block in a size you like to work with. You can also bring hot press paper if you prefer a smooth surface
Brushes – bring a selection of brushes designed for wet mediums. I use round brushes in sizes 2, 6, 10 and 14. I also always have a fan brush and a few flat and angled brushes on hand.
OPTIONAL: baby wipes, tracing paper, sketching paper

EXTRA SUPPLIES (OPTIONAL): If you’d like to explore adding some mixed media to your watercolour illustrations you could also bring any of the following

Coloured pencils – can just be a few basic colours
Sanded papers such as Pastelmat
Pastels such as Pan Pastels, pastel pencils, neocolor pastels, watercolour pencils
Iridescent watercolour paint (great for scales and reptile skin)

NOTE: Hot press (smooth) watercolour paper works well when adding mixed media elements.

For this in-person course, you are expected to bring all necessary materials detailed in the materials section specific to the course.

Please feel free to bring a notebook and pen to take notes during the class.

Avenue Road Arts School works in compliance with COVID-19 health and safety requirements. Although masks are not mandated at this time, we strongly encourage students to wear a mask in situations where social distancing becomes not possible.