Beginner Gouache Workshop
959 Ordze Rd, Sherwood Park, AB
Medium: Watercolour/Gouache
About this workshop:
Gouache, pronounced [goo-WASH], brushes on and moves with the feel and flexibility of oil, but can also be diluted to get the effects of watercolour. Its unique properties and application allow you to lighten, darken, layer, and change directions mid-painting. With its bright colours, ease of use, quick drying time, and relatively low cost, gouache is the perfect medium for anyone embarking on a painting journey. It's also great for more experienced painters who want to lay down ideas quickly and efficiently.
Gouache Workshop Supply List
1. HB or B pencil, white vinyl eraser or Prismacolor/watercolour pencil for drawing, etc.
2. Gouache Option 1: My most common gouache paint list: I usually use M. Graham or Holbein. Windsor & Netwton Designers Gouache is also good. Gouache paint sets are generally cheaper, but also inferior in colour and saturation. You will not get quite the same results, but you can still get creative and they work well enough in a pinch.
- French Ultramarine Blue
- Pthalo blue (GS)
- Cadmium Red
- Quinacridone Rose
- Cad Yellow or Lemon Yellow
- Yellow Ochre
- Sap or Olive green
- Burnt sienna
- Raw Umber
- Permanent White
Option 2: Alternatively, you can combine watercolour with any good quality permanent white gouache to achieve many of the same effects. This may be an economical solution if you already have watercolour supplies.
*Please do not purchase acrylic gouache.
3. Watercolour paper (140lb cold-press), cold-press illustration board, or any heavy mixed media paper or sketchbook (I use a Tanned Tone Strathmore art journal, 184lb)
4. Brush sizes: Please bring a 1/2-inch and 1-inch flat, plus a round #8, 10, 12 etc. gouache or acrylic brushes. You don’t need expensive brushes for gouache, not too hard (like oil brushes) and not too soft (like sable).
5. Stay-wet palette (optional). You can find them from various sources such as Amazon or check a local art store. Wet paper towel over a plastic or wax paper sheet works well in a pinch.
6. 2x Container for water (plastic yogurt containers are great).
7. Absorbent paper towel
8. Palette (preferably porcelain and not plastic) with adequate-sized cells for mixing colour. A Corel dinner plate works well.
For more info or to register contact us or call 780-467-3038
"Charity is very good at teaching about how to detail in watercolour, colour saturation, and colour layering."
Diana Billings
"Excellent workshop giving me both an understanding of technique as well as many many ideas and tips. Charity is an excellent instructor and the venue is very convenient and comfortable. Thanks!"
Lauri Theison
"Very relaxing and enjoyable."
Elly Major
Charity Dakin’s creativity has always been clear. “I’ve been drawing animals since I could hold a crayon,” she recalls. Born on Canada’s West Coast, the daughter of a dairy farmer and the oldest of five children she certainly was not born into the art establishment. Her early years revolved around chores, the farm animals, and drawing. And when she wasn’t drawing she was discovering all she could about wildlife. “I used to walk through the corn field on Saturdays after chores to my grandparent’s house. They had 2 things – a National Geographic magazine subscription and cable TV. I spent hours reading the wildlife articles and watching nature shows and then I’d go home and draw everything I saw. It was simply all-consuming.” Her fascination for wildlife combined with daily interaction with the livestock taught her two very important things – observation and hard work, qualities that would become evident in her painting. Her home in the northern boreal region of Canada gives her firsthand opportunities to observe the wildlife and landscapes that end up in her paintings.
Learn from professional artists who show and sell their art in fine art galleries. These two or three-day workshops are the perfect opportunity to embrace your own personal creative process. Plus, small class sizes mean students get individually tailored guidance.
