Tag Archives: watercolor & ink

Announcements Classes/Workshops

First Classes of 2026!

December 31, 2025 – 9:21 pm

Happy New Year! My first workshop of 2026 is already full, so sign up soon to save your spot in one of these classes! Painting in Watercolor is a great way to learn the basics in a supportive atmosphere. We start on Tuesday February 3 from 1 – 3 pm and continue for 4 weeks at the Franklin Recreation Center. To register, visit:

http://apm.activecommunities.com/wcpr/Activity_Search/42690

Combat the gray days of winter by learning how to paint Watercolor Sunsets! Explore wet-in-wet color mixing and glazing as you follow step-by-step instructions. We meet from 1 – 5 pm on Sunday February 8 at the Little Art House in Sylvan Park. You can learn more here:

https://www.hisawyer.com/little-art-house/schedules/activity-set/1724373


Be inspired by the natural world as you explore the possibilities of combining watercolor and ink! Learn how to simplify and suggest the textures of nature with washes of color, then add details and depth with ink lines and dots. Painting Nature in Watercolor & Ink meets at the Franklin Recreation Center on Saturday February 21 from 10 – 2 pm, and you can register here:

http://apm.activecommunities.com/wcpr/Activity_Search/42691

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Mystery Technique

Mystery Technique #155

October 20, 2025 – 4:58 pm

Curious about the techniques used here? You can learn more next month if you’ve signed up for email updates! 

ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #154:

Using clear contact paper is my favorite masking technique — it makes it so much easier to paint something like this tree! First I drew the trunk and branches on the contact paper and cut out the shape; then I removed the backing and firmly pressed the sticky shape on watercolor paper. Next I painted a graded wash of blue for the sky. While this layer was still damp, I took a ratty brush loaded with yellow paint and used it to push away the blue and add irregular shapes for the first layer of leaves.

After this layer dried, I continued using the ratty brush to add medium green and then a few touches of darker green shapes, softening some of the edges with a damp brush or sponge.

Next I removed the contact paper and painted the trunk and branches and also added a little more dark green.

For the final step, I added more depth and definition with a 05 Micron black pen.

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Mystery Technique

Mystery Technique #145

December 20, 2024 – 7:21 pm

Curious about the techniques used here? You can learn more next month if you’ve signed up for email updates! 

ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #144:

After masking the main leaf, I painted the background with a wet-in-wet mixture of Daniel Smith’s Green Apatite Genuine, Blue Apatite Genuine, and Hematite Burnt Scarlet Genuine. While the paint was still wet, I dropped in kosher salt to add more texture. Next I let that layer dry completely before brushing off the salt, removing the masking, and painting the main leaf. The textures and patterns left behind by the salt became my inspiration for suggesting pebbles, sticks, and partially decayed leaves in the rest of the painting. I used a 0.5 mm Pentel Arts Hybrid Technica Pen to draw a combination of dots, scribbles, and lines for definition and detail. Next I added some light watercolor washes to create shadows and other finishing touches. Here’s a detail:

And here’s the whole painting:

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