Close Focus Flowers, in Watercolour | Jan Lawnikanis

About the workshop

This one-day workshop is perfect for those who enjoy painting colourful flowers and love to zoom in on details. Jan will show you how to get the best and most interesting compositions for macro subjects. You will also learn vital information on choosing correct colours for shadows and how to deal with different types of edges like a pro!

Copyright-free images are provided along with copies to transfer, to save time for painting.

Who is this workshop suitable for?

Ideally this workshop is designed for those who have learnt some basic watercolour techniques previously, but all levels are welcome.

What do I need to bring?

Paints:
Bring a range of transparent professional quality watercolours in your preferred brand.  You will mainly need pinks (Permanent Rose or Quinacridone or any with code PV19 is particularly useful for colour mixing), a primary or mid yellow, some blues and a Neutral Tint.

Paper:
You will require 300gsm Cold Pressed watercolour paper in Medium or Rough. Experienced watercolourists may prefer Hot Pressed paper instead. My recommendation is to buy a watercolour block as the paper is already stretched. ¼ or ½ sheet size is fine. Quality brands are Arches or Saunders Waterford or Baohong. Student quality paper just doesn’t work well. Make sure the paper is 100% Cotton.

Brushes:
Bring whatever watercolour brushes you already own but include at least two ‘rounds’ with a sharp point (one small and one larger), plus a larger ‘mop’ brush for backgrounds. Some very fine detail brushes will also be useful. There are so many good brushes on the market I won’t specify any particular brand, but just make sure they are designated watercolour brushes and not ones with long handles (which are for acrylics).

Palette:
The large plastic palettes with lots of wells and a lid are my recommendation. Otherwise bring what you usually use. Make sure it has a large enough mixing area.

Board:
Larger than your paper and something to prop up under one end for working at an angle.

Other:
Drawing equipment - pencils, eraser, ruler etc, plus pen and paper for taking notes
1 sheet of graphite transfer paper (not carbon paper)
an old towel or hand towel
tissues
2 plastic containers for water
masking tape

A medicine dropper or plastic pipette for squirting small amounts of water would also be handy.

Jan will supply the reference material for this workshop, but you are welcome to bring any favourite copyright-free references of a flower in macro view. See the examples of the paintings. You will need a colour printout and an A4 or larger photocopy for transferring.

Please bring your lunch and snacks or you can purchase from cafes close by.

What is provided?

• Tea and coffee (please bring your own cup)
• A friendly, supportive and encouraging learning environment
• Connection to the Bienarté art community

About the Tutor

Jan Lawnikanis has been teaching art classes consistently for nearly 30 years and tutored over 200 workshops in a variety of media. Students have praised Jan for her teaching skills and preparation which has gained her an excellent reputation with all ages.

Jan has been the featured artist in Australian Artist Magazine, with 5 full-length articles on using coloured pencils. Other publications include the Paradise Magazine-GC Bulletin, Art Newsflash, the International Watercolour Institute catalogue, the Coloured Pencil Magazine, the Australian Coloured Pencil Network, Art Edit magazine and Artwise textbook for the Australian Curriculum.

Her award-winning artworks hang in many private and corporate collections. Jan’s watercolours have also been selected over the last few years to represent Australia for an international watercolour festival in Fabriano, Italy.

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