Watercolour - Shirley Trevena Style | Jan Lawnikanis

About this workshop

After setting up our own still-life in the studio, we will analyse the methods of UK artist Shirley Trevena and emulate her painting approach. https://shirleytrevena.com/  This will give you a greater appreciation for her unique style and introduce some other ways of painting in watercolour. We will start with a small project to try out her brushwork style and then work from still-life scenes to create our own unique interpretations. Bring a camera, iPad, tablet or mobile phone to photograph the set-up.

Who is this workshop suitable for?

This workshop is designed for those who have learnt at least some basic watercolour techniques previously.

What do I need to bring?

Paints:
Bring a range of transparent & opaque professional quality watercolours in your preferred brand. Include a black.

Paper:
You will require 300gsm Cold Pressed watercolour paper in Medium or Rough. 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, Saunders Waterford or Baohong. Student quality paper just doesn’t work well, so please 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. 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 acrylic brushes with long handles.

Palette:
The large plastic palettes with lots of wells and a lid are my recommendation. 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. Jan will bring some for $3 per sheet)
some paper for sketching
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. 
Don’t forget a photography device!

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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