Roberta Loflin Class Information

Waterscapes in Watercolor

In this class we will focus on composition and painting water in landscapes, creating the illusion of rushing water, crashing waves, and slowly moving streams. Students will work from their own photos.

  • Paints: (I use Da Vinci or Grumbacher Academy)
    • Hansa Yellow (cool lemon)
    • Aureolin or Gamboge (warm yellow)
    • Permanent Rose Quinacridone (cool red)
    • Cadmium Red or Perm. Red (warm)
    • Ultramarine Blue
    • Cobalt Blue
    • Burnt Sienna
    • Ivory Black
    • White (Chinese White or White Gouache) optional
    • Any other colors you may have
  • Brushes:
    • 1" flat
    • #4, #10 Rounds
    • Fan Brush
    • Any other size watercolor brushes you may have
  • Paper:
    • 140lb. Cold Press Watercolor paper (I prefer Arches)
    • Watercolor paper pads and lighter weight paper may be used for practice pieces.
  • Palette:
    • Covered watercolor palette such as John Pike or Frank Webb Palettes
  • Miscellaneous:
    • 2 plastic water containers (1 quart size)
    • Kitchen sponge (cello)
    • #2 pencil, pencil sharpener
    • 1 kneaded and 1 white eraser
    • Spray bottle for water
    • Paper towels or old terry towels
    • Ruler
    • Scissors
    • Drafting tape
    • Brush holder
    • 11"x14" pad of drawing paper or tracing paper
    • Plastic covering for table
    • Board to support watercolor paper
  • Sources for purchasing supplies:
    • Co-op Bookstore
    • Michaels
    • Hobby Lobby
    • Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff (1-800-227-2788)
    • Please try to obtain professional quality paints – not student grade such as W. N. Cotman. I like to use American Journey and DaVinci. Winsor Newton is the most commonly found brand in local stores but it may be necessary to use a catalog to obtain all needed supplies. I order from Cheap Joe's Art Stuff, as they have a big watercolor supply selection and knowledgeable people to help with selecting items.
  • Optional Reading:
    • Marian Appellof: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Watercolor
    • Bert Dodson: Keys to Drawing
    • Ferdinand Petrie: The Big Book of Painting Nature in Watercolor
    • Gerald F. Brommer: Understanding Transparent Watercolor
    • David R. Becker: Watercolor composition made easy
    • Cathy Johnson: Creating Textures in Watercolor
    • The 750's section in the library contains many watercolor and drawing instruction books.