Watercolor Beginner with Jane Skafte

Whether you’re brand new to the medium or ready to loosen up and expand your skills, you’ll explore watercolor’s versatility through clear, step-by-step instruction. We’ll cover essential techniques—washes, glazing, wet-on-wet, and playful special effects—while getting to know the materials and what watercolor really loves to do. Each session blends guided practice and skill-building exercises with time to apply what you’ve learned, drawing on simple still-life observation studies and photographic reference.

What you Need to Bring With You:

Watercolor paper 140 lb  Arches or similar brand, 10” x 14” or 12” x 16” pad 

Synthetic watercolor brushes, round, #8 synthetic sable, such as Cotman, Simmons, or Princeton. 1" flat synthetic brush

Palette: A Mijello 18 is best; however, you can make do with a (non-porous) white surface for mixing colors, such as a ceramic plate or enamel butcher tray

Pencils and a kneaded eraser

Watercolor paint - You will need six colors: 1) Quinacridone Red, 2)  Primary red (or scarlet), 3) Lemon Yellow, 4) Gamboge Yellow, 5) Ultramarine Blue (red shade), 6) Cerulean Blue. I recommend Grumbacher’s Academy colors or Winsor Newton’s Cotman, or any of the higher-priced brands. You can add other colors later. 

Artist Tape 1" 

Optional: if you are going to stretch your paper, gummed paper tape, and gator board