First things first, so here we talk about paper, brushes, and the other things on the materials list. First of all, the paper is 140 lb. Arches cold-pressed paper for a specific reason. It is a fairly inexpensive paper, and is used by nearly all watercolor artists because of its durability, ability to acept a great deal of water without buckling, and its texture lends itself to the creation of many beautiful effects. It can take a great deal of reworking and correcting. I chose it for you because less expensive papers will sabotage your efforts.

• Paper: 140 lb. Arches Cold Press Paper - at first buy two full sheets and have them cut into fourths. Buy a tablet for practice, but make sure its at least 140 lb. paper
  
• Brushes: Note - Watercolor brushes are short-handled with soft hairs.
  
  • 1/2 Inch flat (the best you can afford)
  • 1 inch flat
  • #6 or larger round
  • Rigger or script liner (small brush with very long hairs, 3/4 to 1” long.)
  
  
• Paper Support: Foamcore (16” x 20” pieces), a light piece of plywood, or heavy cardboard. This is to tape your paper to. ESSENTIAL!
  
• Paper Towels or Tissues
  
• Sponges (2) Cheap household sponges which are new.
  
• Spray bottle. An old fashioned pump type small Windex bottle is ideal. Otherwise one which the spray can be either fine drops of water, or a deluge. Small bottle.
  
• Plastic Tumblers for Water (2)
  
• Masking Tape: Try to find 1 and 1/2 inch wide or 2 inch wide tape of a good quality.
  
• Idea Photographs for Painting (not necessary for 1st or 2nd lesson). These can be your own photos, magazine photos, book photos, etc. Things you’d like to be able to paint.
  
• Something to mix colors in: A special large palette for watercolor or a large white plate, plastic will be fine.
  
• Salt. Just a little salt in a shaker is fine.
  
• Hair Dryer. A small, hand-held hair dryer.
  
• Other Painting Tools: Whatever tools you already have for watercolor painting, if you have any.
  
• H Drawing Pencils
  
• New Kneaded Eraser
  
• Paints - I will give you several options here. The inexpensive pan sets of Yarka paints is quite alright for this class, the more colors the better. More expensive is the Pelikan 12 pan set of TRANSPARENT watercolor paints, and it is what I prefer, but this isn’t engraved in stone. It has become much more expensive since I started teaching. At my local university (Auburn) bookstore, however, it is only around $14. Student grade tube paints are also good.

will allow beautiful diffusions to occur on the paper.

Hot Press is slick paper which is made with the use of heat and it is used for illustration purposes mostly. The paint stays right where you put it. It is not possible to achieve the diffusions which are so pretty with this type of paper. It is not suitable for this course.

The paper you bought is Arches 140 pound cold press. It is made in France by D’Arches, and is made without the use of heat.

Most papers under 140 lbs are simply not worth the money. Both sides can be used, but there is a right side and a wrong side. After a while you will be able to tell by touch, but for now, hold the paper up to the light and look for the watermark. Make sure it reads the right way. There is a watermark on two corners of a full sheet, so it’s best to mark the paper with a tiny mark on the edge for the other two corners at the time you have it cut into fourths.

Quarter sheets will be suitable for this course without being stretched, but full or half sheets need to be stretched. This process allows the paper to take great amounts of water without buckling. It may appear to be buckling, but will dry flat. Wetting paper makes it expand while drying it makes it contract. Once you have stretched the paper, you can put lots of water on it, but it will dry back into its stretched shape, which is flat. You should always allow your paintings to dry flat. Brushes: Different brushes create different effects. It’s better to get the best you can afford so that you don’t become frustrated because the hairs come out, or don’t return to their proper shape when dry.

A good round watercolor brush should come to a point when put into water and then shaken in one strong motion. A good flat will return to its neat edge shape when dry. Watercolor brushes have short handles, as opposed to oil brushes which have long handles. Watercolor brushes are almost always soft haired. The uses of these will be explained at a later time.

To care for your brushes, always wash them at the end of a painting session. Usually cool water will do it, but if there is some pigment you can’t remove that way, use a little dishwashing liquid in water.

Watercolor brushes should retain their shapes if they are not left standing in water and are allowed to dry on a paper towel, lying flat. This is also a way to keep water out of the ferrule (the metal part that attaches the hairs to the handle). Don’t store your wet brushes in an airtight container. To do so will invite mold and mildew.

A rigger is a small brush with long hairs, so named because it was originally used to paint rigging on ships. These brushes are similar to liners, or script liners.

The colors I recommend are in a set of pan paints by Pelikan. These colors have strength and purity. They are used by some professional artists exclusively. They dry and then become pliable with a a wetting, using a spray bottle.

For those of you who have tubes, pigment squeezed onto a palette will beocme hard when dry. Use your spray bottle to mist your paints often to keep them soft.

Masking tape is used to tape your paper to your surface, either a board, foamcore board, or cardboard for this course. Put tape evenly all the way around your paper. When you remove the painting from the board, there will be a neat margin on the painting. foam core board is probably the best choice because it is white, and it weighs practically nothing.

Paper towels or tissues are used to wipe off excess paint and water and for clean up.

The spray bottle is used to aid in technique, wetting the paint, the paper, and also to create special effects.

The cardboard, wooden board, or foam core board, is used to mount the paper to before a painting. For stretching paper you need wooden boards or gator board. They are available in very light weights at art stores.

The hair-dryer is essential. It enables us to move from one area of a painting to another without worrying about paint bleeding into an area that has already been painted. It is also useful when you wish to paint another wash over a first wash, a procedure which is called glazing. The paint is dry when you touch the paper with your hand (use the side of the fingers which does not make fingerprints because there is always oil in your fingertips) and do not get a cool feeling. Coolness means it is still wet, or damp.

The kneaded eraser will remove pencil marks without abrading the paper. Other erasers will damage the paper. Household sponges are used to help you to have the right amount of water in your brush.

• Introduction
  • Materials List and a discussion of the items
  
  
• Watercolor Vocabulary
  • A list of terms to assist in understanding this text.
  
  
• Chapter 1. The Way We Do It!
  • The Four Ways to Apply Watercolor Paint
  • Fun Painting Your First Masterpiece
  
  
• Chapter 2. Values and Design
  • Importance of values
  • Do this and not that! (Composition)
  • A special lesson on cropping to improve design
  
  
• Chapter 3. About Color!
  • Making the color wheel
  • Color schemes
  • Mixing color
  • How to recognize cool and warm colors and when to use them
  
  
• Chapter 4. Color and Value
  • The difference between high and low key paintings
  • A little self-test with answers
  
  
• Chapter 5. Techniques
  • Discussion of the different kinds of washes, such as flat wash, graded wash and glazing. With color pictures and detailed instructions.
  • When its appropriate to use the techniques discussed.
  
  
• Chapter 6. Ways to Protect or Bring Back Lights on White Paper
  • Using liquid masking
  • Lifting color
  • Scrubbing out
  
  
• Conclusion