Watercolour in Practice (Autumn)

WEEKLY: Thursdays, 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm

DATES

Watercolour in Practice: Klee and Kandinsky
6 weeks from 17th September 2026 

17, 24 Sept

1, 8, 15, 22 Oct

Watercolour in Practice: Dufy and Cezanne

6 weeks from 5th November 2026 

5, 12, 19, 26 Nov

3, 10 Dec

Course Outline

Watercolour in Practice is a series of themed six-week courses designed to develop solid watercolour skills while exploring the practice and ideas of influential artists. Each block focuses on two artists, giving you the opportunity to strengthen your technical skills while developing your own creative approach.

Open to all adults – beginners and those with some experience.

Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky (Sept – Oct)

This course will help you develop solid watercolour skills whilst looking at the practice and themes of contemporary as well as traditional artists. You’ll explore the work of Paul Klee and, to a lesser extent, Wassily Kandinsky, becoming familiar with their ideas and approaches while considering how their methods can inform your own work.

You’ll focus particularly on Klee’s method of layering thin glazes of colour, creating an excellent foundation for understanding colour mixing.

Core Skills

• Learn the fundamentals of handling watercolour paint and glazing effectively.
• Develop a practical understanding of colour theory and mix the colours you need from a limited primary palette.
• Create interesting designs of overlaid shapes and tonal variety through glazing.
• Experiment with oil transfer and soap techniques used by Klee and Kandinsky.
• Plan your own painting, incorporating glazing to achieve the colours and effects you want.

Materials List

Required:

• Pencils
• Putty rubber
• Ruler
• Masking tape
• Some sheets of A4 or A3 cartridge paper or card
• Scissors
• Approx. 4 sheets of tracing paper
• An A4 or A3 pad of good-quality cold-pressed watercolour paper (avoid cellulose papers; Bockingford is recommended, although other good papers are available)
• A minimum of 6 artist-quality watercolour paints:
  • Warm and cool red
  • Warm and cool yellow
  • Warm and cool blue
  • (Suggested: Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Winsor Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, and either Viridian Green or Winsor Green (Blue Shade). The basic colours you need are available in a Winsor & Newton Cotman Pocket Set.)
• A minimum of 3 watercolour brushes:
  • Large flat or round wash brush
  • Round brush (size 5–8)
  • Fine brush (size 2 or 3)
• Large palette

Optional

• Art masking fluid

Please bring all required materials to the first class.

You’ll receive a syllabus during the first session outlining which materials you’ll need each week.

Watercolour in Practice: Dufy and Cezanne (Nov – Dec)

The aim of this course is to develop solid watercolour skills whilst looking at the practice and themes of contemporary as well as traditional artists. You’ll explore the work of Raoul Dufy and Paul Cezanne, becoming familiar with their ideas and approaches while considering how their methods might inspire your own work.

You’ll experiment with the freedom of Dufy’s work and the careful, airy qualities of Cezanne’s painting, underpinned by traditional watercolour skills.

Core Skills

• Draw using brushes.
• Combine brush line and mark-making with soft-edged areas of wash.
• Mix the colours you need from a limited primary palette.
• Learn to control wet-in-wet techniques to paint a convincing sphere.
• Develop structured observational drawing skills.
• Understand the logic of light and shade.
• Create paintings inspired by Cezanne using layered, small glazed brushstrokes.

Materials List

Please bring:

• Pencils
• Putty rubber
• Ruler
• Masking tape
• Some sheets of A4 or A3 cartridge paper
• Approx. 4 sheets of tracing paper
• An A4 or A3 pad of good-quality cold-pressed watercolour paper (avoid cellulose papers; Bockingford is recommended, although other good papers are available)
• A minimum of 6 artist-quality watercolour paints:
  • Warm and cool red
  • Warm and cool yellow
  • Warm and cool blue
  • (Suggested: Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Winsor Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, and either Viridian Green or Winsor Green (Blue Shade). The basic colours you need are available in a Winsor & Newton Cotman Pocket Set.)
• A minimum of 3 watercolour brushes:
  • Large flat or round wash brush
  • Round brush (size 5–8)
  • Fine brush (size 2 or 3)
• Large palette

Optional

• Art masking fluid

Please bring all required materials to the first class.

If you have a wider selection of brushes than those on the list, please bring them too.

You’ll receive a syllabus during the first session outlining which materials you’ll need each week.

What to Wear

Please wear anything you don’t mind getting watercolour paint on, although it generally washes out easily. Most attendees wear their usual clothes but choose to bring an apron too.

Tutor Bio:

Emily Burton holds a BA in Graphic Design, specialising in illustration, and an MA in Drawing. With nearly twenty years’ experience teaching a wide range of art courses, she brings both expertise and enthusiasm to her classes.

Emily enjoys working with adults of all levels, valuing the humour, life experience and curiosity they bring. Her teaching is clear and structured, yet responsive to the needs and individuality of each student. She aims to create a supportive environment that nurtures confidence while also challenging those with more experience.

In both her teaching and personal practice, Emily encourages rigorous observation and creative experimentation.

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