Last week, George and I took a pocket sketching class at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. George has gotten into watercolors and been doing some online courses, with more courses lined up this spring at the Desert Museum. I did a little bit of watercolors about 10 years ago and stopped. This class sounded doable even for me and interesting for both of us. For three days, you'd sketch and paint in a pretty setting. We were anticipating a fun class. The actual class exceeded our expectations.
Kath Macaulay has developed this class and technique (and trademarked
the term) and has it down to a science. She would explain and
demonstrate a technique then tell us to go do it in 20 or 25 minutes.
Then we all brought our work up to the front - it was a class of 7
people - and she'd critique it. What was especially wonderful for me, a
beginner, was that she always found something positive to say about
everyone's piece! George is watching as she does a demo outside on day 3- and her result in 20 minutes.
Supplies were minimal. We had a pad of 4 x 6 paper - all our paintings were small. We also had a Pilot Razor Point pen and a small watercolor set by Windsor & Newton. That and a film canister full of water and we were all set!
In day one we learned techniques to add depth and dimension and did mostly landscapes. Day two, we learned more about color and added still life and drawing people of all things! Day three, we went out into the gardens and also into the butterfly garden to paint. Below, the still life George did and everyone's results to the right. Kath put a mat around each as she pointed out the good things. What a difference a mat made. The color of the mat could enhance the painting and bring out different aspects. What a revelation!
There was a wide variety of experience in the class; several had done quite a bit of painting of some kind. A couple of others were like me- just trying it out for the first time, and a couple of intermediate painters like George. It was so interesting to see the results.
For me, simple was better. I did Kath from the back- that way I didn't need to do the face! My first face looked like a grey dog face! I couldn't get the detail and smeared it up by trying to redo it. George captured the essence of this tree with its bark spiraling up. We both learned that not all details are necessary.
Kath complimented George on his detailing of the architechture and especially the wall where the pot sat. I loved the purple splash of color in his. I sketched and painted this Helena Birdwing butterfly in the Butterfly Garden. From Indonesia, it cooperated by staying still the whole time I painted. Guess it was nap time!
We can carry a small fanny pack with all the supplies necessary to do a quick painting. In fact, Kath says don't spend more than 20 or 25 minutes on any one piece. I can't wait to do this when we are out exploring. It's a fun way to capture what you see. And, unlike a photo, a painting can capture a feeling. The quick ones are more likely than a detailed one you spent hours on to capture that emotion and reflect your mood.
We highly recommend Kath's classes. Check her workshop schedule at PocketSketching.com. She should have 2013 up soon and you may be in a location where you can take one in your RV travels.
It's perfect for recording things in our RV travels. The small size makes it easy to do and quick. You don't have to drag out a lot of supplies or take more than a couple of minutes to clean up. Take a photo of your result and post it on Facebook or send it to family. I also used what I learned to make a birthday card yesterday for a friend. She was thrilled. Plus I have some blank watercolor postcards I can do and send to people. Even a beginner can enjoy this! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
