Forest Impressions

WHAT IS STUDIOWORKS CREATIVE ACADEMY?

Immerse yourself in the beauty of Vancouver Island’s lush coastal forests in this serene mixed-media class.

Using the sky, forest and riverways as our muses for colour and texture, we will capture the essence of the forest. This class features a unique watercolour printing technique utilizing ferns, pine needles, cedar branches, leaves or other botanicals.

Throughout the class, we'll focus on mastering fundamental watercolour techniques while exploring innovative methods such as using found brushes, experimenting with salt techniques, incorporating Neocolor II pastels, adding iridescent paints, and refining pieces with pen work. Learn how to combine these techniques to create beautiful forest paintings that radiate with vibrant colour, rich texture, and coastal ambience. 

Nicole will share her story of how the forest has been a realm for exploration and inspiration, as well as a source of healing. She’ll encourage you to connect with your landscape through your art making.

Warmup lesson

In the warmup Nicole will introduce you to the rich forest colour scheme and her favourite watercolour and mixed media supplies. You’ll practice fundamental watercolour techniques along with more experimental approaches, creating a techniques reference chart to use for the main project and future paintings. Practice the botanical printing technique before moving onto the main project.

WHO IS THIS CLASS FOR?

This class offers you an opportunity to engage with nature through immersive watercolour and mixed media methods. The special printing technique allows you to capture representational imagery and then combine it with your own abstract expressionism. By incorporating botanical elements from your own surroundings, you can infuse your artworks with a personalized touch, helping you develop your own distinctive style. If you want to feel grounded and peacefully playful, join us for this mindful creative class.

• Botanicals - a collection of fresh, flat, non-waxy elements ex. leaves, ferns, herbs, small evergreen  branches

• 2 water containers 

• Scotch Magic Tape, washi tape or painter’s tape

• Small water spray bottle

• Cotton rags like old sheets or towels

• Plastic wrap - repurposed plastic packaging 

• X-Acto knife

• Ruler 

• Small sheets of cardboard 

• Books to use as weights

• Mixing palette

• Drop cloth for laying out work

• Pencil

• Hairdryer

Brushes

• 3/4” flat brush - Opus Art Supplies

• #8 flat brush - Plain One Stroke Donna Dewberry

• Synthetic round watercolour brushes: #14, #6, #10, #1, #0, #00 - Opus Art Supplies

• A small flat acrylic brush for splattering paint

Pens

Uni-ball Signo pen in white

Uni-posca paint pen PC-3M in Khaki

Faber-Castell Pitt pen S 0.3 in May Green

Neocolor II Water-soluble Wax Pastels

• Jade

• Olive Green

• Olive Brown

• Light Olive

• Greenish Blue

• Light Blue

• Light Cobalt Blue Hue

• White

• Golden Ochre

• Turquoise Blue

• Moss green

• Night Blue

Drawing Materials

Derwent Watercolour Pencil Crayons 

• Olive Green

• Water Green

• Smalt Blue

• Sky Blue

• Cedar Green

• Brown Ochre

• Chinese White

Substrates

• Several sheets of cold press watercolor paper ex. Canson XL, Fabriano, Stonehenge Aqua

• Scrap paper

Painting Materials

• Daniel Smith Extra Fine

  • Alizarin Crimson

  • Amazonite Genuine

  • Burnt Sienna

  • Cascade Green

  • Cerulean Blue Chromium

  • Quinacridone Sienna

  • Spring Green

  • Sap Green

  • Ultramarine Blue

  • Verditer

• Opus Essentials

  • Cobalt Turquoise

  • Hansa Yellow Medium

  • Phthalo Blue

  • Yellow Ochre

• Winsor & Newton

  • Burnt Umber

• BEAM

  • Dreamer’s Gold

  • Fiddlehead

  • Wild Salmon

• M. Graham & Co.

  • White Gouache