Watercolor Sketching 1-day Workshop In Palm Desert

Join me for a day of fun and creativity!  
Sketching is seeing and it helps you to experience the world in a new way!  I'll show you how to observe what is in front of us and then how to design and draw an appealing sketch!  No photos necessary!
Workshops meet in a variety of locations, there are so many fabulous choices!
I'll begin with a demonstration and an introduction to the sketching process.  After that you will be sketching with my help.  

As the founder of Urban Sketchers Palm Springs, watercolor sketching is a passion for me!  I love to share this wonderful art form!

This workshop is perfect for beginners as well as seasoned artists who may want to loosen up or improve their sketching skills.

What to bring:

1 travel-sized watercolor set 

1 brush

1 pencil

1 eraser

1 unbreakable water cup

A few paper towels 

1 permanent ink pen

1 sketchbook, size should be between 6" x 8" up to 9" x 12" and the paper weight should be 90lb up to 140lb

A small bottle of water for sketching

**Less is more for sketchers!  Everything you bring should fit into a small bag or tote bag.

I have been sketching for years and have painted and traveled with a lot of different watercolor kits, pens and  sketchbooks!  The list below is what I will be demonstrating with and something you might want to consider for yourself.  I experimented with a many different combinations of 12 colors before settling on the specific colors listed below.  I recommend getting artist quality watercolors to sketch with, especially if you will be using a small kit.  Quality paints help you paint faster and you will use less paint if you have strong colors!  I love my refillable ink pen, it makes a beautiful line and I like the freedom of being able to simply add ink whenever it's running low instead of buying a new pen.  For people who want to sketch a lot, it's also a more economical choice.

If you want my specific recommendations, below are the exact materials and watercolors I will be using to demonstrate.

I'll be demonstrating with the kit shown in the photo which includes a tiny, empty watercolor kit available on Amazon for around $15.00 that comes with a magnetic clip and a tiny water cup.  Here is the link: Amazon.com: Portable Mini Tin Box,12-Well Empty Watercolor Palette,Small Paint Storage Travel Artist Outdoor Sketch Watercolor Kits with Magnetic Clip and Oil Pot.Flowers and Birds . I fill the tin with tubes using these Rembrandt brand colors:

·       12 watercolors: Cadmium lemon, Azo yellow deep, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, permanent red deep, quinacridone purple bluish, quinacridone rose, ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, manganese blue phthalo, phthalo green, hookers green deep.  I recommend arranging them in the same way as I have (see photo). 

·       A lead holder with a 2B lead and a white plastic eraser.

·       A TWSBI Diamond 580 refillable fine point pen filled with De Atramentis document ink.  

·       A #6 Silverbrush Black Velvet Voyage travel brush 

·       A white Posca acrylic pen

·       A 6" x 8" or 8" x 10" sketchbook.  Paper weight should be between 90lb - 140lb.  

Also remember to bring a hat, sunscreen, water and snacks!

***If you do not have supplies, don't worry, I can lend you everything you need for the day for a fee of $35. 

Contact me with any questions at kristenpaints@gmail.com

What student's say

Kristen, thank you for the great workshop! Everyone agreed we have never had anyone give such an informative presentation. 

I have taken a number of workshops, mentoring sessions and online classes and Kristen is hands-down my favorite instructor. She is not only an extremely talented artist, but an effective teacher. It is truly a gift to be able to provide valuable and meaningful advice and guidance in a positive and inspirational way. Kristen is so encouraging and can explain difficult concepts clearly and put them in the context of your individual skills as an artist. I highly recommend Kristen’s online classes and if you have the opportunity to work with her in person, don’t miss it!.....Marie

I loved how you used a slightly different mix of colours as you continued, and you carefully and clearly explained the colours you were blending. This made it a lot easier to follow and achieve a result far greater than I thought I could have done otherwise. 

The construction lines were a great tool and explaining how they worked during the compositional stage really helped pull the foreground into the focal point. I kept this in mind as I continued the finishing touches and I believe it made a huge difference to my finished painting. 

My big 'aha' moment was when you were describing shapes and discussing having too many of the same size. I then looked at the positive and negative shapes and saw my work from a completely different perspective. This was a game changer for me. 

Thank you so much Kristen, this has been a wonderful painting to do, I have learnt so much and look forward to painting many more......Sophia H