Course Overview
Learning to paint in water-colour is the starting point for many aspiring artists after they have got to grips with drawing technique. All you need is a few tubes of paint, brushes and paper. However there is a real need to adopt a structured approach to what can be a difficult and frustrating medium if you get off on the wrong foot. When an artist has control of water-colour the results can be spectacular and it is one of the most rewarding and accessible mediums to work in
This course was updated in 2004 and is written in a clear easy style with many illustrations to help and guide students. The course aims to give a broad approach to painting with watercolours and gouache which we hope students will find is informative and inspirational. Side by side with more traditional approaches to painting with this exciting and glowing medium, you'll find suggestions and ideas that may be new to you, but that could help you realise your own inventive instincts and support you as you set out on this path. The course is constructed in such a way that you can become involved at your level of choice, whether you are a beginner or someone who has much more experience. Like all London Art College courses, the programme is flexible and intended to be fun.
Throughout the course you will find illustrations and diagrams which will help clarify the points being made, and there are examples of paintings by well known 20th Century artists such as Matisse, Klee, Rothko and others.
If you want to develop as a watercolour and gouache artist, this is the course for you.
Henri Matisse..."One note is simply a colour. Two notes make a chord and life".
Critiques
If you have scanning / photography facilities, students are able to upload their artwork to the Artwork Submission Area on our website. Each student is given a unique username and password on enrolment for their own private section in this area. Students can upload their artwork to this area for the tutor to collect and critique. The tutor will then upload feedback for the student to download or read.
Critiques via Regular Mail
If you do not have any facilities to upload your artwork, you can send your work in the normal way to the tutors centre and receive your artwork back with your critique.
Support
All our courses are written to be complete in themselves. However we realise that students may appreciate being able to get clarification about various things as they work through their programme as well wanting reassurance that they are putting techniques into practice effectively. The Administration Centre is available seven days a week and the Course Artist provides the technical support to deal with relevant queries.
Most courses have their own dedicated Tutor. The Tutor keeps the course up to date and relevant to today's students. They are available to the individual student for advice and encouragement. Each course has regular exercises and assignments that are constructed in such a way as to give the student the opportunity to practice the techniques learnt on the course and to test themselves as they go along. The student is encouraged to submit the assignment work to the college for the tutor to critique. The student's work will be returned together with the tutorss personal critique. On many courses the assignment work may be suitable for inclusion in a student's Portfolio of Work that could be very useful later. The college will use the assignments submitted as the basis for any award of a Diploma or Certificate.
