Updated July 1, 2019 That's right when you sign-up for my mentoring workshop you can continue your watercolor studies in the comfort of your own studio. You will receive a code the first day of class to log in to Towering Winds Academy of Fine Art online school. This way you can continue your learning with me. This course is yours FREE as long as the school is around. And if you have questions or want to share your work with me I'm always there for you. Wet-into-Wet Watercolor: $50.00 Value4-Day Mentoring Watercolor Workshop in Door County, WI
JuLY 10-13• 9 AM-4 PM daily Painting Nature's Wonders CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Peninsula School of Art 3900 Co Rd F Fish Creek, WI 54212, USA 920.868.3455 Step by step. Walk away with more.Concept The Northwoods of Wisconsin is a painter’s paradise. Explore the beauty of nature as you conquer the medium of transparent watercolor and gain a deeper understanding of its unique properties, techniques, and tools. Experience Step-by-step instruction will lead you through the creation of a series of paintings. How to block in a painting, interpret color, value, and temperatures, use different watercolor-specific processes, and create sound compositions will be emphasized. Dale will provide individualized feedback throughout each exercise and painting. Photo references of various types of landscapes will be supplied by the instructor. Please ask the PSA for the workshop supply list. Landscape photo references will be supplied by the instructor.
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My dear wife, Marilee surprised me with a set of cat's tongue brushes for my birthday back in April. These brushes are made by MEEDEN and the set included a number 12, 8 and 4. I have to say I haven’t enjoyed using new brushes like this for a long time! I have been very content with my brushes for a long, long time. They are like old familiar friends. In fact, some are over 40 years old. I know how they will respond to my painting style and needs. This is something that you learn through time. What’s nice about all of these cat's tongue brushes is you can manipulate them in brushstrokes from large to small in a single brushstroke. The #12 brush is used for large washes. The #8 brush should be used for medium size areas. The #4 is excellent for finishing details. Photos courtesy MEEDEN Here's the info: • Squirrel Hair Oval Paint Brushes really holds a lot of water and pigment • I have been using consistently for nearly three months and no hair has come out--not one! • Cat's tongue shape is perfect for watercolors • Its unique point provides a good range of brush strokes and techniques to produce your work of art • 3 Pieces set – Sizes: #4, #8, #12 I let all of my students experience these brushes during classes and workshops. It's like taking a car out for a test drive. Surprisingly they are now recommending them to their artist friends. I quite often t get asked about my brushes by my students. Some actually call my old brushes 'Popovich's magic paintbrushes!' In my opinion, these are as close to magic as you can get. If you would like to purchase the MEEDEN Cat's Tongue Brush set CLICK HERE. These are the perfect brush for any watercolorist. AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
My 2-day mentoring watercolor workshop in Nashville, Indiana was a success with just the three students in attendance. If anyone knows me I like to keep my classes small so I can dedicate as much time to each student. I never want to see a lost look on their faces. This was what I call a mentoring workshop. I had lots of questions during the 2 days which is always wonderful because I like inquiring students THE DRIVE My wife, Marilee and I enjoy the drive down to Nashville. When posable we take the less traveled route down Rt 41 through Attica and Rockville. It was sad to see so many fields hadn't been planting yet because of the incredible amount of rain this spring across the Midwest. What we did see was vast fields planted with golden hay and straw. The color palette was breathtaking. The golds, greens, and fluffy white clouds in a soft blue sky. If there was an ability to plein air painting while driving. WELCOME TO THE "LITTLE SMOKY MOUNTAINS" Brown County, IN is a mecca for artists. Known as the Little Smoky Mountains Indiana's beautiful artistic hill country, The drive into Nashville never ceases to amaze me. According to WGN 9 TV in Chicago, Brown County has more artists per capita than anywhere else in the Midwest. Once you visit this area its easy to understand why artists are drawn to its beauty. The rolling hills, lush forests, and winding roads along with picturesque cottages make for a perfect canvas. HISTORIC BROWN COUNTY ART GALLERY Here's a little history about the historic Brown County Art Gallery. The gallery has a rich history. The gallery was established in 1926 by the early members of an important regional art colony who began exploring rural southern Indiana in the 1890s. These early artists had been trained in the best art schools of Europe and America and were attracted to the rolling hills of Brown County because it offered both dramatic landscapes and interesting people to serve as subjects for their work. In 1926, they formed the Brown County Art Gallery Artists Association, which I am a member of and set up a gallery in a former grocery store donated by a patron. For over eight decades, the Gallery has managed to survive wars, depressions, recessions, fire, and relocation, making it one of the oldest galleries in the United States. The Brown County Art Gallery Foundation has 400 paintings and artifacts in its Permanent Collection. When the Gallery was founded by the early artists in 1926, many of the artists donated paintings and other items to the Gallery to create an ongoing exhibit. And 90 years later, the Brown County Art Gallery is still exhibiting the work of the early Indiana artists. The gallery's Permanent Collection has continued to expand with generous gifts from donors. A rotating exhibit of the early paintings, along with a number of fascinating historical displays are on display in the Permanent Collection Gallery on a daily basis. DAY-1 I stated demonstrating right away working from my iPad. I begin with no pencil drawing on the paper but started painting the patterns of nature in an abstract manner. I talked about temperature value, color, and intensities of their paintings. I gave them an oversight on atmospheric perspective so they could create a good depth of field. We finish this painting in three steps as a paint-along. Through my years as a professional teaching of watercolor painter, I have found this technique works well with the student. They go through the process which helps the student retain what was created. DAY-2 For the next two days, I instructed them on a multitude of things including composition, focal points and how to keep the eye moving. We covered fall, winter, and summer scenes and how to handle the temperature changes through the seasons. This gives the watercolor painting a more pleasant, authentic look. QOR WATERCOLORS This year I was introduced to QoR watercolors by Golden Paints. I didn't include QoR on my supply list when my students signed up for this workshop. But what I did do was allowed my students to try out my personal QoR paints. This way they can see how quality paints handle without making the investment. To buy QoR paints CLICK HERE. Here's a few reasons why I like them:
CAT-TONGUE PAINT BRUSHES I also let my students try out my brushes especially if they have only painted with synthetics. This was the case for this mentoring workshop. I received some new real hair paintbrushes for my birthday back in April from Marilee. I always tell my students to buy the best brushes you can afford. Real hair will perform best but if you can't afford real then a mix of synthetic and real hair is acceptable. Marilee found these new brushes at AMAZON-CLICK HERE. They are made by MEEDEN. Here's the info: • Squirrel Hair Oval Paint Brushes really holds a lot of paint • Cats Tongue Shape Set for Watercolors • Its unique point provides a good range of brush strokes and techniques to produce your work of art • 3 Pieces set – Sizes: #4, #8, #12 IN CONCLUTION
People ask me why I like smaller classes and workshops. Well, having a small class or what I like to call mentoring workshops gives me an opportunity to focus on each individual student. Working with the student for one, two or four days allows me to gives me the exact insight on each student's individual needs in a concentrated manner. I enjoy teaching to truly see, overcome fears and find joy in painting. We all had a good time learned a lot and experimented a lot. AFFILIATE DISCLOSURESAmazon: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. In May I was invited to hold a full-day workshop for the Lakeland Art League in Minocqua, Wisconsin. Spring had come late this year up north just like in the Chicagoland area. Normally the lilacs are just starting to come into bloom and the trees are budding out in the most beautiful tender green. This year the lilacs were a week behind and the hardwoods on our property at our log cabin were still bare. I could tell the members were excited to get out, shake off their cabin fever, and learn something new. My thoughts while preparing for this workshop was to have the students get right into the painting. That meant not drawing on the watercolor paper, but instead, do the drawing with the paint brush. I also was introduced to QoR Watercolors earlier this year at the Watercolor Society of Indiana. I wanted to share with my student this beautiful, full pigment paint which is a relatively new brand. I didn't have QoR included on my supply list when I was booked for this workshop but I do know. I have a full review in an earlier blog post. CLICK HERE TO READ. I first spent a little time lecturing on patterns of values and colors – looking for the abstract shapes first before picking up the brush. From there I asked them to gather around while I started a step-by-step painting demonstration in values and colors. Step #1 began with large bold washes working wet-into-wet allowing the watercolor simply to flow across the paper. This is the unique beauty of watercolor letting the colors mix on the paper. This is something that cannot be achieved in oils or pastels. I then let my students go back to there easels and recreate what I had first done. Step #2 I approached the painting by cutting out shapes of the foliage and smaller areas so that it would start defining the subject matter. Step #3, the final phase, I put in the tree trunks where they actually belonged according to the patterns that were previously painted. The students follow along really quite well. I thought they adapted to this process nicely. The afternoon demonstration was of Pioneer Creek. This lovely little piece of Heaven is nearby our log cabin. It's one of my favorite places to just study the colors and textures – enjoy the beauty of the Great Northwoods. For this painting, I had them do a drawing as a guide. Usually, the painting can be broken down in three steps, but for this demonstration, I broke it down into five steps because it’s easier for the students to follow along. What never ceases to amaze me is how each student working with the same photo reference ends up with a little different painting. I always judge their painting in its own frame of reference never by the reference alone. Everyone had a good time learned a lot and came out with two paintings. I raffled off one of the demos and the other was donated to Lakeland Art League for a charitable cause.
Thank you LAL. hopefully, I will see you this fall. AFFILIATE DISCLOSUREAmazon: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Painting abstract patterns in nature without a pencil drawing We are happy to announce we will be releasing a new online watercolor course on Summer, 2019. Sign-up date to be released soon. This course was created for you, the first-time watercolor artist, maybe you haven’t picked up a brush in a few years or you are looking for a few tips. Join me as I walk you through what it takes to create a powerful watercolor all in the comfort of your own studio. Watercolor is a versatile painting medium for a wide range of expressions from representational paintings to loose and fluid abstracts. In this course, I will walk you through a technique called wet-into-wet. The purpose of a painting such as this is to work to keep all edges soft. I will share with you my personal approach to painting abstract patterns in nature without a pencil drawing. This could be scary but it's also very freeing and remember nature is very forgiving I will show you how to: • Play with just the large light and dark shapes to create the landscape • Build-up the layers of watercolor getting the darks darker • Lifting some lights to create with some freedom a finished painting • How to work with some new art materials: - This painting was done on indigo paper - QOR paints - And my newest purchase of three cat tongue brushes This course is done as a Paint-Along. You will learn: - Start thinking about your painting before you put down a single brush stroke - Dale Popovich’s personal Artist’s Notes - The importance of a Value Study and how to do it the right way - Best supplies to get the job done - Step-by-step instruction - Find out how to lay rich, intense color down fearlessly - Techniques of blending color and glazing - Learn how to get the best results - PLUS fun, special effects with the medium Course includes: - Popovich’s personal supply list in PDF format - Printable Photo Reference - Printable Value Study - 3 Paint-Along demonstration video lessons (over an hour) - The video includes a picture-in-picture of paint mixing tray - Printable steps #1 and #2 of paintings - Final printable finished (step #3) painting Video Lessons: - Before You Pick-Up Your Brush: part 1 - (10:00 minutes):
- STEP #1: The Block-In (13:06) - STEP # 2: Establishing Secondary Masses (14:45) - STEP # 3: Final Details (12:09) - STEP # 3: part 2: Final Details (13:47) AND - Comments area to post your watercolor questions
My wife, Marilee and I are trying something new. Some of you know the Popovich household is 100% artsy-fartsy. I am a fine artist while Marilee is a graphic designer and marketing geek. She has been working behind the scenes creating videos and developing my marketing brand and strategy.
We are combining our talents to bring a more in-depth and more vibrant body of information. Like before I will bring everything watercolor - all of my 40+ years of observing, painting, and art teaching experience. While Marilee will be asking me questions on our videos and presenting additional information from an artist’s marketers point of reference when it applies. She has to help me promote my watercolor paintings and watercolor classes/workshops so I can spend more time painting. In fact, in the last year, art leagues have had her share her knowledge about getting an online presence. WATERCOLOR SOCIETY OF INDIANA Sunday, March 17th Marilee and I drove 2.5 hours to Indianapolis for the Watercolor Society of Indiana meeting. It’s quite a large group of passionate artists from all over the state and beyond with a round 200+ members.
GUEST PRESENTER FROM GOLDEN ARTIST COLORS
Their guest speaker was Valerie Allen http://valerieallenart.com from Golden Paints. Valerie is a working artist who lives in Michigan and gets to play with and present all of the Golden products. She walked the group through their products but of course I wanted to hear more about their relatively new to the playing field watercolors called QoR (pronounced core.) Prior to Valerie’s talk the group had a raffle with plenty of swag. Lucky Marilee! Or should I say lucky Dale? She won a a six-tube set of Qor Modern Watercolor paints. As you know I’ve been professionally painting for 40 years trying every watercolor brands out their. If you have taken classes from me you know my opinion about each brand. I’ve been very pleased with my recommended paint brands — they are like old, comfortable friends. And it would take a lot to to get me to stand up and say WOW!
BACK IN MY STUDIO – VIDEO REVIEW
I was quite excited to try out our six new tubes of paints. I was quite excited to try out our six new tubes of colors. I wanted to see how they perform, so I recreated a demo I did for one of my weekly classes. PLEASE NOTE: The demo used Talon watercolors, was a full palette and a finished painting (1-1/2 hours) where the QoR is a study that took 20 minutes. But I still feel I could give an accurate review.
BRUSHES
I prefer real hair watercolor brushes if you can afford them.
THE SCENE
October 5, 2018: the Presqile River near Marenisco, MI on old route 2. Marilee and I spent our 33rd wedding anniversary doing what we love most – hiking the Northwoods during autumn. Here's a place we spent a lot of time capturing it from every angle. The golds of the leaves and the black water was a bewitching place that left us speechless.
THE QoR VIDEO DEMONSTRATION
As I stated earlier, I planned on doing an interruption using the Golden paints’ QoR watercolors. I compared their watercolors to Talens watercolors which are paints I’ve used for over 40+ years. The video is around 20 minutes start to finish. I started this painting like all watercolors paintings using three basic steps. Step #1: The Block-In
This is a question I get all the time:
Q. Why don't I use my dried paints? A. I covered this subject in the video. I also share how I extend the life of my paints for a day or two.
STEP # 2: Establishing Secondary Masses
Now I wanted to see how the QoR watercolors handled a dry brush technique. I saw no difference in the paint from others when dry brushing. Also ever so slightly spraying the paint. I'm checking the flow. So far I was able to keep the vibrant color. You have probably noticed I keep the painting reasonably abstract. It will all pul together at the end. I used a lot of water and QoR watercolors maintained its vibrancy. These paints are reacting very well. I was impressed so far – remember I have never used QoR paints before.
STEP # 3: Final Details
I see positive results from QoR.
AT THE END OF THE VIDEO
I shared this same painting I created in one of my weekly classes as a demonstration. Now I have to admit there were some differences. The larger piece was painted with Talens watercolors, the painting was a full palette of colors and took me 1-1/2 hours. This was an actual demonstration while the QoR painting was just a 20-minute study. But I felt I got a good read on the QoR paints in 20 minutes.
Side-by-Side Test
I compared Burnt Sienna by QoR and Talens. The colors were slightly different but I expected that. Both brands were in the acceptable Burnt Sienna family. The Talens was more granular. and because of that I preferred the QoR On the flip side I sampled Ultramarine Blue by QoR and Talens. The colors were also slightly different – QoR is a touch warmer and Talens was a little cooler – a slight variation, both paints are good. No gramulaton. Well, the QoR watercolors are looking very good.
BRANDS - Left: QoR Right: Talens Royal. COLORS: burnt sienna and ultramarine blue
IN CONCLUSION
I tried Golden Artist Colors line of watercolors called QoR. I found that the intensity, luminosity, and flow of the watercolor on Indigo watercolor paper was quite impressive.
UPDATE: Got my shipment from Dick Blicks today!
I'll let you know in a future vlog what I think as I start painting with QoR watercolors in a full palette.
AFFILIATE DISCLOSUREAmazon: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
In conjunction with our Faculty Show, several Palette & Chisel instructors will conduct demonstrations. I am honored to participate for the third year in a row. I will be broadcasting on Facebook Live. Here's the line-up.
Saturday, February 16 schedule will feature: • Audry Cramblit 9:30 am - 12 pm, Sculpture • Helen Oh (10:00 am - 12 pm, Palette Knife Still Life • Dale Popovich 10:30 am - 12 pm, Watercolor • Larry Paulsen (1 - 4 pm, Portrait Drawing Saturday, February 23 schedule will feature: • Lenin Delsol 9 - 11:30 am, Oil Painting Portrait • Stuart Fullerton, 12 - 1 pm, Palette & Chisel History Lecture • Steve Puttrich 1 - 3:30 pm, Watercolor • Michael Van Zeyl :30 - 4 pm, Still Life Oil Painting Please RSVP to fineart1012@sbcglobal.net or call 312-642-4400. Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts 1012 N Dearborn St, Chicago, Illinois 60610 MAP Phone: 312-642-4400 Fax: 312 642 4317 Email: fineart1012@sbcglobal.net Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 10:30am - 6:30pm I want to thank the Lakeland Art League in Minocqua, WI for the fantastic opportunity this past Wednesday, January 2. This is a large group of passionate artists in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. The watercolor workshop went very well, and the students were great! I was impressed with the enthusiasm and the final paintings. Oh, and the heartiness of these artists fighting the frigid temps and snow. This eager group of artists wanted to focus on snow and pines. I demonstrated a snow scene in the morning working through the three phases of a transparent watercolor painting. Working light to dark, background to foreground and warm to cool. After we broke for lunch, we started the second painting – a paint-along. I feel this is a great way to have the students learn watercolor in small doses. In my experience, the student retains the information they have learned. We talked colors and which brushes to start with. This is a block-in stage, so a big brush is a key to your success. I painted the first phase, and then the students went back to their easels and recreate the first phase. I always walk around and give personal direction with every student. I took the students through phase-two which takes twice as long as the first. I walked then through the difference of winter verses a spring or summer. The sky is different, bark on the trees and overall light. Phase three you really slow down, and now they can go in and use smaller brushes. This is the final stage where you focus on the details. I always feel an accomplishment when I take the tape of the painting. This clean edge gives you a sneak peek of what a mat will look like on your painting I raffled off my demonstrations at the end of the day. Here are the two winners. I would like very much to be included in your schedule this spring/summer. Thank you.
Watercolor Study
Size: 6-1/2" x 10" $30.00 plus shipping and handling. If you are interested in purchasing this study, please email me dale@dalepopovich.com I did this very quick sketch in my studio class without drawing the subject matter first. It was an exercise for my students to paint more direct without pencil lines to follow. I did explain this was just an exercise to free them from the structure of a drawing to follow. Always keeping the focus on large value shapes. I find for beginning students that doing smaller paintings helps to gain control of the watercolor faster. Bigger is never better when one is starting out. You must learn the process. Limited three-color palette
Paper: Arches 300 pound cold press #dalepopovich #watercolorpainting #watercolors #watercolorwaterfalls #dalepopovichartist #toweringwindsacademyoffinearts #30in30 #ArchesWatercolorPaper #DickBlick Watercolor Study
Size: 6-1/2" x 10" $30.00 plus shipping and handling. If you are interested in purchasing this study, please email me dale@dalepopovich.com This was a quick sketch out the window of my Jeep overlooking a small lake. I saw this scene and had to capture it. I knew my camera would not pick up the mood I was seeing at the time. Thank goodness I had my painting materials with me. The intriguing part of the scene to me was the cloud formation above the lake. The sun was setting quickly so I spent 15 minutes on this particular sketch. Always keep your studio or you’re plein air paintings simple, direct, and spontaneous. You can do a quick color value sketch, like this one which is most important to your painting before you start with your brush. It creates the roadmap for a more successful painting.
#dalepopovich #watercolorpainting #watercolors #watercolorwaterfalls #dalepopovichartist #toweringwindsacademyoffinearts #30in30 #ArchesWatercolorPaper #DickBlick |
Dale L Popovich IWSDale is an award-winning watercolorist and teacher passionate about capturing the raw beauty of the American landscape with the fluid stroke of a brush. As you will see, the works selected in his portfolio represent the depth of his holistic approach to painting. You can also learn with this talented and experienced teacher through his workshops, Palette & Chisel, and Popovich Studio classes. Archives
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