Painting the Golden Hour, October (five sessions)
Adult Class | Registration opens Monday, July 7, 2025 8:00 AM EDT
Philadelphia is a complex city rich in with variety of landscapes; from green tree-lined parks and river shores to urban infrastructure and historic architecture. The spontaneity and portability of watercolor, make it an apt medium for painting the city. This watercolor workshop will allow you to investigate the expressive and versatile medium of watercolor. Discover essential techniques through instructor demonstrations, and practice painting on site in a variety of settings. Students should have some prior experience painting with watercolor.
What you will learn:
1. Improve vitality in your mark making and brushwork
2. Interpret the essential visual components of your subject
3. Gain confidence in working with wet art mediums
4. Explore approaches to land and cityscape composition
5. Expand your skill in mixing color and tonal values
Bring these to first class:
Watercolor Paint: Tubes are preferable but also acceptable are pans. A basic set of 10 “artist quality” colors is good. Reputable brands include Windsor and Newton, Schmincke, Sennelier, Van Gogh, and Holbein.
Recommended Colors: Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Orange, Sap Green, Cerulean Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Dioxazine Violet, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Windsor Gray, Lamp Black, Chinese (Zinc) White.
Brushes: Small round soft (#4, 5, or 6), medium round soft (#10, 11, or 12), 1/2" and 1” flat, liner, and mop.
Paper: minimum 140 lb (aka ~300gsm) weight, cold press. Blocks are prefered. 9”x12” recommended. Arches Aquarelle is best commonly available brand.
Tray for Paints: Tray with 12 or more cells to hold different colors of pigments if using tube paint and 6 or so areas for color mixing. Mixing tray with six or so areas for color mixing if using paint in pans.
Other Essential Equipment: Rags or paper towels, water supply and two cup-size containers, sketch book, graphite pencils, eraser, sharpener or Xacto knife.
Other Optional Equipment: Masking fluid, sponge, spray bottle, color wheel, portable chair, something to carry it all in.
-
William Becker
Bill Becker is a retired architect. About 30 years ago he took up watercolor painting to find more direct means of artistic expression outside the constraints of his typically client-oriented design practice. Self-taught, at first, he came to realize that progress came more quickly through exposure to good classes and teachers. Over the years he has studied at Fleisher and PAFA and been exposed to numerous different instructors and methodologies.
Through his own struggles with learning watercolor painting he has become aware of the need for a watercolor course that helps build fundamental skills and confidence and has designed his “boot camp” class. Building on the principles of that course, he now offers classes for intermediate and more experienced watercolorists interested in improving their technique while painting landscape and Philadelphia specific subjects.