Watercolours with Ricky: 2 Styles * 7 Mondays 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM * May 4 - June 22, 2026

Regular price $285.00 Sale

Ages: Adults (Ages 16+)
Dates: 7 Mondays, May 4, 11, 25, June 1, 8, 15 & 22, 2026. (No class May 18 Victoria Day)
Time: 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Materials: Students are responsible for their own materials. The full materials list is included below.
Instructor: Ricky Schaede

This course is recommended for students with a foundation of drawing skills, but beginners are also welcomed. If you are unsure about your skill level and if this course is the right fit for you, please email Ricky@RickySchaede.com and we would be happy to help you!

This watercolour course will build on the foundation in drawing that we've established and, instead of shading with graphite or using coloured pencils, we will use watercolours to bring our pieces to life. In this 7-class series, we will explore two styles of watercolour painting. In style one, we will create a highly detailed image capturing exquisite rendering, detail, texture and form in our subject (the group will vote on the subject for our first drawing). The second style we will explore is a looser, more painterly application of the watercolour on top of a pen and ink drawing, utilizing black ink, coloured pens, watercolours with a variety of techniques and an emphasis on wet on wet, and other mixed media effects.

First, as a class we will then choose a subject for a long piece to create together, very likely an animal. We will spend one class drawing the subject with our pencils, and then 2-3 classes bringing the piece to life with watercolours. We will likely also incorporate some permanent black pens and coloured pencil into the process, making it more like a mixed-media watercolour illustration style. The result will be beautiful, fine and realistic works of art made with watercolour. Students may also choose to incorporate other mediums like watercolour pencils and/or crayons, white gelly roll pens and more!

For the final 3 classes, we will explore a variety of effects and mixed media techniques utilizing the looser painting style over a pen and ink drawing, allowing students more freedom from creativity, customization, and whimsicality. Students will create one guided piece together with Ricky and then will have the freedom to create their own self-directed work in whatever style they prefer.

Materials List:

1. Sketching supplies including a 2H or HB pencil, rubber eraser, kneadable eraser, and sharpener.

2. (If you don't have a set of coloured pencils no worries, I'll have some you can borrow for this course, but if you do have a set please bring them) Set of High Quality Coloured Pencils. Preferred brands are Lyra Polycolor, Faber-Castell Polychromos or Prismacolor Premier. The more colour choices you have, the better, so a bigger set is best. If you already have a set of coloured pencils but they aren’t the top quality brands listed above, they should work fine for this course, as long as they are soft and have good colour quality.

4. High quality Watercolour Paper for finished artworks: I recommend the beautiful Arches 140lb Cold Press Watercolour Paper which I do sell here at my studio. 9x12 is the recommended size. Students may also opt for a lower quality like Canson XL 140lb cold press which would also be fine.

6. Watercolour Palette. I really like a watercolour palette with many wells that has a seal, but really any white plastic or ceramic watercolour palette will do. I do have basic watercolour palettes in my studio that students are free to use if they don't want to get their own palette just yet.

7. Watercolour Brushes
For watercolours, any brushes with soft bristles are ideal. I do have brushes at my studio that students could choose to use if they don't want to buy their own brushes just yet. I recommend for students to have the following brushes:

Round Brush in 3 sizes, Small (0, 1, 2 are good sizes), Medium (4, 5, 6) and Large (8, 10, 12)
1" Flat Wash Brush
A large, soft mop brush

8. Set of Watercolour Paints
Students can choose to use either tube watercolours or pan watercolours for this course. The instructor will use and explain applications with both, with a preference for tube watercolours. The higher quality your paints the better, but it is not imperative that you buy the most expensive paints. Recommended brands are: Daniel Smith, Winsor & Newton, Koi. The instructor will be using Koi watercolours which are available at Maggiolly Art in both tube and pan formats.

9. Fine Permanent Black Pen, at minimum one pen 0.5 in size, but you could have 0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 for a variety of line weights if you'd like. Recommended brands are Tombow, Staedtler Pigment Liner, or Pigma Micron.

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