This Intro to Watercolor extension will be available until Monday, April 3rd. Happy watercolor lettering!
Intro to Watercolor
- Lesson 1 -
Here we go!!
I am so glad that you're here and that you're ready to learn the basics of watercolor lettering! My name is Amanda Arneill and I have been a hand lettering artist for almost two and a half years now. Before that, I was a teacher, so now getting to teach you about hand lettering is like the best of both worlds. So thank you for letting me spend this time with you!! (And you get used to all the exclamation marks, I just get really excited about lettering!!)
We are about to dive into the first lesson in this five lesson series and I could not be more excited to get started on this. I will warn you that the first lesson is the longest one. It's the longest lesson video and it's the longest series of worksheets. But it'll pay off because by the time you're done this lesson, you will have lettered over a third of the alphabet already!!
So, if you haven't downloaded them yet, click here or on the package image to download them and print them off. Let's get started!
Natural Motion Lines
TODAY LET'S TACKLE
In today's lesson, we will be starting with lines that are the most straightforward. Every day we will be learning a new motion or line and adding it to the previous days' work. So today, since it's our first day, let's look at a basic downstroke and a downstroke with a tail. This will give you more letters than you may first think!
DANGER ZONES
This line doesn't have too many danger zones to watch out for. Work to get a nice thin upstroke on the tail of your curved lines where you only use the very tip of the brush to paint the line. And remember that an upstroke is any time that your brush is moving up or across the page (a downstroke is when your brush is moving down the page towards you).
STRATEGIES
For this line, a big part of mastery is going to be practice. On your downstrokes, press your brush with constant pressure from the top of the line to the bottom to get a nice even stroke.
Another key is to blend out that paint after you lay down your line. This will stop the paint from drying with dark lines on the inside of your strokes and letters.
Our Video Lesson
YOUR MATERIALS
Of course you can work with things that you already have (raid the kids' art supply basket!), but if you want more, this is what I recommend...
Kuretake Gansai Tambi Water Colors, 36-Color Set
Intro to Watercolor
- Lesson 2 -
Let's Dive in!
It's time for our second lesson in the 5 day series!
Today we are going to be attacking counter clockwise curves. If you haven't yet printed off today's worksheets, you can get them right here.
Now don't be discouraged if these don't come naturally right away... they are harder than what we worked on yesterday. But all that being said, I know you can do it!!
I loved seeing so many post and stories in Instagram of your practice worksheets and WIP pieces. Keep sharing your work with the hashtag #watercolorwithamanda so I can check out your work and go on this journey with you!
Counterclockwise Curves
TODAY LET'S TACKLE
After so many pages yesterday, today we are cutting that in half. It might seem like it's going to be easier because there is less (and the video is only half the length as well) but you're going to need to take it slow. Go around those curves with intention and careful attention to detail.
DANGER ZONES
With counterclockwise circles, make sure that you are holding the paintbrush more horizontally than vertically to try to help the direction change at the top of the circle if you're right handed or the bottom of the circle if you're left handed.
STRATEGIES
Remember that, if you need to pick up or pause your brush, that's totally okay! It's better that you adjust your bristles than continue to push through and have them splay out. As you get more and more familiar with brush lettering, you will have to do this less and less often... but for now, use all the strategies you've got in your bag!
Our Video Lesson
Intro to Watercolor
- Lesson 3 -
Let's Dive in!
Lesson 3 means that we are now halfway through our 5 lesson series!
We have 4 sheets to work through today. I'm sure you already have them ready to go, but just in case, you can grab today's worksheets grab today's worksheets right here!
This reverse overhead curve means that we will be doing letters with ascenders today. Get ready for a whole lot of l, f, h, d and k action today!
Counterclockwise Curves
TODAY LET'S TACKLE
These top loops are a very important part of ascender letters. As you create your loop, the first part of the motion should just use the tip of the paintbrush so you're just tickling the page. At the very top of the line, you will want to curve over to a heavy downstroke. So the right side of the line will be all skinny and the left side will be all fat.
DANGER ZONES
Today's danger zone is the transition point at the top of the curve! Your paintbrush will want to twist and twirl as you change direction and pressure. Just like yesterday, when I suggested lifting or pausing your paintbrush, remember to keep that trick in your mind today as well.
STRATEGIES
Using today's reverse overhead curve, we are able to build so many more letters! If you were having trouble with either natural motion curves or counterclockwise curves, you'll want to get warmed up on those motions before you start adding them onto the new motion that you are learning today.
Our Video Lesson
Intro to Watercolor
- Lesson 4 -
Let's Dive in!
Let's get going on today's lesson with our reverse tails today! Those strokes are the ones that fall below the base line. With a pen, these are my favourite part of any words that I'm writing but with a paintbrush... not so much. Download today's worksheets right here.
Reverse Tail
TODAY LET'S TACKLE
These reverse tails can be a bit of a bummer because, in your head, they are going to be so light and crisp and delicate, but in real life they easily become fat and out of control.
DANGER ZONES
The danger zones in this stroke are different based on if you're a lefty or a righty. Don't be afraid to lift, adjust or build your lines in a way that works for you. Again, as you get more practice under your belt, tricky strokes like this will become easier. So put in that time today with that practice.
STRATEGIES
The best strategy for this lesson is practice! You'll see that I'm not perfect at this every time either but that doesn't stop me. So don't let anything hold you back and just dive in and do it!
Our Video Lesson
Intro to Watercolor
- Lesson 5 -
Let's Dive in!
And here we go with the best lesson of the alphabet - the swoop and swirl! This is a motion that makes my personal favorite letter, the b, possible. I hope you love it as much as I do. Let's start lettering!! Here is today's worksheet!
Loop and Swoop DIRECTION CHANGE
TODAY LET'S TACKLE
This is our final day in this series and we have three sheets of letter practice and then a blank sheet for you to continue to practice afterwards!
DANGER ZONES
This motion has quite a bit happening in a really small area. It can be tricky to make all those turns but lifting and pausing your brush ever so slightly will make a huge difference.
STRATEGIES
Today's strategy is going to be to enjoy what you're doing! Also, work on keeping your paintbrush light and angled to the page so that the bristles stay nice and tight together.
Our Video Lesson
Up Next
Watercolor and Beyond
- Online Course -
This is everything you've always wanted to know about watercolor lettering without needing an art degree
While I'm a lettering artist who loves to letter with paper and pen, sometimes I feel like I want more than just that. The colors I'm limited to are only what the pen companies produce, what I can purchase and how much I'm willing to spend amassing my pen collection. Do I really need to purchase another blue pen in the hopes that this one will finally be that exact shade that I've been looking for (heads up, it probably won't be)? But with watercolor, one single tube or pan of colors provides a variety of shades, saturations, colors and effects. I'm not spending money on one pen that can function one way, with watercolor I am investing in potential and possibility.
But those amazing colors and beautiful brushes are nothing if you don't know how to wield them. One of my favourite times of the week is when my daughters and I grab their watercolors, slap huge sheets of paper down on the kitchen table and start to play. When I first started doing that, I quickly realized that lettering with watercolors is not as easy as I expected (surprise, surprise). What started as time with my daughters became something that I became intentional about in order to learn to master the paintbrush, blend my colors and make letters that looked crisp, clean and intriguing every time.
When I first started watercolor lettering, honestly it was hard! My brush bristles would separate on turns, colors looked washed out when they dried and I was never happy with the final product. But then I figured it all out!
In this course, you will learn all of those secrets!
Blend like a pro with colors that will pop off the page and make people wonder just how you did it.
Learn exactly how to choose your materials, techniques and supplies for success.
Scale up your watercolor lettering to make stunning massive poster sized watercolor pieces.
BUT THEN WE GO FURTHER...
I knew something else was missing because another beautiful part of watercolor is the painting part. And I am not a painter!
That's where Fiona Moes Pel comes in. As a watercolor artist and a certified art teacher, Fiona breaks down botanicals into easy-to-follow steps.
Now, not only are you lettering with watercolors, but you're painting botanicals, filling your page and pushing yourself even further creatively with new skills and techniques.
Discover exactly how to use color and balance it perfectly throughout your piece.
Create botanical elements and florals with simple shapes and techniques that you can master.
Mix all of those elements together to enhance, embellish and complete your watercolor lettering.
Who is this course for?
Watercolor and Beyond is designed for you if you have some experience with lettering but you want to expand your skill set with brightness and beauty. You may want to be able to offer new products to your customers or friends, create gallery worthy art for your home or other's homes or just add some more color into your life!
If you are new to watercolor use or you've struggled to make watercolor behave the way you want, this course is for you. You may not have perfect paintbrush skills, but that doesn't mean you can't wield one like a boss!!
By the way, if you're new to watercolor lettering, or nervous that you're not "intermediate" enough for this course, I've created a bonus Intro to Watercolor Online Course that will be automatically be given to you as well. There's nothing that I won't do to make sure that you are totally prepared for the gorgeous watercolor lettering and painting you'll learn here!!
With over four hours of video instruction that you can go back and revisit anytime and a comprehensive workbook to have you lettering and painting with confidence, this course will have you grabbing your watercolor paints any chance you get!
Following Fiona's step by step instruction, I was able to learn how to create my own floral elements... and as a someone who isn't a watercolor artist, if I can do it, you can do it too!!
One of my past students, Tina, was also was having the same frustration with watercolor lettering. She had tried it over and over again and always felt like she was missing something. But after doing the Watercolor and Beyond course, watercolor has become like second nature to her!
"Watercolor always intimidated me. I never really knew what I was doing and ended up messing up my work over and over again. I was so frustrated with all the time I was putting in, only to have to toss it in the trash.
Then Watercolor and Beyond came along! This course is full of simple tricks and tips that prevent you from frustration! Amanda naturally moves you from the basics to more complex pieces using different colors, techniques and blending.
One of my biggest issues was making my piece look cohesive when using more than two colors. Thanks to Amanda's triangle method, all my compositions look perfectly consistent now without any effort!
I loved that this class was not only about watercolor lettering, but also about drawing botanicals with a second instructor! Fiona makes it easy to understand the color theory and walks you through drawing leaves, flowers and ever wreaths like it's nothing.
I highly recommend this class for beginners and advanced letterers who want a clear and straight forward approach to watercolors to enable their own mastery of paints.
This course made me absolutely fall in love with watercolors! I am now able to create beautiful, unique and cohesive pieces using different colors and multiple techniques. I pick up my water brush more often than my brush pen now!"
- Tina M. (@lovely.letterings)
In Watercolor and Beyond, you get:
Over 4 hours of instruction from two certified educators teaching to ensure your success
A full array of techniques for brush, paint and paper to have you blending, mixing and creating in new and exciting ways to make stunning watercolor lettering
Step-by-step instruction to allow you to create unique floral embellishments, elements and wreaths to fill out and finish your lettered pieces
All the secrets, tips, strategies and cheats to give you multiple methods to achieve amazing final pieces
An easy to reference worksheet package full of examples, sample pieces and instruction to help you quickly refresh your skills
Unlimited personal access to both Intro to Watercolor and Watercolor and Beyond Online courses to work through at your own pace on your own schedule
Confidence that each and every time you pick up a brush, you will be about to create something amazing
Why Trust us to teach you?
Artists are great and we love artists. We both are artists in our own rights. But being an artist doesn't necessarily mean that you are a good teacher. Being a good teacher takes education, years of practice and experience and, most importantly, the ability to equip the student with an internalized understanding of the topic being taught. Teaching is not something that you can stumble into.
And that's a big part of what makes Fiona and me specially equipped to teach you about watercolor lettering, botanicals and effects to enhance your lettering. We have the artist stuff down, but we are also both trained, certified and qualified teachers who have real teaching experience. That means that, not only do we know how to paint, but we know how to teach it to you as well.
Those who can, do and those who can... also teach!
You may be wondering...
No need to be afraid!
It's scary signing up for an online course. It's scary handing your money over, not knowing the learning experience that you're about to step into, but know that this course was meticulously planned out from start to finish to give you an immersive experience in watercolor lettering and painting.
We know that everyone learns differently so, when we teach it one way, we also give alternative methods and options to ensure that we target the way that you learn.
We wouldn't be good teachers if we didn't provide options for everyone to have success!
Not a natural... so what?
As a kid, I was pretty proud of some of the artwork that I would create. I thought I was so good at drawing and I loved to play around with different art supplies.
A couple of years back, my mom said in passing, "You actually weren't very good at art when you were little." Well, crush my soul.
Okay, so maybe I wasn't awesome, but I loved to play with my supplies. And that desire and willingness to explore art did help me to improve. I may not have been blessed with a natural gifting for painting or art but that has never stopped me.
And it shouldn't stop you either.
Because everyone loves free stuff, register before midnight (PST) on March 17, 2017 and I'll be delighted to send you a Sakura Koi Water Brush on me.
To make it even better, Sakura of America has given us two Sakura Koi Field 30 Assorted Watercolors with Brush Sketch Sets. Everyone who registers before midnight (PST) on March 17, 2017 will be entered in a random draw to win one of the paint sets.
Two artists walk into a bar... to grab some water for their paints.
Enough chit-chat! It's time for you to register!