Description
From an illustrator’s perspective, forests are a collection of textures and surfaces on objects big and small, just waiting to be captured. From little spruce cones, shiny mushrooms and soft moss to bushes and enormous trees, there’s a lot of artistic inspiration in Oregon’s coastal forests that surround the Sitka Center’s campus. You’ll have an opportunity to observe and collect subject matter right outside the studio door. This workshop is an opportunity to learn how to combine observation skills, watercolor techniques and a love of the forest into nature portraits that capture the feeling of being in the woods.
About the Instructor
Her science illustration work is guided by Baba Dioum’s famous quote, “In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we have been taught.” In addition to commissioned work for museums, interpretive signage, commercial products and scientific journals, Nora shows work in galleries around the Pacific Northwest and teaches workshops.
Learn More
www.norasherwood.com
Materials List
You will need to bring:
Pencil set for graphite studies – instructor uses a mechanical pencil for simple sketches, but she also likes to have a basic set of at least three pencils for more complete drawings – F, 2B and 4B would be good ones to have.
Eraser, pencil sharpener, tortillion and/or stump if you like to use them
Clear plastic ruler
Sketch pad for sketches and rough drafts
Pens can come in handy when illustrating the forest – instructor likes Sakura pigma micron pens in black and brown, in sizes 005 and 01
Watercolors – if you already have a set you like, please bring it. If you don’t have watercolors or your set needs some updating, these are colors I use a lot. These are just suggestions – please don’t feel obligated to buy all these colors!
Alizarin crimson
Quinacridone rose
Quinacridone magenta
Transparent yellow
New gamboge
Winsor yellow
Winsor violet
Winsor blue green shade or Daniel Smith phthalo blue green shade
Ultramarine blue
Mayan dark blue
Raw umber
Burnt umber
Raw sienna
Burnt sienna
Quinacridone burnt orange
Payne’s gray
Neutral tint
Other than a 1 1/2″ wash brush, instructor exclusively uses round brushes ranging in size from 8 to 1. Everybody has their favorite type of brush, and she prefers Rosemary & Co. Snowdrops and Da Vinci Cosmotop Spins. Bring what you have and buy a few new one if yours are old and crusty…
Other watercolor materials – palette (recommends butcher trays, many botanical artists like porcelain palettes/trays), water jars (instructor uses two), paper towels, and anything else you need.
Provided by instructors:
300 lb. Arches hot press watercolor paper to share
Favorite tracing paper to share
Favorite drawing paper to share
Plants and flowers