Watercolour & Ink

Pen and watercolour, also called “line and wash”, is an effective combination for travel and nature journals. The ink lines give clear definition while the quick-drying watercolour wash allows for gentle and free flowing expression.

This 4-week course (3 hrs/session) will suit people with some drawing and watercolour experience, who would like to experiment with combining pen and watercolour wash. We will cover basic watercolour techniques, colour mixing & matching and basic drawing techniques. The aim is to gain confidence in exploring different subjects and different combinations of materials and techniques.

Feel free to bring preliminary drawings and photographs you might want to work from. Bring your reading glasses if you need to use them! Bring snacks and your own mug.

Dates: 18th Sept, 25th Sept, 02nd Oct and 09th Oct 2026

Materials List
Participants will need to bring their own supplies. The quality of art supplies does make a difference. "Student" grade supplies are cheaper than "Artist" grade, but also lower in quality. The list below is provided as guidance but please do not feel obliged to purchase any special materials. Bring whatever art supplies you currently own to get started.

Drawing supplies: artist sketchbook or sketch pad, graphite pencils (a range e.g., 2H, HB, 2B), sharpener, eraser, clipboard, ruler. 

Pens: Fineline pens of different thicknesses. Good quality pens are ideal as they are quick drying, waterproof and archival. Ball point pens. Optional: Dip pens and inks.

Watercolour supplies: brushes (small, medium, large), palette, towel/rag, small spray bottle, mug/jar for washing brushes.

Watercolour paper: Good quality watercolour paper is usually thick and absorbent (300 gsm). It can be smooth (cold press) or somewhat rough (hard press). It is generally expensive! For this series of classes, you might want to start with less expensive watercolour paper or use a sketchbook with reasonably thick paper (~180-200 gsm).

Watercolour paints: Good quality brands, such as Winsor & Newton and Daniel Smith, are preferred by artists and are generally expensive. The minimum number of colours you'll need are "3 cool primaries and 3 warm primary colours". You might want to get started with a beginner kit.

Conditions: A minimum of 10 participants are required for this event to go ahead. Please do not attend if you are unwell. Notify Tanya if you start feeling unwell in the days prior to the event. Refunds, after the 14-day minimum notice period has expired, will be at the discretion of the event organiser and dependent on your spot being filled at short notice.