Online Class: Irises in Watercolor & Watercolor Pencils

Join us to capture the delicate and vibrant hues of irises in watercolor along with watercolor pencils for additional details and definition. 

Inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s irises, this class will explore wet-in-wet watercolor washes and how to accentuate them with cross-contour lines and textures rendered in watercolor pencil. Through interactive, hands-on demonstrations and step-by-step instructions, teaching artist Sudeshna Sengupta also will guide the class through the process of balancing the fluid look of color washes with the precision of watercolor pencils to build a focal point and emphasis. 

Participants are welcome to use their own reference photos of irises during the class, or they can use the photos of irises provided during the in-class demonstration. 

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This class is suitable for youth ages 12 and up. Children are welcome to participate alongside their adults.

Space is limited, reservations required.

This program will take place via the video conferencing app – ZOOM. Details for accessing the Zoom meeting will be with your receipt upon registering and again sent via email the day prior. Please register in advance in order to access the program. Note that all program times are in Mountain Time.

Online classes are not recorded. Online classes are offered only as a live and interactive experience.

Supplies needed for this class: 

• A set of watercolor pencils
• Watercolor paints. While a set of half pans can be used for getting started, watercolor tubes in these or similar colors are recommended for better results: 1. Hansa Yellow, 2. Indian Yellow or Quinacridone Gold, 3. Vermillion, 4. Carmine, 5. Opera, Quinacridone Rose, Permanent Rose, Opera or Opera Rose, 6. Purple/Violet, 7. Ultramarine Blue, 8. Pthalo Blue or Thalo Blue, 9. Viridian, 10. Sap Green, 11. Leaf Green, 12. Burnt Sienna or Quinacridone Burnt Orange. 
• Recommended brands of watercolor paint tubes: 
  • Student/Learner grade: Van Gogh, Grumbacher Academy, or W & N Cotman; 
  • Professional grade: Holbein, M. Graham, Daniel Smith, or Winsor & Newton
• A 12-well circular palette with a larger center to mix paints. Jones Travel Palette is recommended.
• Watercolor block (preferred) or pad (tape-bound, not spiral-bound) of Fluid, Strathmore 400 series (not 300 series), Canson, or any other brand with acid-free 140 lbs (300 gsm) sheets in Cold-Press finish that is between 9” x 12” and 12” x 16” in size.
• A regular 2 pencil (a.k.a. HB) or 2B pencil
• A white eraser.
• Round and Flat Watercolor brushes (synthetic ‘Taklon’ brushes are fine): 4 to 5 Round brushes in the range of Size 6, 8, 10, 12, 14. Optional: a 1 Flat brush 1⁄2” to 1.5” wide. Royal Soft-Grip or Simply Simmons Watercolor Round brushes work well.
• An ordinary ¾” – 1” mop brush to be used as a clean-up brush after erasing pencil lines.
• Q-tips and paper towel or pieces of cotton rag. Cut-up pieces from a clean, used t-shirt work well.
• Masking tape if a watercolor pad is used instead of a watercolor block.
• 2 to 3 empty glass jars or containers for holding water. Used yogurt containers or wide-mouth smaller glass jars work well.
• Toothpicks and or a blunt plastic tool such as a disposable plastic knife for sgraffito technique.
• Optional: Hair dryer if available, a white wax crayon or a small piece of candle for optional resist techniques.

The items above should be available locally or online from Amazon as individual items in the U.S. and in Europe. They can also be purchased online as individual items or as a set from Sudeshna Sengupta’s class-list. (U.S. domestic shipping only).

About the Instructor:

Sudeshna Sengupta’s career as a teaching artist spans multiple decades, continents, and cultures that inform her pedagogy for decolonizing studio art. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1985 from Visva-Bharati, an international university founded in India, by the humanist poet Tagore, the first non-European Nobel Laureate (1913). After teaching art and design at the college level in New Delhi, Seattle, and California, she taught at NMSU-Alamogordo, where she established its first intaglio printmaking studio in 1995. Since moving to Santa Fe a few years ago, she has taught credit courses in online studio art at the Santa Fe Community College. Her etching prints are in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Association Musée d’Art Contemporain, France; Kala Institute, Berkeley; Artists Trust, Seattle, Chandigarh Govt. Art Museum, India, Gerald Champion Memorial Hospital, NM, and more. Her etchings and lithographs from the permanent collection of the NGMA have been featured in a major exhibition on Women Printmakers of India in 2024 at NGMA, New Delhi. She also conducts workshops and short courses and presents lectures and community-based art events for various age groups with civic, cultural, and community organizations in the U.S. and in India, often with a focus on multicultural and intercultural experiences that emphasize human, cultural, and environmental connectedness through creativity. To see her art please visit notes-and-doodles.com and Instagram.

This class is being offered on a sliding scale.

$10 minimal fee.

$20 covers the cost of the class.

$30 covers the cost of the class, plus a contribution to support educational programs.

Photograph by Sudeshna Sengupta. 2024 © Sudeshna Sengupta