Watercolor in Action:

Watercolor painters have been inspired by nature for centuries, but venturing outside the studio to compose a painting can be overwhelming for beginner and intermediate students of the medium. In this watercolor instruction video, master artist and teacher Gerald Brommer invites you to accompany him to a spot on the coastline, and walks you through the process of choosing a subject, and responding to the drama and emotion of nature. This watercolor painting workshop begins with the task of choosing a subject for the nature painting. Brommer takes his time while looking around a particular site on the coast, and finally chooses a lighthouse in the distance as the subject of his watercolor demonstration painting. Brommer discusses the importance of attuning one’s self to the nature setting before beginning a painting. Students will learn how to absorb the color, texture, and mood of the setting so that they can capture an accurate feeling of nature in their composition. The workshop continues with an explanation of Brommer's process for making composition and construction decisions and selecting painting techniques to maneuver the elements into the right composition for the final watercolor painting. As he makes decisions about what to include from the inspiring nature scene all around him, Brommer’s painting starts as a soft, pale implication of what’s to come. Then, Brommer demonstrates how adding layer upon layer of darks, warm and cool colors, and resonant detail, the artist creates a magnificent landscape. With suggestions on composition construction, color usage, contrast, transitions, and perspective, Brommer gives you a complete set of tools for capturing the spirit and nature of the place. You’ll love watching Brommer’s painting come alive on the page, and will benefit greatly from his advice for adjusting the elements to make the scene compelling and creating a magnificent landscape of the lighthouse and rocky shore in the final painting.