"Very Beginner Watercolors" with Nancy Carney (Jan-Mar 2026)
VERY BEGINNER WATERCOLORS
with Instructor Nancy Carney
WHEN:
6-WEEKS
Mondays (12:30 - 3:30pm)
January 26 & February 2, 9, 16, 23 & March 2, 2026
WHERE:
Art League Academy
(106 Cordillo Pkwy, Hilton Head Island, SC)
If you’ve always wanted to paint with watercolors but were afraid to try, this very beginning class will introduce you to the joys of creating beautiful, glowing watercolor paintings. Using the elements and principles of design and composition, you’ll learn the following techniques: color mixing, wet-on-wet wash, wet-on-dry techniques, glazing, color charging, tricks with salt, oozles, scaping and much more. This class is designed for those with no watercolor experience, or those who have tried watercolor painting but need a refresher. There will be a printed handout with each class.
WEEK 1: Lowcountry Marsh – wet-on-wet wash, glazing, scraping and oozles. Making a grid with your pigments, creating “chickens.”
WEEK 2: Birch Trees – wet-on-wet wash with color charging, masking and splatter. More on color mixing.
WEEK 3: Rocky Mountain Stream – wet-on-wet wash with color charging, using salt, saran wrap or wax paper, lost and found line, and the dark path.
WEEK 4: Vase of Flowers – wet-on-dry technique, glazing, directing the eye with composition, using your diamonds and jewels, how to create a beautiful gray.
WEEK 5: Still Life – Emphasis on composition, color charging, glazing, using complementary colors.
WEEK 6: Flowers, too – Ala Prima and putting it all together. Review, critique, where do I go from here?
Please find the supply list below and come to the first class ready to paint.
REFUND POLICY:
Ticket purchases to Art League of Hilton Head events are final. Refunds will not be given for missed or classes/workshops.
If a class or workshop is canceled by Art League of Hilton Head a full refund will be given.
| Skill Level: | Beginner |
| Skill Details: | This class is designed for true beginners |
| Materials Included: | No materials are included in this class. A list of materials you should bring with you will is provided below: |
| Requirements: | Watercolor Supply List Please come ready to paint at your first class. I prepare my palette by squeezing out the tube paints and allowing them to dry, then rewetting when it is time to paint, but some people like to use fresh paint. The choice is yours. These supplies are only a suggestion. If you already own watercolor supplies, please do not feel you need to buy different ones. These are what I use. Basically, you just need some paint, a few brushes and some paper. Download a printable supply list The Basics Palette (w/ cover is good) 1" flat watercolor brush #7 or #8 round watercolor brush rigger brush 2 water containers (Cool Whip, Cottage Cheese, etc) paint rags, kleenex and/or paper towels #2 pencil kneaded eraser drawing board 20"x24" or larger (Art League Academy has some available to borrow) masking tape (3/4" or wider) spray bottle (old windex bottle, etc) high quality watercolor paper (I use Arches #140 cold press) pad or sheets TUBE PAINTS Yellow - aureolin or Winsor yellow or new gamboges Red - alizarin crimson or Winsor red Blue - French ultramarine or Winsor blue Green - Winsor green blue shade Quinacridone gold or yellow ochre or raw sienna Burnt sienna or quinacridone orange These are enough paints to get you started. Add other colors that you like and as finances permit. Always buy professional grade (not student grade) paints. The extra cost is well worth it in terms of the results you will achieve. The same goes for watercolor papers and watercolor brushes. I use mostly Winsor and Newton professional grade paints, but also have some DaVinci, Daniel Smith, and American Journey colors. There are many other good brands of paint and paper – these are the ones I am most familiar with. Other colors I have in my palette right now are: cadmium orange cadmium red Winsor red permanent rose opera Winsor emerald viridian green cobalt blue cerulean blue Antwerp blue indigo cobalt violet Winsor violet sepia Andrew's turquoise Paynes gray Davies gray raw umber copper kettle Naples yellow neutral tint ALSO GOOD TO HAVE, but not essential, bring if you have old toothbrush for scrubbing old credit card to cut up small scissors 6" or 12" ruler Xacto knife and blades hair dryer (Art League Academy has some too) Clean Kitchen Sponge Small Natural Sponge Palette Knife Small sketch pad or scrap paper small container of salt masking friskit box to carry everything If you have questions about the supplies, please call, text or email the instructor: PHONE: 612-961-7075 EMAIL: natmpc@yahoo.com INTERNET ART SUPPLIERS: 1.Dick Blick Art Supplies 2.Jerry's Art-a-Rama 3.Cheap Joe's Art Supplies QUESTIONS?: Please Email: Academy@artleaguehhi.org. |
| Instructor: | Nancy Carney |
| Instructor Bio: |  NANCY PATRICK CARNEY’S imaginatively stylized original paintings feature city-sea-and-land-scapes and the diversity of people who live in them. She works from Gallery G South, her home studio in Bluffton, SC. Her images are colorful, quirky, playful expressions of 21st century life: beach scenes, bus stops, musicians, men and women and children at work and play. With an emphasis on design and expressive color, Carney’s paintings in watercolor, oil, acrylic, collage and mixed media give visual form to the vitality and energy of modern life. Carney has a degree in art education from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She is a life-long artist who has worked as a commercial artist, package designer, illustrator and art teacher. Nancy exhibits regularly at Gallery G and with a variety of art organizations and fairs. Her paintings have received numerous honors and awards and hang in personal and corporate collections. Visit Nancy Carney's Facebook Page |
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