'A Brush With Water' watercolour with Antoinette Blyth
Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th June 9.30am - 4pm
Edward River Art Society Sunday School
Working in the Watercolour medium, as challenging as it is, presents excitement, creative possibilities and frustration all in one go. It is not without the need for perseverance and persistence, but with this attitude, plus the desire to achieve, you will succeed.
Street scene
Day 1. Introduction and welcome to participants. Short discussion on “what attracts us to a painting” looking at the elements of art.
First Painting: Street Scene. The focus is to make the complicated, simple.
Streetscape photo provided. Before any initial drawing, consideration is given to:
• Light Source
• Composition
• Choice of palette Complimentary or Harmonious Colours
• Adding figures to the scene – perspective
• Focus area
First wash is to “set the scene” using the benefit of pigments added wet into wet, adding more paint, less water before allowing to dry. Final stage, the addition of paint to show shadows before the final touch and assessment.
Still Life
Day 2 Fresh flowers and photos available also.
The first step
Use of observation skills to understand the characteristics of the flowers/leaves in front of us, (or from photos) depending on availability of fresh flowers.
The first wash sets the scene on dry paper for what is to come. After this stage the magic happens. Antoinette guides the participants in using wet into wet technique. We focus on positive and negative painting, lost and found edges, use of bold and soft colour with appropriate tonal value. All this in technique that allows individual impressions of what is evolving in front of us.
How to book
Bookings are open now: https://www.trybooking.com/DQWVG
Pricing:
$230 per person - Non Members
$200 per person - for ERAS Members
or $225 become a ERAS member (includes workshop ticket)
Please note that this workshop is has a maximum of 14 places, so bookings are essential.
About the workshop
Materials List:
For Watercolour painters, please just bring your normal palette and brushes, however for anyone from another medium, Antoinette suggests the basic requirements below, However, please no stress!!
The most important message Antoinette wishes to convey for your success, is to please buy only Artist Quality tube paints. Cheap paints will only frustrate you and will not achieve the results you may wish.
The same applies to paper. I use Saunders Waterford 300g or Arches 300g, If you use Saunders Waterford 300g Rough or Cold Pressed, you will find this paper is very forgiving and will give you excellent results as you work with the pigments and water, especially wet into wet.
You need A palette that has deep recess for colors with at least half a tube of each color already squeezed & dry in your palette!!
Because you shall be using mop brushes, the pigment “holes” needs to be large enough for the brush.
Neef mop brushes size 00 and size 2 would be helpful
If you have been painting with watercolor that you have a selection of warm and cool pinks, yellows, oranges, and raw & burnt sienna, suitable for most paintings.
The Maimeri colors of importance to include, if you do not have these in your palette, are:
Cobalt Blue Light
Ultramarine deep
Indigo, Rose Lake (or Rose Madder other brands), Titanium White
Brown Madder * Pyrrole Orange, Indian Yellow, Yellow Ochre
Daniel Smith Perylene Violet and M. Graham Nickle Quinacridone
Other items to include in your bag:
Waterproof black drawing pen like Uni Pin #8
An A4 spiral notebook and 2B or 3B pencil plus a kneadable rubber
Watercolour Brushes. ( Neef make Kazan mop brushes which are lovely) size 00 and size 2
A Masters Point Aqua Elite size 10 and 6 (or the equilivent by Escoda rounds)
A Robert Wade Rigger brush size 8 or a Neef Needle Point brush size 8
A wooden -handle goats -hair brush for washing on water to dry paper
Watercolour paper as described above.
A marine ply or plastic board to work on for paper approx. 40cm x 30cm
An old towel, tissues.
A small spray bottle and masking tape.
About the artist
Antoinette Blyth is an artist, tutor, and art judge, residing in Melbourne, Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Education and Diploma of Teaching.
Drawing has been central to her practice since childhood, and she places a high value on strong drawing skills. Antoinette’s painting career began in oils before she was drawn to the transparency and beauty of watercolour. For more than thirty years, she has shared her experience by teaching the skills of watercolour painting to adult students.
Over the last thirty years, Antoinette has won many awards and commendations for her watercolour painting, just recently, the Best Watercolour in the Spring Exhibition 2026 of Sherbrooke Art Society & Gallery.
Antoinette is a member of: The Victorian Artists Society; Watercolour Society of Victoria; and Sherbrooke Art Society. Her work is represented in collections across Australia, and Overseas.
