Since last year, I have been meaning to join an art workshop {I’ve been seeing loads of calligraphy and watercolour works on my Instagram feed, I was dying to learn how to do them!} but most are held in far-off places or are priced too steep for this cheapskate mum! So when Mommy Bloggers Philippines invited mums for their Mommy Bloggers Watercolour Workshop with The Crafters Marketplace a few months back, I excitedly signed up!
The workshop was held at The Crafters Marketplace at Shangri-la Mall’s Rustan’s Supermarket. It is conducted by teacher/visual artist/graphic designer Ian De Jesus. You can check out samples of his beautiful work on his Facebook Page, facebook.com/artofianravenfox13. You can also follow @ravenfox13 on IG.
Ian started our session with a brief background about art and introducing his tools of the trade to us. He has numerous kinds of brush, ranging from the most affordable to the most expensive in different sizes for specific usage, as well as a number paints. According to him, the more expensive the paints were the more pigments they have. As expected these expensive paints with more pigments yield more beautiful and colorful results. He also suggested the watercolor brand Simbalion for those who are just starting to explore the beautiful craft of watercolour. He also told us a short history of how difficult it was to acquire colors in the olden age and how some painters and artists actually fell sick and eventually died due to exposure to harmful chemicals and ingredients present in the paints. He enthused that we are luckier nowadays that we can easily acquire these art materials in bookstores and arts and craft shops.
Ian also introduced us to the color wheel, but unlike the basic ones we were familiar with in grade school, this color wheel is more complex, with lots of other colors. Knowledge of the color wheel, according to Ian, will come handy especially to those who are just starting since it will serve as our guide to which colors complement each other and which colors do not go well together. He said that most companies use the color wheel as their guide in creating brand logos, as well as in displaying their products in supermarket isles.
Our workshop commenced by creating our very own version of the color wheel. We started by using basic colors like yellow, blue, and the likes, and combining them to create secondary colors. Ian then proceeded to teach us the basic watercolour techniques ~ dry-on-wet, wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry. In layman’s terms, dry-on-wet means applying dry brush on a wet paper, and so on.
Ian gave us a number of postcard-sized paper to practice using the brush on. We were also given a couple of coloring pages to practice coloring with watercolour. Personally, I was impressed by my progress as I have never used watercolour or wielded a brush before. It was actually something that intimidates me as I am very certain I would fail, but I was surprised how I managed to finish coloring one drawing with watercolour and that I actually loved the outcome. I realized that using watercolour and brushes is not as scary and difficult as I initially thought it would. Ian also shared that it is an acquired skill and that our watercolouring will eventually improve as we continue to practice the craft.
We did enjoy our watercolouring session and it was an afternoon well spent with mums who also loves to learn this beautiful and colorful art. Thank you, Ian, for sharing your talent with us, along with a number of invaluable tips and tricks which we can use as we develop our skill and our practice. I sure hope I can join his other watercolour workshops in the future. Thanks to The Crafters Marketplace, too, for the beautiful token they gave each of the participants and shouts out to Mommy Bloggers Philippines, as well!
Before I left that day, I made sure to check out The Crafters Marketplace and their many artsy fartsy items. I also purchased a set of these brushes, the same brand we used during the workshop. They come in beautiful colors of green, pink, and my fave, purple. I find them easy to use so I cannot wait to practice with them.
Ian regularly conducts various kinds of workshop at The Crafters Marketplace. There will be a series of Watercolour workshop slated this November and for those interested to join, visit The Crafters Market Place Facebook Page for more details.
The Crafters Markeplace also hold Little Crafters Art Playgroup during Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday at 10am-12nn. They have music and movement, story telling, and art activities. For more info you may get in touch with them at craftersnscrappers@gmail.com.
It has been awhile since I joined the watercolour workshop and I cannot wait to find the time to begin practicing on a regular basis. I got a nice-looking watercolour set from my brother for my birthday and I cannot wait to put it to good use. 😀
What new skill are you practicing now and how are you going along? I would love to hear all about it in a comment below.