M. Verner: Water and Landscape (21-22.2.26 Prague)

About the course:

During this course, we will learn to capture the mood and atmosphere of a landscape, to transfer onto paper the light, space, and depth that we perceive when looking at vast valleys, mysterious forests, or dramatic mountain scenery reflected in the water's surface.

I will show you how I create my landscape compositions, how I work with layering colors, contrasts, and structure, and which techniques and tools are best to use.

The weekend watercolor course is suitable for both beginners and intermediate learners who want to expand their skills and gain confidence in painting landscape motifs.

Lecturer: Margarita Verner (the course will be held in Czech with the possibility of translation into English/Russian)

A few words about the lecturer:

Margarita comes from Kazakhstan and has been living in Prague for several years. She has been painting since childhood, graduated from art school, after which she moved to the studio of two local artists and began to dedicate herself to her own work. Currently, her passion has become mainly watercolor and everything around it. She is fascinated by the underwater world and nature, which are frequent motifs in her paintings. She pours her own feelings, mood, and emotions connected with each motif into her works. In addition to watercolour, she also engages in oil painting and acrylic painting of large-format wall art.

In recent years, the artist has participated in several personal and group exhibitions and festivals in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Italy. Her paintings are in the collections of private art collectors worldwide.

She participates in the organization of the regular international festival - Prague Pleinair - www.praguepleinair.com. She leads private courses for her students, teaching them watercolour and oil painting techniques.

You can read more about the artist on her profile. Recommendations:

We met Margarita at the Prague watercolour festival Prague Pleinair in 2023. Margarita is very active in various art groups and constantly learns from the world's best watercolourists. She is also well-versed in current trends and has an excellent understanding of the wide range of materials for experienced watercolor artists. Her favorite themes in watercolor are portrait, water surface, and landscape.

From participants of previous courses:

"The courses were great, very professional and inspiring. In a short time, I learned many new techniques and have inspiration for further creation"

"I enjoyed every lesson. Painting helped me relax. Before the course, I was afraid I would make mistakes, but after the explanation, it became easier. Thank you for the patient approach!"

"The courses were very comprehensive and I finally started to understand the material, because before that watercolor didn't work for me at all. Margarita explains everything very well and the visual demonstrations also helped me a lot. The combination of traditional techniques with modern approaches has opened new horizons for me"

Additional information about the course:

The course will take place in the Artikon Academy studio in Horní Počernice.

Course duration: 10:00 - 17:00 on Saturday and Sunday (including lunch break). The number of participants in the course is limited to 10, with a minimum of 5 participants. The course is suitable for intermediate, as well as advanced beginners (course in Czech with the option of translation into English/Russian).

List of recommended supplies:

- watercolor paints in TUBES of artistic quality (shades + pigment numbers are listed): Cadmium Orange PO20 (or any single-pigment orange), Lavender, Emerald Green PG7, Ultramarine PB29, Cobalt Blue, Blue Indanthrene PB60, Burnt Sienna, Phtalo Blue PB15, any transparent yellow - e.g. Gamboge or Indian Yellow, Titanium White, Raw Sienna (ochre/quinacridone gold), cool red (Alizarin Crimson/Carmine/Madder Lake), bright pink (Opera Pink/Quinacridone Rose/Quinacridone Pink), Perylene Violet/Quinacridone Violet (pure single-pigment violet)

- min 5 pcs of watercolor papers 1/4 sheet (100% cotton, CP, 300g) – size 28x38 (not too rough, e.g. Magnani, Hahnemuhle)
- brushes: 1 large mop or flat brush made of natural/very fine synthetic hairs that holds a lot of water; round synthetic brush that holds a good point; synthetic brush with a French binding (e.g. Da Vinci Casaneo no. 2); smaller brush for details; if you have and like to use them, calligraphic brushes are welcome

- soft pencil and plastic eraser - water container
- water spray

- palette (suitable with a larger mixing area)

- paper towels/tissues/sponge
- backing board (ideally non-absorbent surface, e.g. plastic) - masking tape 3 cm wide

Cancellation policy: If you cancel your participation more than a week before the start of the course, you will be refunded the full amount paid or offered a place on another course. If you cancel less than a week before the start of the course, you will be charged a 100% cancellation fee. The course organizer reserves the right to cancel the course in case of insufficient number of participants. In such a case, you will be offered a place on another course or refunded the full amount paid.