As a Prussian Blue or Green Gold Member, each month you will be invited to take part in a live tutorial, led by Ali via the Zoom platform. It will be a ‘Paint Along’ style of delivery, meaning that Ali will paint just a little ahead of you and allow short pauses during the session to give you time to catch up.

The advantage of this in comparison to the pre-recorded sessions are that you can ask questions, chat to other painters like yourself at the start and end of the session, plus be able to re-visit this page after the tutorial to view a timelapse recording of Ali’s piece to have another go. Below you will find everything you need to attend plus extra information to be able to enjoy your time together.

What you will learn this month:

From Ali:
Continuing on from the Horse Chestnut tutorial that the Cobalt Violet members (and yourself) are enjoying, this session looks at layering up colours but this time to show distance instead of strengthening colour.
We will develop layers of trees and use colour temperature to describe how far away they are, therefore creating atmosphere and drama in our composition.

The reference Ali will be working from:

You will need to have your reference printed out on photographic paper or on a separate device during the session to be able to refer to detail, tone and colour.

Your line drawing:

Ali will be using the following line drawing as the starting point for her painting, please make sure there is plenty of space around the subject so you can expand any element as it’s required. May we suggest that you print this out (via the download link below) onto an A4 sheet of plain paper and use it to trace or transfer onto your surface before the session starts? There is further information below. You may, of course, wish to work from your own photographs or those you have acquired elsewhere, this is actively encouraged, just please make sure the images you are using are free from copyright and if you are unsure, please refer to the terms and conditions of membership.

How to prepare for the session:

1. Gather the equipment you will need from the list below plus anything you think might work as an alternative…just in case

2. Draw out your composition ready on your surface. You are very welcome to do more or less than Ali does, judge how you can get the best out of your time together so that it is fun alongside learning techniques.
   You could draw it out ready in various ways, either by drawing out the composition freehand to practice skills, or using a transfer method such as tracing paper or Tracedown.

3. Choose which of the sessions you would like to attend from the details below, you don’t need to let Ali know, just turn up and if you would like to come to both to have more than one go at the project, you will always be very welcome.

4. Log in to the Zoom session at least ten minutes before the start, Ali will begin promptly and won’t wait, however, you are welcome to come and go as you please.

5. After the session (giving Ali 48 hours) return to this page to view a timelapse of Ali’s project (see the details below)

The Equipment you will need:

Please feel free to use variations to suit your budget or particular situation, exact replication of the materials is not essential for the success of your piece.

1. The photograph either printed out or visible on a device

2. The line drawing if you are following Ali, printed out and then transferred onto your surface (or drawn freehand if you prefer to practice your drawing skills)

3. A way of transferring it to your surface such as Tracedown and a biro

4. Something to lean on approx. 17x13 inches such as a drawing board, a flat tray, piece of wood, cardboard etc.

5. Something to slightly tip up your surface – a drawing board rest, slope, a pencil case, rolled up newspaper etc.

6. Watercolour Paper, Ali suggests using Saunders Waterford 300gsm (140lb) in a ‘NOT’ or a "‘ROUGH’ surface, either traditional white or extra white. However, you may also consider Agave watercolour paper, Arches watercolour paper, Millford watercolour paper or Fabriano Artistico. Papers that don’t have any cotton content such as Bockingford or Cotman will also be okay, you will just find you have slightly less time to move the colour around on them.

7. You will need an old piece of watercolour paper that matches the surface you choose to use for this tutorial. There will be techniques you will want to practice before doing them on your main painting.

8. Framers tape/masking tape/low tac tape (for attaching things or creating a border)

9. Good size water pot or an old jam jar

10. Kitchen Roll

11. Spray Bottle – an old one repurposed for water is fine, make sure it delivers a fine mist

12. A palette to mix on or an old white plate

13. Gouache, good quality in Permanent White (if edits or texture are required at the end)

14. Pencil & Eraser (putty and/or plastic)

15. Hairdryer or low heat gun

16. Brushes – any type suitable for watercolour techniques will be fine (not bristle), they will need to have a point on them and there is no denying that you get what you pay for with brushes but invest what you can afford. Ali will be using The SAA’s Imitation Sable range in a variety of sizes

17. Watercolour paints in tubes or squeezed out into pans to reinvigorate, study the photo being used as a reference to get a brief idea, again as good quality as you can afford. Ali will be using the following amongst others: Cobalt Turquoise (or equivalent), Moonglow, Prussian Blue, Quinacridone Gold, Black Iron Oxide and Rose of Ultramarine

18. A sketching pen in dark grey

19. A notebook to jot down anything important as we go along plus a camera or smartphone to record your progress

The live, paint along tutorial:

The session is hosted on Zoom, please click the link or the image to be taken straight to the virtual room. If your device needs to be updated or you haven’t accessed Zoom before, you may need to type the details manually.

Date and Time:

Wednesday 19th October at either 10:00 or 18:00
(UK Time)

Choose either session and simply turn up in the virtual room, ten minutes before the tuition starts or you are welcome to attend both.

Would you like to attend in the studio?

There are also limited spaces to attend at the studio in person (with additional screen access) at no extra charge, you only need to book your place below.
Please note that you have to go through the checkout with a nil payment to book.

After your tutorial:

During one of the two live sessions, Ali will record her whole demo from an overhead camera. This footage will have no recognisable faces or voices, just the footage increased in speed so that you can watch it back, revisit how Ali tackled the subject and pause it if you wish to have another go at the project. Please allow at least 48 hours after the session for her to be able to edit and upload it and you will be able to watch it for the remainder of your membership.

To slow down the footage:

Hover your mouse in the centre of the playing video and click on the Settings icon, which resembles a gear.
Find the gear icon and click it.
In the menu, scroll to find Playback speed and click it.
YouTube gives you eight options for playback speed.
The smaller the number, the slower the video — for example, .25x will be played at one-quarter of the normal rate (the slowest possible).
Once you've clicked on your desired speed, play the video again.
You may have to change your browser's default player if you don't see the above setting for playback-speed manipulation. To make that change, paste "www.youtube.com/html5" into your browser's address bar, then select "Request the HTML5 player," followed by "Use the default player."

How to slow down YouTube videos on mobile:

At the top of the screen, tap the three vertical lines or dots to access the settings menu.
In the pop-up menu, tap Playback Settings.
Under Speed, tap the down arrow to access the video playrate options.
Change the video's playrate under the Speed heading.
Toggle to find the desired video speed rate (remember: smaller numbers mean a slower rate).
Tap Ok.

The Completed Paintings (from both sessions):

Don’t forget to share your progress or ask for help in the All A-Board Artists Facebook group…