Free watercolor classes offered at Gmeiner

Still life watercolor by Kathy Pilling-Whitney.

Wellsboro, Pa. — The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center will host a series of free watercolor classes for adults in the Studio at the Gmeiner.

All classes will be led by Kathy Pilling-Whitney of Tioga, who has years of teaching experience and is an accomplished watercolor painter. There will be two beginner sessions in June, and then a series of three classes in July for those who want to learn more advanced techniques.

The classes are free, but students must provide their own materials. For these classes, students will need to purchase a set of watercolor paints (tubes or pans – not opaque), at least six sheets of 140 pound watercolor paper (8x10", 9x12" or 11x14"), a watercolor palette to mix colors, and a set of watercolor (not acrylic) brushes.

The beginner class will be offered on two dates: Sun., June 4 and Sun., June 25 from 10 a.m. to noon. This class is intended for students who have little to no experience with watercolor painting and is limited to 12 students per session. The beginner class will be an exploration of the properties of transparent watercolor so that students can become familiar with the medium and increase their confidence in using it. The two-hour class will include discussion of the following: masking white vs. leaving white vs. using tape, transparent vs. opaque watercolor, and the use of watercolor markers and watercolor pencils.

Still life watercolor by Kathy Pilling-Whitney.

Students will also explore fluid (wet-in-wet), wet-on-dry, and drybrush techniques. Demonstrations and coaching will be done for both still life and abstract designs. Students should leave the class with at least one painting, increased skills and confidence in using watercolors, and perhaps a desire to continue developing their skills in the advanced series of classes. The advanced classes will be held on July 9, 16, and 23 from 10 a.m. to noon.

This series of classes is intended to greatly develop the students’ ability to use watercolors, and is open to students who took the beginner class or who have previous experience with watercolors. It is limited to 12 participants. The first class will start with a review of basic techniques, and then participants will practice various watercolor techniques over the course of the three days using a variety of subject matter. Students will paint a mostly white still life creating depth and shadows without using black. They will paint a floral design and learn about color glazing with watercolors, and they will complete an abstract design.

Participants should sign up for all three sessions by [email protected] or calling 570-724-1917. The Gmeiner is located at 134 Main Street, behind the Green Free Library.

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