One day workshop with Kevin Scully
Sunday 1 November 2026- 10am to 4pm – £75 (plus bring some materials – list below)
This workshop is suitable for adults.
We will be examining an extensive range of techniques, some old, and some new that can be used to enhance and enliven your watercolour paintings. You will be guided through one of the most important aspects of watercolour painting, which is choosing the best materials and then learning how to use them.
You will be incorporating a range of techniques into some finished watercolour paintings rather than carrying out individual exercises.
All reference material will be provided.
See the list of materials to bring for the workshop below.
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Materials to bring
Here is a list of basic equipment for painting in watercolour. You don’t necessarily need everything listed here, but these are the materials I use most of the time. Please adjust or amend it as necessary and include any of your favourite materials.
Note: There will be some materials available for you to use free of charge if you don’t have everything.
Paper:
Watercolour Block, loose paper, or pad approx. 9″ x 12″, or 12″ x 16″
300 g/m2 (140 lb) NOT surface (Cold pressed). Arches, Fabriano, or Saunders Waterford are all excellent makes. More economical brands are Bockingford or Langton.
Paints
‘Artists Quality’ watercolours in small tubes are the best, as these allow you to mix large amounts of colour for washes. Or if you prefer, pans of colour in a folding palette. Winsor & Newton (preferably not Cotman), Jackson’s, Schmincke, Sennelier, or Daniel Smith are among the best quality watercolours.
Suggested colours: This is a fairly comprehensive list, and you don’t necessarily need everything listed here, but these are the ones I use most of the time. Please adjust or amend it if you wish to include any of your favourites.
- Cadmium Yellow Light
- Cerulean Blue
- Cobalt Blue
- French Ultramarine
- Viridian Green or Phthalo Green
- Hooker’s Green or Sap Green
- Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochre
- Burnt Sienna
- Raw Umber
- Burnt Umber
- Cadmium Red
- Alizarin Crimson
- Permanent Rose or Magenta
- Winsor Violet or Dioxazine Purple
- Payne’s Grey
- Neutral Tint
Brushes
Round, watercolour brushes in sizes 3, 8, and 10 or 12. It’s important that these brushes are of good quality and that they form a point when wet. Sables are expensive, so synthetic ones are a good substitute. I use Jackson’s ‘Studio Synthetic’, or ‘Pro Arte’ brushes.
A square ½”, or 1” brush, and a larger one for covering large areas
Other Materials:
- HB pencil and sharpener
- A drawing board for taping your paper to – approximately A3 size
- Masking tape
- Small bottle of masking fluid – preferably blue
- Small tube of white gouache
- Tissues/Kitchen towel
- Large palette with several mixing wells
- Putty rubber
- Ruler
- Scalpel or craft knife
- An old, stiff-haired stencil brush or hog-hair oil painting brush
- A couple of jars for holding water
- A small atomiser spray bottle to hold water, for re-wetting your painting
Cancellation policy.
Please note that a ticketing fee of £5 is included in the price of this workshop and this is not refundable in any circumstance.
If you are unable to attend the workshop and you cancel your attendance more than two weeks prior to the workshop, the ticketing fee above will be retained. If you cancel less than two weeks before the workshop no fees are refundable.
In the event of City Arts having to cancel the workshop due to participants’ numbers falling below the minimum requirement or government advice changes, we will refund the whole workshop amount.