Watercolor Basics and Beyond

Watercolor Basics and Beyond

Spring Class | Registration opens Wednesday, February 4, 2026 12:00 AM EST

414 Plush Mill Road Wallingford, PA 19086 United States
2nd floor Middle
Beginner and Intermediate
3/20/2026-5/1/2026
9:30 AM-12:30 PM EST on Fri
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$235.00
Member Discount Available

Watercolor Basics and Beyond

Spring Class | Registration opens Wednesday, February 4, 2026 12:00 AM EST

Explore the world of watercolor! Watercolor is a wonderful and spontaneous painting medium due to its vibrant and translucent nature, quick drying time, and easy set-up and clean-up. Learn the fundamental tools and techniques that will be the foundation for a successful painting. In this class we'll cover direct and layered painting methods, interesting color mixing, and painting with limited palettes that lends itself to dramatic and expressive paintings.

  • Schedule Notes:
    This is a short course that meets 6 times, from 3/20/2026 until 5/1/2026.
    The Community Arts Center will be closed for Spring Break from 3/29-4/5.
    Class will not meet on Friday 4/3/2026.

  • Paper: Arches 140 lb Cold Press Watercolor Block, Saunders Lb Cold Press. All are available in blocks of 9x12” or larger. I prefer the 14”x11” size. A full sheet can also be cut into quarter sheets and attached to a board.

    Brushes:
    - Wash Brush
    - Synthetic blend mop brushes
    - Round Brushes - 6”, 14” Some of the brands I use are Escoda Perla and Black Velvet Watercolor Brushes 3000S. Both are good synthetic brushes.
    - Rigger or Liner Brush - These brushes make fine lines with ease. A good alternative is also a smaller size round brush like a size 2” from above suggested brands.

    Paints: Daniel Smith, Holbein
    - Yellows - Yellow Ochre, Isoidoline Yellow (Daniel Smith), Cadmium Yellow Light
    - Reds - Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Opera Rose, Pyrrhol Orange
    - Blues - Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Turquoise, Horizon Blue
    - Oranges - Permanent Orange
    - Greens - Viridian, Permanent Green Light
    - Purples - Ultramarine Violet, Mineral Violet
    - Browns - Burnt Sienna, vandyke Brown, Sepia
    - Semi Opaques - Jaune Brilliant 1 and 2 (Daniel Smith), Lavender (Holbein)

    Other Supplies: Palette - I use a Stephen Quiller Travelling Palette that is very useful for mixing colors according to the color wheel. You can use any palette that you are comfortable with.

    Pencils - Mechanical or any 2b pencil, Kneaded Eraser, Viva Paper towel roll, Water container, masking tape, backing board to attach the paper, sponge, spray bottle (Holbein spray bottle), small sketchbook.

    Disclaimer: The above materials are just a recommendation that I use. It is important to use paper that is at least 140 lb or higher to get good results. You can use any of the above brands for paints. These make for excellent color mixing and granulation. I have listed a mix of both warm and cool colors in each of the color categories.

Radhika Srinivas

Radhika Srinivas is an award-winning artist, living and working in the Philadelphia area. She has participated in juried exhibitions and plein air events at a regional and national level. Some of her notable awards include the Outstanding Watercolor Award in the Bold brush Online monthly competition in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2023. During a trip to France in 2022 with a plein air group, two of her paintings were acquired by Miles Copeland III, an entertainment executive and former manager of the music band, The Police.  Her paintings are also in the collection of the city of Wilmington, Delaware, The Valley Forge National Park and Raymond James Financial. In addition, her paintings are in private collections in the USA, India and Singapore.

Radhika has a bachelor's degree in fine arts from India, a post graduate degree in textile design from The Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, and a certificate in graphic design from The Parsons School of Design, New York. While living in the US, Radhika had pursued her career as a textile designer; her designs were featured in the International Textile Design shows at the Jacob Javitz Convention Center in New York. She worked in New York as a designer at a renowned custom carpet company, catering to elite clientele.

Her source of inspiration comes from her various travels around the world, Chester County, Pennsylvania and everyday urban street life. She enjoys painting en plein air and also out of her studio in Devon.  She is a signature member and the Past President of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society, a signature member of the National Watercolor Society, Pennsylvania Watercolor Society and the American Impressionist Society. She has gallery representation at the Square Pear Gallery, Kennett Square, PA.