From March 28 to April 8, 2022, short-term workshops took place at Art Academy of Latvia as part of the EU4ART project. Students from the EU4ART university alliance, consisting of the art academies in Budapest, Dresden, Riga and Rome had the opportunity to participate in workshops on graphics, painting and sculpture.

The aim of the course is to learn the basics and deepen knowledge of watercolour techniques in painting. The workshop includes theoretical knowledge about the qualities and components of watercolours, the principles of creating artist’s own palette, as well as how to choose right brushes for watercolour painting and take care of them.

The course will present two fundamentally different types of watercolour techniques: “Wet-In-Wet” and “Dry” watercolour. It is planned to master watercolours step by step, create sketches and finished works in various genres: still life, plain air painting (classes will be held on outside), landscape, figurative genre, portrait, and abstraction.

Watercolours will also be presented as an underpainting technique for other types of paints: egg tempera, acrylic, oil, while it will be told about the peculiarities of canvas priming, the choice of watercolour paper, etc.

The principles of how to use some methods of watercolour technique in oil painting to make your paintings with more vibrant and vivid colours also will be shown.

The course also includes a theoretical overview and analysis of the works of artists working in watercolour techniques: John Singer Sargent, Andrew Wyeth, Anders Zorn, Marlene Dumas, Janis Rozentals, Paul Klee, David Hockney and others.
The course was conducted by artist Anna Pommere. Photo: Jēkabs Ozols.