TAMBORINE Mountain News Journalist Shontae Iafeta tested her artistic abilities at Heather Dale’s three-hour Sip and Paint workshop.
I have always admired art for its elegance, creativity and variety, but I have never been able to replicate it myself.
The struggle of paintings not turning out the way you imagined, or a slight smudge ruining the whole piece are just a few thoughts that come to mind.
At Heather’s workshop, she reminded us that we’re often our own harshest critics and that sometimes a little messiness can be part of the process.
The objective for the evening was to learn how to paint leaves and flowers using watercolour.
I have struggled to paint with watercolour before, but Heather showed us how effortless it can be to use.
Her demonstrations were educational and easy to follow, and she was willing to repeat each step individually to ease our frustrations.
Heather’s attitude and patience when it came to beginners – like me – gave me hope that I could create something beautiful.
She began with a painting exercise for participants to get familiar with their paintbrush – teaching us how to draw everything from long, thick lines to dainty lines as thin as string.
The repetitiveness of the process was a great way to improve our strokes and paint more consistently.
Once we got comfortable with our paintbrushes, she taught us how to draw leaves, gradually building up the steps to make them look more realistic.
Our final task for the workshop was to paint florals.
When I saw Heather’s painting of lavender, I was concerned that my work couldn’t compare to hers.
She reassured me by saying that our paintings reflect our personalities, and I should paint for myself rather than for others.
None of my paintings were flawless, but I could see a significant improvement from my first painting of the evening to my last.
Although the workshop lasted only a few hours, Heather’s advice will last a lifetime.
DETAILS:
Patchworkdog Designs offers watercolour art classes and workshops for beginners and intermediate artists who want to bring loose florals and landscapes to life.
It’s more than just putting paint on paper – it’s about discovering the full potential of watercolour while enjoying great company.
For more information, contact Heather on 0415 549 522.
