Brush Basics - Watercolor NEW! Online Class Apr 13

Brush Basics - Watercolor NEW! Online Class
Sunday, April 13, 1-2:30pm MT
Instructor: Lexis Krieg
Limit: 25 students. All participants must be 15 years or older.
*New Class Format: This new type of class focuses on techniques instead of a finished project. Class materials not included  - see the class materials list below for what to have on hand.

Class Details

Unlock the full potential of your watercolor brushes – and your inner creativity – in this fun, exploratory art experience with Denver artist Lexis Krieg. She emphasizes that this class is not about creating perfect art or a specific piece. The point is to disengage from the expectations imposed by the word “art”, to learn by experimenting, and to build muscle memory through repetitive practice. One student said she’d done brush work in several classes with Lexis before, but she “finally got it” while doing the focused practice in this class. 

Lexis has created playful exercises to help you explore making a variety of strokes and using different brushes. You’ll practice working with shape and adjusting pressure – subtle techniques that can make a big difference with watercolors. At the same time, you’ll build a sampler of brush strokes to serve as a reference for later work.

No prior brush or watercolor experience is required. This class is perfect for artists, creatives, and the creatively curious at every level. Whether you're a beginner or experienced artist, enjoy the freedom to explore without judgment. Lexis sums up the class perfectly: you’re still making art, even if it’s not a finished piece! 

There is some required pre-class work, which should take no more than thirty minutes. You'll receive instructions via email ahead of the class.

This online class will be recorded and made available to class participants for 14 days after the class.

Class Materials

Please bring the following materials:

• A single pan or tube of watercolor. Black is a great option but not required. (Using one color forces you to look at shape and form instead of being distracted by color.) Results are better with at least student-grade paints.
  
• At least four loose pieces of watercolor paper, 9x12" or smaller. (Speedball's Fluid Watercolor Paper or Strathmore Watercolor Paper are both good choices, but most any watercolor paper will work.)
  
• Some small pieces of the same watercolor paper to practice on
• Brushes: one round (a #6, 8, 10, or 12) and a flat angled brush (1/2 to 3/4 inch). Pick a brush that feels intuitively good to you. Results will be better with at least a student-grade brush. Princeton Snap brushes are a good value and work well. 
  
• Drafting tape
• Small piece of something sturdy, such as a cutting mat, chipboard, masonite, or a clipboard - for taping down the watercolor paper
• One container for water
• Paper towels
• Optional: small spray bottle of water for wetting your watercolors

Zoom Info

An email will be sent to participants the Monday before the class. Classes with homework may receive pre-class info earlier.  The email includes class date/time, materials list, pre-class prep, and Zoom link/info. No email? Double check the email address you entered when you registered and your SPAM folder. Due to SPAM filters and inbox settings, we cannot guarantee you will see, read, or open these emails. Two Hands Paperie assumes no responsibility for non-attendance of a class. Contact twohandsclasses@gmail.com with any questions and see our Class Policies page for more information. 

Class Refund/Cancellation Policy - Online Class Without Kit

For cancellation made 14 days before class we can either issue a refund or apply the funds to another class. We retain a $10 processing fee for EACH class cancelled. If you cancel fewer than 14 days before the class there is no refund or credit. If Two Hands Paperie cancels a class, we’ll contact you by email and refund the FULL class fee.

Instructor Bio

Lexis Krieg is the artist, illustrator, and designer behind Lexisworks, a business she started in 2008 as an outlet for her personal creativity. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t making something. She took every art class in high school, then left to study art at Minnesota State University Moorhead. While there Lexis fell in love with graphic design and, as she explains, decided to leave the “real art" to “artists.” She worked as a graphic designer for a while but, after being laid off twice, she ended up growing her freelance business to satisfy her creativity and her urge to create with her own hands.

Her background in graphic design shines through the art she creates now: custom murals, surface patterns, illustrations, hand lettering, and mixed media paintings. No surprise that her studio is stuffed with vintage papers, tubes of paint, containers full of brushes and pens, old sketchbooks, glue, and a collection of materials for her daughters to create with. She’s decided she is an artist after all, and enjoys teaching workshops as a way to help others discover their own creative talents.

When people ask Lexis where she’s from she takes a deep breath and recites: “Alaska, Oregon, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and now Colorado.” (Somewhere in there she managed to live in England for a while.) Colorful Colorado became her home almost 15 years ago, and she’s been inspired by the Rocky Mountains ever since. Lexis takes any opportunity she can to get out and explore the Colorado landscape with her husband Bear, their two daughters, and their dog, Jackson.

See more Lexis' work on her website and on instagram @lexisworks.