From Composition Cheat Sheets to Watercolor “Cauliflowers”

-advertisement-
American Watercolor Weekly is not affiliated with American Watercolor Society

Wow! What a week we had at this year’s Watercolor Live! Many of us are still feeling the energy from the all-day painting demonstrations and presentations, the paint-alongs and the camaraderie.

On the final day, we learned from none other than Björn Bernström, Frank Eber, Sandra L. Strohschein, Mary Jansen, Harsh Agrawal, and Xi Guo. We appreciate these amazing artists for coming in and sharing their knowledge, and we thank all of you who joined us live (or are enjoying the replays).

Eric Rhoads, CEO and Publisher, pausing for us to get a "group selfie" during Watercolor Live
Eric Rhoads, CEO and Publisher, pausing for us to get a “group selfie” during Watercolor Live – we always make learning fun!

We’re also grateful for our sponsors for sharing extra sessions on Friday! This shout-out goes to Platinum Sponsor Blick Art Materials featuring Emily Olson and Eleanor Doughty; Platinum Sponsor Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff; Gold Sponsors Fabriano & Isabey featuring Andrew Cook; and Royal Talens featuring Vic Hollins. We appreciate you!

The next Live event is March 26-28, 2025, with the inaugural Acrylic Live. Join us then to be with fellow painters online for days of demonstrations, Q&A with your favorite artists, mingling during the breakout rooms and cocktail hours, and the incredible faculty painting auction.

Here’s a recap of just some of the incredible moments from Day 3 of Watercolor Live:

From Björn Bernström's Watercolor Live demo
From Björn Bernström’s Watercolor Live demo

Coming to us from an old schoolhouse-turned-studio in Stockholm, Sweden, Björn Bernström gave us good reasons to strive for, rather than avoid, creating “cauliflowers” in a watercolor painting.

From Frank Eber's "Figure in the Landscape" session
From Frank Eber’s “Figure in the Landscape” session

Frank Eber strives to create timeless art in both oil and watermedia and works in a direct, loose style influenced by the Old World Masters. His demo featured an interesting lady dressed in all red against a mix of darker buildings, other pedestrians, and vehicles in the background. He referred to his work as a “mid-range” portrait because it’s a mix of a street scene and a portrait.

From Sandra L. Strohschein's winter landscape lesson
From Sandra L. Strohschein’s winter landscape lesson

Joining us from northern Michigan, Sandra Strohschein took us through her process of painting a snowy riverbank with watercolor. She tends to work very quickly, and points out that she uses a five-step plan to make sure her work stays on track to achieve more successful paintings. “But even with the disappointments,” she says, “it’s still a lot of fun.”

The finished painting from Mary Jansen's still life painting featuring a heron she named "Augustus"
The finished painting from Mary Jansen’s still life painting featuring “Augustus”

Nature enthusiast Mary Jansen said she loves “to bring out their inherent beauty” through her watercolor paintings of various birds, starting with a camera in the wild, where she feels at home. Once she’s inspired by a bird “busting with personality,” she then paints it within a still life. Her focus was on a mischievous bird she calls “Augustus.”

Harsh Agrawal watercolor live 2025
From Harsh Agrawal’s watercolor landscape demo

Harsh Agrawal joined us from his studio in London to give us a demonstration using a photo reference of a California beach. He used distinct elements from the photo to create a unique scene in watercolor.
Tip: Harsh said he begins with thumbnail sketches to create a composition “cheat sheet.”

From Xi Guo's still life lesson
From Xi Guo’s still life lesson

In this photo (above), you can see how Xi Guo used an X-Acto blade to scrape away the top layer of the paint to create additional highlights for her watercolor still life demo of a painting she calls “The End of the Summer.”

Remember: The next Live event is coming in March with Acrylic Live, so visit Acrylic.com now to register and be with fellow artists online for days of demonstrations, Q&A with your favorite artists, and mingling during the breakout rooms and cocktail hours, and more!

***

See related articles on the art of watercolor painting here…


LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here