WATERCOLOUR
AUTUMN
WEEKENDS

Barcas de Olhão become our starting point for exploring watercolor — not simply as colourful boats, but as a way of seeing the Algarve through observation, light, shape, and atmosphere.

Each weekend combines two carefully guided 4-hour sessions. We begin outdoors, observing and sketching the traditional boats in Olhão’s harbour, training the eye before putting brush to paper. Back in the studio, we explore the essential foundations of watercolor — understanding paints, papers, brushes, water, and colour — and gradually transform our sketches into expressive paintings full of light and character.

What We’ll Explore:

We begin by observing and sketching the boats outdoors, movig to getting familiar with essential watercolor materials — paints, papers, and brushes, consequently exploring pure watercolour skills that bringing artworks to life.

• Mixing colour with intention: understanding limited palettes, and how hue, value, and saturation shape every shade you mix.
• Luminosity & transparency: how to keep your colours vibrant, avoiding “pale” or “muddy” results.
• Brushwork & edges: exploring hard, soft, and dry edges through wet-in-wet and dry-in-wet techniques.
• Negative space & simplification: learning how few shapes you actually need to create atmosphere, contrast, and clarity.
• Confidence & looseness: practising the expressive, unpredictable beauty that makes watercolor so rewarding.

I’ll guide you step by step through the core watercolor techniques and compositional thinking. With practice and patience, you’ll discover how satisfying and expressive watercolor can be.
I’ll also teach you to love working with a big brush and using bold, confident strokes — so your paintings stay fresh, expressive, and not overworked!