9 video lessons · 170+ minutes · Self-paced · Lifetime access
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Spring Florals is all about taking watercolour beyond the brush. We'll combine it with drawing and mixed media to create expressive floral paintings filled with colour, texture, movement and personality. This course is a great fit if:
You want to loosen up
Step away from carefully controlled watercolour and explore a more playful, expressive way of painting.
You're curious about mixed media
Learn what works beautifully with watercolour, what behaves a little strangely and how to combine different materials with confidence.
You've accumulated a few art supplies
Pencils, pastels, pens, charcoal... bring them along. We'll experiment with what you've got rather than chasing the perfect materials.
You want to find more of your own style
Instead of simply copying a finished painting, you'll experiment, make creative decisions and discover combinations that feel like you.
Take a look inside Spring Florals and get a feel for the projects, materials and wonderfully messy mixed media approach we'll explore throughout the course.
Learn how watercolour interacts with pencils, pastels, ink and other drawing materials ...and how the order you use them can completely change the result.
Explore expressive mark-making and discover how simple lines, scribbles, scratches and gestures can add movement and character.
Let go of some of that careful control and learn to use watercolour in a freer, more expressive way.
Layer transparent paint with opaque and linear media to create contrast and bring your work to life.
Learn when a painting needs a little more... and when it's time to put the pencil down and walk away.
Use everything you've explored to plan, build and complete your own expressive mixed media floral artwork.
Give ten people the same subject and the same handful of materials and you'll get ten completely different paintings. Here are just a few pieces created by students using the techniques explored in Spring Florals.
9 professionally filmed video lessons
Over 170 minutes of relaxed, practical tuition.
Comprehensive course eBook
Extra information, exercises, prompts and plenty of useful bits to refer back to.
Reference images
Use the supplied floral references alongside the course projects.
Scans of project work
Take a closer look at the marks, layers and details created throughout the demonstrations.
Materials guide
A handy guide to the materials used throughout the course, without suggesting you need to own every single one.
Lifetime access
Come back whenever inspiration strikes.
Learn at your own pace
Binge it over a weekend or work through one experiment at a time. There's no deadline.
One-off payment
No subscription or ongoing course fees.
I have done all of Natalie's previous courses, and loved them all. I always struggle with being loose and free with my paintings. This latest course allows you to not have to rely on just the watercolour to get the effect, but to add in other mediums as well, and loosen up a bit. I absolutely love it.
Raylene
Spring Florals in Mixed Media is my fifth Natalie Martin Watercolour course and definitely one of my favourites. Natalie has a special way of explaining how to get the materials to work for you, and it always produces surprising and beautiful results. I really love how the use of mixed media can lift a piece above and beyond. I was always scared of "wasting" my materials, but now I go in with an open mind and creative heart to produce art I'm happy with. I'm already looking forward to the next course!
Rachel
Really enjoyed this! I loved the “freeness” of Natalie’s teaching this course . I learned to trust myself to experiment more and actually like the results!
Candace
I'm an Australian watercolour artist and educator, and while watercolour has been at the centre of my practice for many years, I've never been particularly interested in keeping it neatly inside its own little box.
My own work often combines watercolour with pastel, pencil and hand-drawn marks. I love the contrast between loose, fluid paint and something scratchier, bolder or a little less predictable layered over the top.
I've been teaching watercolour since 2016, both in person and online, and my approach is relaxed, practical and experimental. I'll show you what I know, explain why things work and then encourage you to take those ideas and make them your own.There's no single "right" result we're aiming for here.
Bring your curiosity. We'll work out the rest.
Hint: Bring what you've got
This isn't a course that requires a giant shopping list. In fact, part of the fun is rummaging through your existing art supplies and seeing what you can put to work.
I'll demonstrate with a range of different materials throughout the course, but you absolutely don't need to have them all. The idea is to experiment, try different combinations and discover what you enjoy using.
I have a list of what I prefer to use here.
You'll need your usual watercolour setup: paints, brushes and good-quality watercolour paper, plus a selection of drawing and mixed media materials. That might include:
Drawing materials
Pencils, water-soluble pencils, fineliners, fountain pens, charcoal or brush pens.
Coloured media
Coloured pencils, pastels or other colourful drawing materials you've got lying around.
Watercolour
Your usual paints, brushes, palette and water jars.
Paper
I recommend 300gsm cold press watercolour paper for the course projects. Ideally 100% cotton.
Something to watch on
Laptop, tablet or phone.
Take the guesswork out of mixing colour and learn to create the colours you actually want.
Take your mixed media experiments out into the landscape with expressive colour, composition and mark-making.
