Expressive Triads:

Limited Palettes, Unlimited Possibilities

A Shari Blaukopf Online
Sketching & Watercolour Painting Course

Triads: A three-part harmony

Here’s a question that pops up often in my inbox: What colours would you carry in your palette if you were going to Tahiti? Or Utah? Or Prague? The implication being that for every new destination, you need different colours.

My answer never changes. I fill my palette with the same 18 colours no matter where I go. Because with these 18 well-selected colours — or 12 or even a pared down 6 — you can choose a handful of colours to paint or sketch almost anything.

This course is a starting point for exploring not only how limited palettes can give your work greater unity and harmony — a harmony that sings. But also how a limited palette opens up greater creative possibilities. How it can help to express what you see and feel, not merely depict it (we’re artists, after all, not photographers!). How limited colour choices actually expand your expressive range.

In this course, we’ll learn about triads 3 ways

First, we’ll look at three scenes from three very different places (tropical, snowy winter, desert). Then I’ll show you how I choose a limited palette of colours — an expressive triad — for each.

Second, we’ll see how the pure primary colours look on paper. Then we’ll combine them to create secondary colours, tints, neutrals and darks — all from just three colours.

Third, we’ll tackle each scene using the triad I’ve chosen for it. But remember, there are dozens of ways to approach each scene, and I've chosen a triad that expresses my own way of seeing. Ultimately, my goal is to make you think differently about colour and limited palettes. In fact, after watching me, I encourage you to try out your own triad for each scene!

In Expressive Triads, you’ll learn how to:

• Choose a primary triad of colours to convey a particular scene
• Choose an “anchor blue” to build your triad and set the scene
• Practice mixing colours to see the subtleties of each primary, secondary, neutral, dark and tint — all made possible by a single triad
• Gain confidence and efficiency at mixing colour
• Use fewer colours to obtain cleaner mixes
  

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to apply everything you’ve learned to your own sketchbooks. The ones you take on trips, on walks or when you’re in studio.

My 3-hour-plus Expressive Triads course includes:

• 3 full-length demos you can watch at your own pace, as often as you like
• A pdf of my accordion book showing 7 identical scenes I painted using 7 different triads, so you can see the range of expressive possibilities
• Closeup views of my brush and paper so you can see the relationship between the wetness of brush and dampness of paper
• Downloadable drawings for each scene, so we can spend more time mixing and applying colour
• Downloadable reference images, so you can draw and paint along
• A detailed list of tools and materials you’ll need, along with a video show-and-tell
• A comments section where you can ask questions and post your finished work using expressive triads

Love to paint and sketch and want to create your own fresh, expressive scenes in watercolour?

This course is for you!

Course Length: 3.5 hours

Skill Level: All Levels

3 Ways You'll Build Your Colour Skills

FAQ

How long is this course?

It’s over 3 hours in duration, and includes THREE full-length demos plus practice exercises so you can strengthen your skills.

How long will I have access to this course?

Once you sign up, the course is yours to watch as often as you like.

Who is this course for?

This is a course that any sketcher with basic drawing and watercolour skills can follow. We cover all the steps including colour mixing and watercolour painting.

What tools will I need?

We’ll cover painting tools in some detail at the start of the course, and you can download a list of materials.

Will I have access to all the lessons at once?

Yes, once you register you’ll have access to all the lessons so you can start learning, drawing and painting immediately.

How do I find the courses I am enrolled in?

Go to the top of the page and look for the "My Courses" tab. All the courses you have registered for are right there.