Online Art School «Artefacto»
ONLINE Learning program
by Konstantin Sterkhov
Fundamentals of watercolor
Learn the core principles of watercolor painting and create your own collection of 10 paintings using the author's approach
Language: English
ONLINE Learning program by Konstantin Sterkhov
Fundamentals of watercolor
Learn the core principles of watercolor painting and create your own collection of 10 paintings using the author's approach
Language: English
«You can practice eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at painting the wrong way.
Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.»
Our learning program at a glance...
It might seem that professional artists just simply splash some paint all over the paper, make random brush strokes, and come up with amazing artwork. Without any effort at all! 😳
And then there's us - regular humans who adore the magic of watercolor and want to make it easy and spontaneous… but it's far from our expectations and we come up with an unpredictable result.
Watercolor obeys its own rules knowing which you will save years of learning and start having fun right during your first tries.
We have systemized core rules of watercolor and came up with 8 key elements of a successful painting. Will guide you through this journey in detail!
Can you relate to any of this? If yes, you may need some help with «fundamentals»
- You don't know what to start with
- Your result is unpredictable and lacks structure
- You are not sure if the painting is complete or it needs more work
- You feel stressed while painting, lack control over the process
- Sometimes you do not know what next step to take
- You want to have regular feedback on your paintings, progress, and areas for improvement
Learning Program
Module 1. Materials
we will learn everything we need to know about materials and organizing our workspace for the successful use of watercolors.
6 lessons, 1 h 32 min
All about materials
Learn about materials needed to paint with watercolor (paper, paints. brushes, board, paper tape, masking, etc.).
Paper is the key
Talk about different paper types and characteristics. Test paper to see when to apply which.
Types of brushes
Look at different types of brushes, their characteristics and «traces».
Minimum set of brushes
Learn and prove on an easy sketch that 4 brushes are enough to make a painting.
Watercolor paints
Talk about paints and rules of locating paints on the palette, paint our own palette.
Organization of a workplace
Learn to organize a workplace, see how Konstantin's workplace is organized.
Module 2. Techniques
We will apply different watercolor techniques and observe their differences. We will also learn to avoid dryness, make washes and strokes.
4 lessons, 1 h 19 min
Strokes and washes
Learn to make strokes and washes right, to make soft transitions, to avoid «cauliflowers», to make hitching, etc.
Basic techniques
Learn the difference and nuances of wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, dry-on-dry, dry-on-wet, wet-on-moist.
5 simple sketches
Learn to apply and combine basic techniques on 5 simple sketches.
Sky and a shore
Paint a landscape and combine the techniques learned. Learn to paint the sky, clouds, shore.
Module 3. Tonal values
We will see why tone is more important than color and we will learn to carry out tonal analysis of a color image.
2 lessons, 50 min
Tonal values
Talk about the gradation of the color, learn to make the tonal analysis of a colored image.
Italian landscape
Paint an Italian landscape with mountains, sea, rocks, and forest.
Module 4. Colors
We will understand the principles of color combinations and talk about color temperature. We will learn to mix colors to get different shades.
4 lessons, 64 min
Itten color wheel
We will talk about the Itten color wheel.
Mixing colors
We will learn how to mix primary colors to get all other shades.
Warm and cool color
Learn about cool and warm colors and make two sketches to practice.
Flower composition
Make a flower painting based on a complementary color relationship.
Module 5. Texture
We will learn to convey the texture (material) of subjects in a painting. We will practice various techniques here: splashing, granulation, masking, opaque, glazing, scratching, lifting, etc.
3 lessons, 56 min
A variety of textures
Immerse into the world of textures, learn how we can depict them.
4 easy sketches
Apply dry brush, lifting, splashing, granulation, masking, glazing in different motives.
Magical trees
Will use a few effective approaches to create a landscape with textures.
Module 6. Edges
We will learn about their important role in a painting. We will find and create soft and hard edges of the subjects in our painting
2 lessons, 33 min
Hard and soft edges
Learn about hard and soft edges, where we can find and how to obtain them.
Feather
Paint a magic feather using soft and hard edges in the wet-in-wet technique.
Module 7. Shape
We will practice creating a 3D effect in our paintings. We will learn how to transmit the volume of the objects.
3 lessons, 1 h 26 min
Shape theory
Will discover how to obtain a 3D effect in drawing and painting.
Shape exercise
Practice making different objects look three-dimensional.
Still life with garlic
Paint a still life with garlic and talk about the 3-D effect of garlic and textile.
Module 8. Perspective
We will learn how to create an aerial perspective in a painting. We will practice applying the effect of distance and a variety of tones.
2 lessons, 52 min
Rules of perspective
Learn about the essentials of aerial perspective and make 4 exercises.
Chinese landscape
Paint a mountain landscape with the effect of distance and a variety of tones.
Module 9. Composition
The most critical part for the success of a painting! We will study different types of composition in a painting. We will learn to position objects correctly.
4 lessons, 2 h 38 min
Application method
Learn about types of composition, use applications to balance the composition.
Types of composition
Practice different types of composition.
Red dress
Find the right placing of objects and paint a dynamic landscape.
Arch and figures
Practice a frame composition with a backlit architectural object and a figure in the center.
Module 10. Final artwork
We will create an effective painting «Blooming Sakura» using the knowledge and skills we got at the course.
2 lessons, 52 min
Making accents
Finalize the knowledge gained in the course and talk about accents.
Final task. Sakura
Learn to make strong accents of blooming sakura using most of the knowledge from this course.
Bonus: practices from Konstantin Sterkhov
Reflection
Konstantin will tell you how to cope with despair if you do not like your work again and again and how to achieve the desired result.
Meditation
«Free your mind» Konstantin will show you one of the best ways to relax and prepare your mind for the creative process.
Have a look at
what our students have achieved during "Fundamentals of watercolor"
Roee Tan, Hong Kong
"Watercolor has been my passion since I was very young.Now I'm an interior designer.
I would like to say that the best thing about learning from Konstantin is that he makes it enjoyable! So that when we start something, we are not afraid.
And the fun of it, the joy of doing the next one and improving on what has been done and looking at the mistakes. And I won't make the same mistake again! So it's a learning process and I really enjoyed it, and I just want to thank Konstantin for it."
Paintings of Roee Tan
DeeDee Sklar, USA
"I started from absolute beginner level, buying a cheap set of paints from Amazon before a trip to California, inspired byJohn Lurie's fringe series called "Painting with John" on HBO. My daughter and I tried to make a painting while sitting in the yard of the house we had rented in Santa Barbarain April before I began the course (see below). As luck would have it, the following day, there was a group of painters by the coast and one was a watercolorist. I don't know how, but through him, I found Artefacto and feel so grateful. I have enjoyed the course immensely. Thank you, Konstantin, for your guiding mind and hand."
Paintings of DeeDee Sklar
Author's method
«My method is based on practice - it is like when you learn a foreign language, it is more effective when you start speaking straight away than when you learn first the rules and grammar. The same in painting.
In my courses, you start painting from the very beginning and learn the rules in parallel.
In my experience, this method brings results much faster and the student gets from point A to point B not noticing how it happened.»
What will we achieve during this learning program?
01
Get the right start in watercolor painting to build on
02
Understand the key rules and effective techniques in watercolor
03
Learn the step-by-step systematic approach
04
Apply acquired knowledge and create 10 paintings
05
Get into the truly active artistic community
06
Get the freedom to follow the learning program of any complexity
Get individual feedback on your paintings
You will get feedback on 10 final paintings during the first 90 days of studying from a professional curator (on Premium plan) or K.Sterkhov (on Elite plan).
- You will get a detailed review from the curator or K.Sterkhov highlighting key areas for improvement and providing recommendations!
- Curators are the artists who had formal education in fine art academy and were trained how to provide feedback/critique to the paintings
Participate in bi-weekly Zoom group sessions with Konstantin Sterkhov
During the course, we will hold 5 live sessions with Konstantin where you will paint, correct mistakes, and discuss interesting topics:
- Zoom sessions cover additional topics besides the general program
- Each session you create a new painting (5 Zoom sessions = 5 paintings)
- You have an opportunity to ask question during Q&A directly to Konstantin
- Recordings of Zoom sessions are provided the next day
Join our international artistic community!
Closed WA chat only for «Fundamentals of watercolor» students
- Students support and inspire each other every day
- They share advice, discuss the paintings and give feedback on them
- Like-minded people discuss various art-related topics there
- They feel at home with their friends
All the graduates may take part in Artefacto Online Exhibition
Here are the exemplarily results of our Third Online Exhibition:
- 92 students exhibited their works
- We awarded 8 winners in 5 categories
- Winners got the winner certificates, Koval sketchbooks, free 1 month membership in "Artefacto Family" and other valuable prizes
- All participants received the bonus of 50 ArtiCoins
Paintings by the winners of our last exhibition: Marian Mattinson, Miriam Tió, Greshna Dibble, Alba Cruz, Tejaswini Gangan, Svitlana Eccles-Kuznetsova, Manuela Vianello and Suneeta Verma.
Meet your learning program author
- Over 30 years of painting experience and 20 years of teaching practice
- 70 international and 10 solo exhibitions, member of the jury for various international competitions
- Konstantin's paintings are placed in museums, private and corporate collections worldwide
- Author of the book «Masters of Watercolor» and the founder of the magazine «Planet of Watercolor»
- Brand ambassador of the leading producers of art materials (Daniel Smith, Roubloff, Nevskaya Palette)
- Member of Artists Union of Russia, Saint-Petersburg Watercolor Society, and Watercolor Society of Finland
Examples of Konstantin's work
Learning program
«Fundamentals of watercolor»
We offer different plans
Standard
- 32 lessons in full HD from 2 camera angles (12h 30min)
- Lessons’ write-ups and checklists to measure your progress
- 2 unique lessons from Konstantin ("Meditation", "Reflection")
- 24/7 access from any location at your own pace
- Moderated students’ WhatsApp chat
- Online exhibition with valuable prizes for course students
- Bonus: 100 ArtiCoins
- 1 year access to video lessons if you pay all at once
Premium
- 32 lessons in full HD from 2 camera angles (12h 30min)
- Lessons’ write-ups and checklists to measure your progress
- 2 unique lessons from Konstantin («Meditation», «Reflection»)
- 24/7 access from any location at your own pace
- Moderated students’ WhatsApp chat
- Online exhibition with valuable prizes for course students
- Individual feedback from professional curator on each painting within 90 days
- Bonus: 150 ArtiCoins
- 1 year access to the video lessons if you pay all at once
Elite
- 32 lessons in full HD from 2 camera angles (12h 30min)
- Lessons’ write-ups and checklists to measure your progress
- 2 unique lessons from Konstantin ("Meditation", "Reflection")
- 24/7 access from any location at your own pace
- Moderated students’ WhatsApp chat
- Online exhibition with valuable prizes for course students
- Individual feedback from Konstantin Sterkhov on each painting within 90 days
- Bonus: 200 ArtiCoins
- 1 year access to the video lessons if you pay all at once
Standard
- 32 lessons in full HD from 2 camera angles (12h 30min)
- Lessons’ write-ups and checklists to measure your progress
- 2 unique lessons from Konstantin ("Meditation", "Reflection")
- 24/7 access from any location at your own pace
- Moderated students’ WhatsApp chat
- Online exhibition with valuable prizes for course students
- Bonus: 100 ArtiCoins
- 1 year access to lessons, if you pay all at once
Premium
- 32 lessons in full HD from 2 camera angles (12h 30min)
- Lessons’ write-ups and checklists to measure your progress
- 2 unique lessons from Konstantin ("Meditation", "Reflection")
- 24/7 access from any location at your own pace
- Moderated students’ WhatsApp chat
- Online exhibition with valuable prizes for course students
- Individual feedback from professional curator on each painting within 90 days
- Bonus: 150 ArtiCoins
- 1 year access to lessons, if you pay all at once
Elite
- 32 lessons in full HD from 2 camera angles (12h 30min)
- Lessons’ write-ups and checklists to measure your progress
- 2 unique lessons from Konstantin ("Meditation", "Reflection")
- 24/7 access from any location at your own pace
- Moderated students’ WhatsApp chat
- Online exhibition with valuable prizes for course students
- Individual feedback from Konstantin Sterkhov on each painting within 90 days
- Bonus: 200 ArtiCoins
- 1 year access to lessons, if you pay all at once
How do I get lifetime access to
the learning materials?
Option 1
- You study and earn ArtiCoins. Lifetime access costs 600 ArtiCoins*
- Not enough ArtiCoins for lifetime access? You can extend for 1-12 months
- Do not have time to complete the whole course in time? Get lifetime access for (€)$60 at any time later
* (you can earn up to 700 ArtiCoins during the learning period)
You have no risks - we support you!
100% guarantee
In case after 1-2 lessons of the learning program within the first week, you realize that using our approach you can not create a painting,
YOU WILL GET YOUR MONEY BACK!
Freeze
If the start date is not convenient we freeze the learning program for as long as you want (1 time free of charge) .
Freedom & Mobility
Access to the lessons at any time. Go through the lessons at a comfortable pace. Watch the lessons on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop.
Savina Elisaveta
Watercolor artist
- Since childhood, she was attracted to art and the process of its creation.
- Lisa finished Glinka’s Art School where she studied watercolor.
- In 2020 she became a student of the Repin Academy and she has been an excellent painter ever since.
- In her works she mainly focuses on rendering, achieving true color, and keeping it bright and fresh.
HERE YOU MAY FIND ELISAVETA'S WORKS
Olga Karlsson
Watercolor artist Sweden
- Olga is a practicing artist interested in the medium of watercolor and acrylic.
- After graduating from the State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering she has been working as an architect and has founded a school of aesthetic education for children.
- Olga came to Sweden in 1993, she is a self employed, manages an art courses in Karlstad and all over Sweden (online).
- Olga participated in national and international exhibitions and competitions such as IWS Fabriano Acquarello (2019, 2022), IWS Bulgaria (2019) , IWS Malajsia (2021).
HERE YOU MAY FIND OLGA'S WORKS
How our learning program is organized?
BEFORE LEARNING
PROGRAM
Full learning program program
List of learning program materials
Friendly community of beginner and professional artists
AT LEARNING PROGRAM
Recorded video lessons
Closed students' chat
Feedback from curator
Monthly Zoom group meetings with K.Sterkhov
For completing tasks you'll receive Articoins
AFTER LEARNING
PROGRAM
Certificate of Completion
Own Portfolio
Skills and knowledge for the whole life
Part of our art community
Watch the video lessons on any device
Our happy students say...
Examples of Elisaveta's works
Examples of Olga's works
Frequently asked questions
Let’s paint!
Still have some questions? We will be happy to answer them. Please email us at info@artefactoschool.online