Is this course for you? Watch this introduction to see.

If you already paint in watercolour and are intrigued by the possibility of working on a new surface, you will find working on canvas an exciting possibility. If you are fed up of hiding your paintings behind sheets of glass or don't want to be restricted by the size of watercolour paper, then painting watercolour on canvas gives you new opportunities. 

This course is intended to be as close as possible to sitting next to me in my studio learning. We will cover everything from the materials, to techniques, special challenges and finishing off.

This is not a beginner's watercolour course, but is suitable for those who have at least a little to a lot of experience in painting watercolour on paper. Please note that three modules from this course have been bundled separately into the Working in Ink and Watercolour on a Textured Canvas course, for those who have already done some watercolour work on canvas.

 If you have enjoyed this course and share the work you've done on it, please make sure to tag me on social media (@lizchaderton on Instagram and /lizchadertonartist on Facebook) so I can get to see it too! It would be great if you could say that it is from this course, as that helps spread the word.

If you are not a member already, why not join Watercolour Studio over on Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/groups/694706731930461 And finally, you should not exhibit or display pieces completed on this course without my written permission, to comply with copyright law. I really look forward to seeing what you do. 

Watercolour ground is the magic potion which makes painting in watercolour on canvas possible. Without it the canvas will repel your watercolour and you will find that the colour beads up on the surface. In this module you will learn about ready prepared commercial canvases and how to prepare your own. I will take you through the grounds available and the advantages of preparing your own surface. It really is very straight forward!

Just to make sure we are using the same terms and to start getting used to working on the watercolour ground, we will do a basics warm up. 

I also cover gridding up, if you are concerned about transferring your image to canvas or increasing the size. 

Tone does all the work and colour gets all the glory.

This is one of my favourite art sayings and it is so true. The light or dark of a colour - its tone or value - is so often overlooked and it is far more important than the actual hue of the paint you use. We explore why this is and what we mean by hue and tone.

There are many different ways of creating interesting marks and the illusion of texture with watercolour. You may already use these on paper, however they are often more dramatic on canvas. Others, because of the longer drying time on canvas, may need adaptation. 

This module introduces you to some of the possibilities and encourages you to experiment. We will then put them into practice on canvas using some beautiful birch trees as our inspiration. I want you to always think that you are not copying a reference photo, you are being inspired by it, so feel free to make it your own. Leave things out, put things in, move things around, introduce new colours...

In this module we put all our learning into practice in a colourful painting of a cow. How do we paint directly to get tones right first time? How do we layer and add detail? 

My aim is to avoid layering as much as possible, due to the lifting properties of watercolour on canvas. This is why getting the tones right first time is so crucial. I aim to get at least 85% of the painting completed in the first pass, followed by a second layer of lifting and adding (10%). The final details complete the image (5%). 

By now you will realise that watercolour lifts incredibly easily on canvas, which is both a strength and weakness. You might be thinking that you love layering and the direct method of painting we used in the cow is just not for you. Do not despair! In the next few modules, we will explore some options for successful layering on canvas.

We will use AQUA Fix from Schmincke to stabilise our paints, so that we can layer to our heart's content in a lively painting of a nest with eggs. This also gives us the chance to use masking fluid on canvas. I am told that Lukas Shellac Soap acts in the same way, so if you have access to that product, please feel free to substitute it.

Now you have successfully started working on canvas, you might wonder how you can develop things further. Have you thought about creating a physical texture in your surface which you can then paint upon?

In this module, I show you one of my favourite ways of creating a beautiful organic surface to work upon using tissue paper and watercolour ground. I also show you how to apply some of the textured grounds.

Waterproof Indian ink and watercolour gives us another option for overcoming the lifting/layering challenge, by using the ink as an under painting. We explore how it behaves and then use the textured canvas from module 8 to create a beautiful study of two kingfishers. Of course, if you do not wish to use a textured surface you can do this painting on a flat one. It will still be wonderful!

Please note that not all black ink is waterproof - please check that yours is!

We have seen throughout the course that watercolour lifts very easily from canvas. We don't want to hide our paintings behind glass, so how can we protect, frame and hang our work to show it off?