Welcome to Watercolour with Natalie Martin

Welcome! My name is Natalie Martin and I’m a watercolour artist based in Victoria, Australia. This is my first online course, and where else do you start but at the beginning? In this self-paced beginners guide to contemporary watercolour we start from square one and build your skills and confidence towards painting botanical specimen from observation. I have essentially broken down my own process into accessible, bite size pieces ready for you to devour.

Working through a series of technique based exercises I share all my hot tips. We’ll look at getting the paint moving fluidly on the page, how to hold your brush, manage water control, swirl and twirl that brush like a pro, relax into the process and so much more.

I delve not only into what materials you’ll need and how to work them, but why as well. I believe understanding why I use and recommend certain things over others can better inform you as an artist and your own choices. My philosophy is build your kit gradually, rather than an enormous initial outlay. Discover and play with the medium first. Find your feet in it and tailor your materials accordingly.

My own style: loose, organic, flowy is all about gaining an expression of the subject on the page – not replicating it exactly. I talk about how I source my inspiration and how working from observation has really informed my practice. I encourage you to find your own creative voice. Your choices, your interpretation, your eye will all inform how your work will turn out.