ÁINE DIVINE | FLOWERS IN MIXED MEDIA
online tutorial Summary
Join artist Áine Divine for an inspiring course on expressive mixed media. This course is a liberating journey into capturing the vibrant energy of a floral arrangement, moving beyond botanical accuracy to convey feeling and movement.
Áine will guide you in building a painting with bold, intuitive marks. She begins by establishing a foundation with large brushes, quickly blocking in backgrounds and key shapes. Áine’s core philosophy is to maintain a sense of play, encouraging artists to work with vigour and embrace happy accidents. She demonstrates a "push and pull" method, building up layers of paint and then excavating them to reclaim light, keeping the entire surface alive and evolving.
Students will learn to cohesively use a rich toolkit to create depth and texture. The focus is on working decisively, mixing colours by eye, and using tools like stencils to add interest without losing spontaneity.
Perfect for those looking to loosen their style, this course is an invitation to experiment boldly, build confidence, and experience the pure joy of painting with freedom.
Course Preview
Course FAQ
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A Bold and Energetic Start: How to begin your painting with confidence and freedom, focusing on the big shapes and movement instead of getting stuck on small details.
Simple Colour Mixing: Easy techniques for mixing the colours you see, including how to soften bright colours to create beautiful, natural-looking tones.
Fun with Paint & Texture: How to use the unique properties of acrylic paint to create interesting effects, from dry-brush marks to lifting wet paint to bring back highlights.
Embracing Happy Accidents: Learn to use drips and runs to your advantage, making them a creative part of your artwork.
Easy Mixed-Media Techniques: Simple ways to combine different materials like stencils, collage, oil pastels, and inks for depth and detail.
Designing Your Painting: How to arrange elements to create a balanced composition, moving things around to make a better painting.
The Layering Process: A simple "add and subtract" method of building your painting by laying down colours and refining shapes.
Defining Flowers with Simple Shapes: Learn to see and paint the dark spaces between petals and leaves to make your flowers pop.
Creating Form with Light and Shadow: Mix simple grey and muted tones to show which petals are in shadow, giving your flowers a realistic feel.
Using "Character Marks": Learn easy tricks and signature marks that instantly make a flower look like a gerbera, daisy, or lily.
Making Final Decisions: How to assess your painting and make decisive moves to bring it to a satisfying finish.
Knowing When to Stop: How to find a "resolution" rather than perfection, leaving the painting feeling lively and complete.
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Paints, Inks & Pastels
Acrylic Paints:
Cadmium Yellow
Yellow Ochre
Cadmium Orange
Cadmium Red
Magenta
Titanium White (Fluid Acrylic is also used)
Ultramarine Blue
Hooker's Green
Sap Green
Van Dyke Brown
High-Flow Acrylic Inks:
Fluorescent Red
Fluorescent Orange
Phthalo Turquoise
Oil Pastels: Sennelier brand (recommended for good coverage), including White, Orange, Red, Crimson, Yellow, and a dark Indigo/Black.
Indian Ink: In a small pot for drawing.
Brushes & Tools
Brushes (Royal & Langnickel "Burgundy" set recommended):
Wide, flat brushes (2-inch and 1-inch, including a slanted one)
Smaller round and flat brushes for detail
A 3-inch brush for covering large areas
Palette: Tear-off palette sheets.
Stencils: A variety of foliage and pattern stencils.
Adhesives: Pritt Stick (glue stick) and PVA (Wood) Glue.
Drawing Tool: A sharpened stick or the applicator from an old ink bottle for drawing with Indian ink.
Surfaces & Supports
Paper: Shirt Card (cardstock with a shiny side and a matte side; the shiny side is used for its manipulability).
Easel: An adjustable, upright easel.
Collage Materials
Papers: Torn pieces from old paintings, wrapping paper, patterned tissue paper (e.g., eucalyptus pattern), and pre-painted papers.
Card: For dipping into paint to create specific marks.
Additional Materials
Masking Tape
Water Container
Kitchen Paper / Paper Towels (white, to see colours clearly)
Spray Bottle (for water)
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Suitable for all levels - good understanding of the basic use of watercolour would be an advantage.
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The course is composed of three videos, a combined total of 98 mins. Enjoy the benefit of being able to watch and follow along at your leisure for the duration of your access.
ÁINE DIVINE | WATERCOLOUR PORTRAITURE
online tutorial Summary
In this online course, artist Áine Divine guides students through the process of painting an expressive watercolour portrait from a live model. She introduces an approachable method using wide, flat brushes that make it easy to create bold, fluid strokes and capture the essence of a subject. Students will learn how to mix a beautiful range of skin, shadow, and hair tones from a simple palette of colours.
A key focus of the course is building confidence; Áine demonstrates helpful techniques for lifting paint to correct and adjust the painting, showing that mistakes are simply part of the process. Áine creates a supportive environment that emphasises the joy of painting, teaches students how to relax, find a steady rhythm, and trust their observational skills.
This course is designed for anyone looking to explore portraiture in a loose and free way, providing both the technical skills and the encouragement needed to create a portrait that feels alive.
Course Preview
Course FAQ
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A Unique Brush Technique: How to use wide, flat brushes to create bold, expressive strokes and capture the essence of a subject.
Simple Colour Mixing: How to mix a range of skin tones, shadows, and hair colours from a limited and manageable palette.
Correcting with Confidence: Techniques for lifting wet and dry paint to correct mistakes, reclaim highlights, and adjust your painting.
The Artist's Mindset: How to relax, observe your subject, and develop a confident rhythm between looking and painting.
Portrait Fundamentals: An approach to understanding the planes of the face and placing features to achieve a likeness.
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Paper & Palette
Watercolour Paper: Áine specifically recommends Bockingford paper because it allows for easy lifting and correction of paint.
Watercolour Palette: A palette with large wells, specifically one that can accommodate a 2-inch brush for easy paint lifting and mixing.
Test Paper: A separate piece of paper (same type as the main sheet) for testing colour consistency and behaviour on a vertical surface.
Brushes
Primary Brushes (Rosemary & Co. Series S 222 - "Áine Divine Set"):
2-inch flat brush
1.5-inch flat brush
1-inch flat brush
Lifting/Craft Brushes (Royal & Langnickel):
Springy, cheaper craft brushes (1-inch and 3/4-inch are mentioned) used for lifting out colour and correcting edges.
Small Detail Brush:
A quarter-inch brush for fine details like the iris and eyelashes.
Paints (Artist's Watercolour Tubes)
Áine uses a limited palette, mixing colours to create a wide range of skin tones, hair colours, and shadows.
Van Dyke Brown
Ultramarine Blue
Burnt Sienna
Cadmium Red
Sap Green
Alizarin Crimson
Viridian Green
Cerulean Blue
Cadmium Orange
Lemon Yellow
Water & Miscellaneous
Water Container: For rinsing brushes.
Kitchen Paper / Paper Towels: Essential for leaching water out of brushes, testing colour, and lifting wet paint.
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Suitable for all levels - good understanding of the basic use of watercolour would be an advantage.
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The course is composed of two videos, a combined total of 65 mins. Enjoy the benefit of being able to watch and follow along at your leisure for the duration of your access.