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Marathon of Northern Horizons with Anna Mikhailova

For 5 days, we’ll be painting the beauty of the North in watercolor: from snowy slopes to the northern lights.

Material: watercolor

Number of paintings: 5

Duration: 10 hours

Access: lifetime

 

What will you paint during the marathon

day 1

«Linger Lighthouse»

In this lesson, we’ll paint a simple landscape with a snowy shore and a lighthouse against a dark sky.

You'll learn how to:

  • create smooth color transitions while working on wet paper;
  • create textures (like snow or rocks) with textured brushstrokes;
  • add highlights and special effects using white paint.
day 2

«Fisherman's House»

In this lesson, we're going to paint a vertical landscape with a fisherman's house and its reflection.

You'll learn how to:

  • avoid composition mistakes and place objects the right way;
  • create different effects using both soft and bold brushstrokes;
  • control how the paint spreads when working on wet paper.
day 3

«Morning Crossing»

In this lesson, we're going to paint a winter landscape with snow-covered mountain slopes.

You'll learn how to:

  • show the shape of the mountains using light and shadow;
  • create the texture of snow, rocks, and trees with bold, expressive brushstrokes.
day 4

«Freeze-up»

In this lesson, we're going to paint a landscape with water, reflections, and some reeds.

You'll learn how to:

  • to show depth in your space and make the background and foreground feel different;
  • to show a big bunch of small objects (like a patch of reeds)
day 5

«Northern Lights»

In this lesson, we're going to paint a landscape with a schooner and the northern lights over the sea.

You'll learn how to:

  • figure out the best paper wetness for working in the wet-on-wet technique;
  • draw clear, thin lines (the rigging of the schooner) with confident brushstrokes;
  • add expressive details that will bring your drawing to life.
 

Join all three broadcasts to get access to one more bonus lesson, «Odderoya Lighthouse»

In this lesson, we're going to paint a clear March day by the sea, with a snowy shore and a lighthouse.

You'll learn how to:

  • to show the texture of snowy terrain with detailed footprints;
  • create the building’s volume using light and shadow;
  • paint complex objects (like a lighthouse) without overloading them with details.
 

The marathon is hosted by
Anna Mikhailova

  • Member of the St. Petersburg Union of Artists and the St. Petersburg Watercolor Society
  • Graduate of the Drawing Classes at the Academy of Arts (1999)
  • I studied watercolor and oil painting in the studios of St. Petersburg artists S.F. Melnikov, A.V. Durandin, and V.V. Volkov.
  • In 2010, I studied the gohua technique under the guidance of V. Sinkevich, and in 2012, I took an illustration course at Sofya Miroyedova’s school.
  • Since 2007, I've been taking part in exhibitions of the St. Petersburg Union of Artists, and since 2012 – in exhibitions of the Watercolorists' Society.
  • I run watercolor workshops and plein air sessions for adults and kids
  • The artworks are in private collections in Russia and abroad

Our artists are taking part in the marathon

Nina Orlova

Elena Vlasova

Margarita Astashova

Alexandra Podushkina

Anna's watercolor artworks

Artworks by marathon participants

Materials for the course:

Paper
Paper

For working on wet paper, its quality is very important. Possible options:

  • Saunders Waterford NOT or Rouge, Bockingford, Baohong cotton medium or rough grain, Arches
  • from Russian manufacturers – you can start with «Palazzo» cotton.
Paints
Paints

Any watercolor, I use «Nevskaya Palitra» paints in tubes. Pans are also fine. My list of pigments for this lesson:

  • Payne’s gray;
  • lilac mist;
  • purple mist;
  • lavender;
  • indigo;
  • sepia;
  • English red;
  • burnt sienna;
  • Venetian purple;
  • cadmium orange;
  • Naples yellow;
  • sky blue;
  • turquoise;
  • mint;
  • geranium red;
  • orange mist;
  • pearl gray;
  • marengo;
  • titanium white;
  • green haze;
  • gray-pink mist;
  • ultramarine;
  • cadmium lemon;
  • may green;
  • opera (not in «Nevskaya Palitra», available from ShinHan);
  • ultramarine;
  • aquamarine mist;
  • titanium white – gouache;
  • bright blue;
  • burnt umber;
  • English red;
  • Naples yellow;
  • irgasin.

Attention! This list is for recommendation only. If you already have experience with watercolor, you can use other pigments of similar shades. For example, instead of indigo you can use ultramarine muted with some black pigment. If you are just starting out and it’s easier for you to follow specific directions, take this list.

Brushes
Brushes
  • large soft round brush for washes (e.g., squirrel);
  • thin brush for details (e.g., kolinsky or synthetic squirrel);
  • liner for thin lines;
  • Herend brand «eraser» brush to soften edges. (If you don’t have such a brush, it’s okay – you can use any stiff brush, such as a small flat bristle brush).

It’s better to use natural brushes. I paint with Chinese Belka Brush and Blue Phoenix.

Materials
  • Pencil, eraser
  • Cloth for wiping brushes
  • Container for water at least 0.5 L
  • Paper towels
  • Hairdryer
  • Plastic waterproof board
  • Stand for the board (any object to prop it at an angle). Ideally – a table easel or a field easel.

Sign up for the marathon:

Marathon Unlimited

Get +42 marathons with +178 paintings and watch them at your convenience

  • Number of marathons: 42
  • Number of paintings: 178
  • Access: 1 year unlimited
3 $

per marathon

Subscribe to Marathon Unlimited

Annual payment 119.88 $

  • 3 video lessons of the marathon;
  • bonus lesson «Odderoya Lighthouse» for attentive viewers;
  • lifetime access.
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