Urban Contrasts in Watercolorwith Yulia Kalashnikova

Lesson 2

List and Overview of Materials

In this lesson, we'll get to know the tools and materials you'll need for the course.

Lesson 4

Workspace Overview

In this lesson, we'll check out one of the basic and super handy kits for plein air painting. We've already gotten to know the main materials and tools you'll need for watercolor plein air sessions.

Lesson 6

Winter in Palekh

Duration — 1 hour 40 minutes

In this lesson, we'll paint a winter landscape with domes and village houses nestled in snowy silence. We'll create a piece that breathes with quiet, cold, and that clear winter light.

In this lesson, we'll learn how to:

• work with backlighting (contre-jour) and white in an architectural landscape;
• use this important principle: «the shadow on white is darker than the light on black»;
• compare the white tones of objects and snow with each other and with the darkest areas;
• use washes (both gradient and spot), soft and hard edges, and salt for effects.

Lesson 8

Yelagin Palace

Duration — 1 hour 50 minutes

We'll create a watercolor of a shady park by Yelagin Palace, bathed in soft light. We'll capture the peaceful summer vibe with flowers, marble vases, and strolling figures — all of this will bring life to a space filled with quiet and coolness.

In this lesson, we'll learn how to:

• work with hard and soft edges;
• capture atmospheric perspective wet-on-wet;
• paint small details in the landscape, but keep them simple;
• show a calm, bright day with cool lighting, different green and white fragments of Yelagin Palace.

Lesson 10

Walking Around St. Petersburg

Duration — 1 hour 20 minutes

A winter morning landscape with a snow-covered bridge, muted silhouettes of trees, and cathedral domes fading into a soft mist. We'll explore how to use color transitions and translucent layers to capture the feel of frosty air, the depth of space, and the peaceful mood of a quiet winter morning.

In this lesson, we'll learn how to:

• paint a romantic Saint Petersburg;
• explore that calm winter vibe, plus some extra cool tricks for painting winter and trees;
• do granulation, let's try out the «Mist» series;
• use washes, different touches, and simplify shapes.

Lesson 12

The Ring of Bells and the Noise of the Road

Duration — 2 hours 10 minutes

In this lesson, we'll capture the charm of an old town: a white-stone church with golden domes against a clear sky, and right by its walls stands a red retro bus — like it's from another era, taking us back to a gentle, nostalgic past. This meeting of history and time creates a special vibe, filled with light and the warmth of memories.

In this lesson, we'll learn how to:

• paint architecture;
• work with contrasts and lighting;
• add details and staffage;
• paint the sky using different kinds of brush touches;
• paint a bright sunny day in Yaroslavl with the Church of St. Elijah