Welcome to the Alpenglow Course page! This is our hub for the recordings and resources from the class. To access the recordings, downloads, community space info, and additional helpful things scroll down. Thank you for being here and painting alpenglow with me! - Claire
Class Topics
- Class 1 - gradients, color saturation, skies, and layered alpenglow mountains
- Class 2 - making rocks glow, shadows, and using color to make snow and rocks glow
- Class 3 - putting it all together in two paintings
- Bonus Color Mixing Video
The live version of this course ended, and now we have the edited and enhanced recordings below.
Bonus Color Mixing Video
If you have the time, I recommend starting with this 22 minute video I made exploring the main colors I use for alpenglow and how I mix them for the subtle colors of snow and the dramatic darks of glowing rock.
It will give you a foundation to work from for the class series! But, it is totally optional, as I will also cover the mixes during the main classes (just in less detail).
To watch the video, click here or the image to the left.
Class #1
I hope you enjoy the recording for the first class! In this session, we explore the following main themes or techniques:
- Color saturation and contrast
- Gradients for snow and skies
- Water and pigment control on the brush and page
- A demo of a colorful mountain ridgeline and alpenglow scene
Go to the class: click here or on the image to the left. The class summary download is in the folder linked below.
Class #2
This week we build on the skills from the first week and dive into techniques for seeing and painting shadows and rocks.
- Hard and soft edges for shadows
- Transparent color layering in shadows
- A demo of a shadow-dominated alpenglow scene
- Techniques and frameworks for painting rock patterns
Go to the class: click here or on the image to the left. The class summary download is in the folder linked below.
Class #3
In the third and final class in this series we put our techniques and skills from the prior classes into practice with two alpenglow paintings!
- The two landscapes are a glowing shoulder of Mt. Rainier and Mount Olympus
- In the class we explore the full painting progression: sketch, sky, snow layer, rock layer, shadows, and final details
Go to the class: click here or on the image to the left. The class summary download will be live EOD 11/26
I made a Google Drive folder where you can find reference image collections and downloads that summarize each class. I also made a list of what's available below. If anything is missing please let me know!
Check out the whole folder here.
Links for the specific categories:
- Summary downloads for the classes (I included both the plain pages from the class that you see in the video AND a fancy version with key ideas and notes summarized next to the various elements of the class)
- Reference images used in each class
- Reference images for practice between/ outside of classes from Claire
- Additional community provided reference images are in our Discord group!
Community Space on Discord
Discord is a non-social media website or desktop/ mobile app designed for online communities! I started one earlier this year and so far it's been a really wonderful platform! Members are from the Adventure Art Academy, my longer courses like this one and the Ink Sketching program, and alumni of these classes.
You are welcome to stick around as long as you would like, even after this course ends.
The online space has a zone specifically for the Alpenglow Course! If you aren't familiar with Discord and would like a little walk-through, click the image at the left for an orientation video.
Lastly, please note that I sometimes move posts, questions etc around the space to keep it organized, so if I move your posts please don't stress! I'll tag you so you can find it, and you didn't do anything wrong, I'm just trying to make it easy for folks to find things :)
Invite link for our community: https://discord.gg/x6hG5qu4RV
Course Materials:
If you already have watercolor supplies, please use those! I do not want anyone to feel like they need to go out and buy a bunch of new things, and I often recommend that folks do a few classes before investing in new materials.
If you are a beginner and have no supplies, I list a few options below for paints and paper at a lower and higher price point. All of these items can be found on this list here from Blick (You do NOT need to buy everything on this list! I just organized everything here in one place). If items are available substantially cheaper elsewhere, I noted it below.
Watercolor Brush: I will do the vast majority of the class with a fine-tipped #10 round brush. Some students may wish to have a smaller brush on hand for details. I will also use a larger brush for color washes, and this can be flat or round! I prefer synthetic bristles because of their sight stiffness and affordability: Here's a few that I like (you do not need both #10's!)
- Grumbacher #10 round with synthetic bristles
- #4 Quill Brush and the #10 round from Black Gold (both are cheaper from The Brush Guys)
Watercolor Paper: I highly recommend getting two kinds of paper - a cheap practice paper and a nicer cotton paper. My go-to's are:
- Canson XL watercolor paper pad
- Arches cold press cotton paper, white or bright white. You can buy this in pads or sheets. On the list above I added the cheapest option which is a pad of 12 pieces. Over time, buying the larger loose sheets and tearing down to size is the most economical. You don't need to buy this, but very often students have a breakthrough moment when they try a good cotton paper for the first time.
Paint: Aside from cotton paper, this will be the other biggest expense. You DO NOT need to have the exact colors I list below to paint successfully! I share the paint colors because some folks will want the exact ones, but if you are comfortable with a little different or unpredictability in your mixes anything will work!
- You can get a starter set like the Cotman Watercolor set. This will be the cheapest option, and if you don't have any supplies and are uncertain about whether you will continue with the medium this can be a good place to start. There are some drawbacks to cheaper paints, but they will work ok.
- If you feel like you want to invest in higher quality paint, I've been using Daniel Smith paints for a decade. For alpenglow you can get away with a pretty small selection of colors.
- Colors I will use the most: Quinacridone Rose, Hansa Yellow Medium, New Gamboge, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Cobalt Blue, Neutral Tint, Indanthrone blue (a dark blue), and a burnt sienna or indian red.
Other Supplies: the few other things we need are-
- Pencil and eraser
- Mixing surface (a plate works) if you palette doesn't have one
- Cup for water
- Rag or paper towels (ideally something rinseable and reusable)
- optional- Waterproof fine tipped pen for taking notes on your pages
