Delicious Landscapes
using Gouache & Procreate!
5 weeks, 7am Pacific, 10am Eastern
Tuesdays, May 2 - May 30, 2023
Always wanted to dabble in gouache?
Wanted to start basic but come out of class over a basic level?
Always wanted a class that gives you a week's time to practice in between lectures?

Then this class is for you!

Using landscapes as a mode to convey concepts, in this course, you will learn how to-

  • the features of gouache,
  • create an easy to carry yet customizable gouache palette,
  • learn about subtlety of color variation, i.e hue variation and value variation.
  • paint a lot every week - there will be homework, and
  • experiment on tablets and bring back the learnings to gouache practice.

* Only Lecture 4 employs digital painting. For those without tablets, a separate lecture will be held.

Not your regular gouache class

Half the fun in gouache is mixing colors.

Club that fun with the power of opacity and ability to cover any color with any other color, gouache unshackles those who were constrained by pure watercolors.


This course starts off with gouache color mixing, end ranges of values, then uses Procreate (digital painting, using a tablet) to study color variation and subtle hue shifts and then brings the learning back to gouache.


At the end of the class, you will have made:

30-50 thumbnails

1 x night scene in a 6"x6" format

1 x sunny day scene in a 6"x6" format

1 x scene of your choice

Will have an idea of what you need to focus on to move the needle on your art practice.

  • Beginners
    The course is ideal for beginners who want to venture into gouache.
  • Artists
    If you are an illustrator or an artist, the course will help you use your existing digital skills for gouache work.
  • Tablet Newbies 
    There will be a Procreate 101 video available the week before Lecture 4 which will arm you with skills enough to smoothly follow the class.
Uma Kelkar
Course instructor

Hello! I am an avid painter, sketcher and instructor. I've taught watercolors, digital drawing, charcoal, ink but I really teach when I want to push myself to think beyond what I am producing in my studio.


For those who haven't taken a class with me, 45+ workshops have honed and continue to hone my teaching skills. I've collaborated as faculty with Apple, Facebook teams, Urbansketchers, Plein Air Convention and Etchr Lab.


Scroll to testimonials to hear what my students have to say.

Course Program
May 2 - 30, 2023
2nd May
7 – 9 Pacific
10 - 13 Eastern
19.30 - 21.30 India
2nd May
7 – 9 Pacific
10 - 13 Eastern
19.30 - 21.30 India
Class 1: Introduction
Overview of gouache properties, setting up palette, mixing colors with limited tubes, talking about color saturation.
9th May
7 – 9 Pacific
10 - 13 Eastern
19.30 - 21.30 India
9th May
7 – 9 Pacific
10 - 13 Eastern
19.30 - 21.30 India
Class 2: End Range of Values - Darks (Night scene)
Gouache at end ranges of values - playing with lively darks. Using landscapes with limited range as method of using the newly learnt recipes for dark colors.
16th May
7 – 9 Pacific
10 - 13 Eastern
19.30 - 21.30 India
16th May
7 – 9 Pacific
10 - 13 Eastern
19.30 - 21.30 India
Class 3: End Range of Values - Lights (Day Snow Scene)
Gouache at end ranges of values - playing with subtle lights - think temperature! Using landscapes with limited range as method of using the newly learnt recipes for light colors.
23th May
7 – 9 Pacific
10 - 13 Eastern
19.30 - 21.30 India
23th May
7 – 9 Pacific
10 - 13 Eastern
19.30 - 21.30 India
Class 4: Digital Research
Composing landscapes in Procreate to get ideas on fixing our landscapes' palette and/or to recapture light in places we think we lost it.

  • Those who don't have tablets, attend class on 24th May, same time.
  • Students will attend Lecture 4 on May 23 or May 24, but not both.
30th May
7 – 9 Pacific
10 - 13 Eastern
19.30 - 21.30 India
30th May
7 – 9 Pacific
10 - 13 Eastern
19.30 - 21.30 India
Class 5: Final challenge landscape
Put it all together
QUESTION:
I do not have a tablet. How can I benefit from Lecture 4 and Lecture 5?
ANSWER:
We will have a special class for those without tablets on the next day, i.e. on Wednesday, May 24th. Students will not be able to attend both lectures. You will have a choice to attend either Lecture 4: Gouache or Lecture 4: Digital
QUESTION:
Will the classes be recorded?
ANSWER:
All class videos will be available for 30 days after class. Feedback is not given during class. All feedback is given on the artwork submitted.
QUESTION:
What's the cancellation policy?
ANSWER:
QUESTION:
How is feedback given if class is only lectures and demo's?
ANSWER:
Art work will need to be uploaded to a class website (details sent in April) and Uma will provide feedback on art submitted. Submitted art will also be available for other students to comment on.
QUESTION:
Whom does the class not work for?
ANSWER:
If you don't have any drawing practice, brush control will be hard, consequently, this class is not right for you. It is for beginners to gouache and beginner painters too - who have drawn before. "How long before the class should I have drawn?" You should've drawn in the last month and at about a frequency of once a month. "But this is a painting class!" Yes, still, if you don't draw, you won't have a common starting point with rest of the class. Without drawing, you cannot imagine shape boundaries when an opaque color covers your drawing.
QUESTION:
I am not tech savvy and haven't taken a Zoom Class
ANSWER:
If you have used social media where you have had to upload photos independently or logged onto websites which require username/password you are sufficiently tech savvy. If you've never logged into a website or routinely need help finding password or forget how to seek tech help for yourself, this course is not for you. Uma sends out detailed email messages with Zoom links and class schedule. She will however not be available to debug why your speakers are not working on the day of the class. She recommends YouTube as a plethora of tech how-to.
Material List
Stiff brushes, spray bottle, and a palette that will close to keep the pigments wet longer are key.

You choose if you need extensive/minimal pigments or something in between.
Brushes
Uma uses her kid's brushes or oil painting brushes. Watercolor brushes may work depending on stiffness and will not be ruined by gouache. Bring at least one flat brush that's close to 1 cm in width.
Paper
A watercolor painting sketchbook will suffice. We do not want super rough/toothy grain on the paper, but we don't want slick surface either. Even cardboard works for that matter!
Masking Tape
Masking tape is not a must, but gives a nice edge to your paintings. Bring some if you like clean edges. I prefer the Nichiban tape that St. Louis Art Supply Store sells.
Minimal Pigments
Primary Blue, Primary Yellow, Magenta, White, Black. Any brand will carry colors called 'Primary *' including Winsor-Newton, Holbein, Maimeri
Extensive set of Pigments
These are pigments in Uma's palette. Second column has colloquial names in case you use a brand different from Uma's. You can add other colors to this since they will save mixing time, but eventually, only a limited set becomes favorite for each individual.

Trivia: What's the difference between Purple and Violet?

Sharing a link to the set I started off with at first.
Equipment that Uma uses at home/class/plein-air for gouache.
Delicious Landscapes
using Gouache & Procreate!
2–30 May, 2023. 5-week course price is $285
Cancellation Policy
Sign up, $285
Cancel before 1 April 2023
Refund = $260
Email me to cancel.
Cancel after 1 April 2023
No refunds.
Sneak Peak Videos
Week 1's class will be about building an easy customizable gouache palette. Kelkar insists on reduced variables but malleable variables at the beginning of practice. We will divide the entire range of pigments into 2-3 different palettes that we will use for week 1's homework.
PRIMARY PALETTE
Primary palette gives us the widest range of colors that can be mixed at the cost of increased mixing time.
Sneak peek of homework of Week 1.

This video works best when viewed on mobile because of its vertical format.
THUMBNAILING
Thumbnailing in various sizes, pencils, colors will be important throughout the class.
STUDIO KELKAR (C) 2022 - 2023
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