Three Saturdays workshop

MIKE KOWALSKI


Saturday 27 June, 4 & 11 July, 2026

1.30 - 4.30pm

Painting the clothed figure
in watercolour

This workshop is SOLD OUT

Join artist and tutor Mike Kowalsky for an immersive three Saturdays watercolour workshop exploring the human figure in context. Working directly from a life model in the studio, this course focuses on the relationship between the body and the clothing it inhabits—capturing the balance, weight, and character that make a figure feel convincing and alive.

Across three sessions, you’ll develop the skills to describe fabric, form, and light with clarity and confidence. We’ll explore how folds, shadows, and structure interact, and how watercolour can be used to suggest texture, movement, and atmosphere. Particular emphasis will be placed on brushwork, colour mixing, and the expressive use of washes to unify a painting.

Drawing underpins the entire process. Beginning with a focus on identifying and simplifying key elements, you’ll learn how to organise shapes and establish a strong visual foundation. As the workshop progresses, we’ll introduce increasing complexity—building towards lively compositions that integrate colour, pattern, and texture.

Participants will aim to complete at resolved figure paintings over the course of the workshop, gaining practical strategies for composing and finishing a work with clarity and intent.

Suitable for those with some watercolour experience as well as motivated beginners ready to engage. 

  • 1.) PAINTS

    This is my suggested palette. Bring what you have and make sure the paints are MOIST before class. Dry in the pan colours will make your job much harder

    1. Cool Yellow ( I use Nickel Azo Yellow... any cool yellow should work )

    2. Cad red light

    3. Permanent Rose ( I use Quinacridone Rose )

    4. Yellow Ochre

    5. Raw Sienna

    6. Burnt Sienna

    7. Burnt Umber

    8. Raw Umber

    9. Cerulean Blue ( cool greenish blue )

    10. Cobalt Blue

    11. Ultramarine Blue

    12. Viridian ( if you have one green. Viridian is best in my opinion )

    2.) BRUSHES:

    I use a synthetic Round brush exclusively. I like the marks I get with them. My brand of choice is Escoda Perla, sizes 20-4. 4 brushes should do. I like a little pointed detail brush, also a rigger. Bring whatever brushes you have.

    3.) PAPER:

    I prefer 100% rag paper. Fabriano is my fav. Baohong is an unusual paper that I enjoy as well but it takes some getting used to. Saunders Waterford is also a sheet I often use. Stay away from cheap paper if you can. Quarter sheet to half sheet size is fine (26x36cm is good. 18x26cm will work but it is a smallish size). Bring what size you are comfortable with. Two sheets per day plus a few small sheets for some studies.

    Note it is a good idea to work on paper that has enough room to test color mixes in the margins. A quarter sheet will do ( 28 x 38 cm )

    4.) PALETTE:

    Bring a palette that is large enough to make plenty of mixed color. My JOHN PIKE palette is a perfect studio palette which measure 27x39. A small palette can be difficult to get BIG washes.

    5.) SKETCHBOOK:

    A sketchbook is a good idea for doing studies and taking notes.

    6.) PENCILS, ETC.

    I use a soft 6B for sketching, and a 2B for drawing on my watercolor paper.

    7.) Card for SCRATCHING: An old “credit card” is perfect for scratching

    8.) WATER BUCKET : (yogurt container... perfect!)

    9.) CLIPS OR TAPE IF NEEDED

    10.) PAPER TOWELS OR A RAG

    11.) PAINT BOARD if you need one

    12.) SPRAY BOTTLE for keeping colors moist

Mike Kowalski has been drawing and painting since he can remember.

Growing up in California as one of five boys, if he wasn’t building a wooden spaceship he was probably drawing. He started entering shows as a teen and eventually earned a BFA from Utah State University. Mike lived in California and Washington in the USA for many years and now lives in Melbourne, Australia. Mike still works as an illustrator specializing in architectural illustration, however spends most of his time painting internationally award winning watercolors and oils, as well as teaching workshops in Australia and the U.S. In 2015 Mike won the coveted Silver Medal of Honor at the 148th AWS International Exhibition in New York.

The best watercolours, to me are confident and direct, with a bold use of colour. Learning to see and identify colour and it’s temperature will make our job a bit easier. We will spend some time constructing a solid figure drawing working on simplifying form. The addition of clothing will add some colour punch and drawing challenges. Learning to mix good colour, playing with dramatic lighting and interesting poses should make a pleasurable experience with watercolour.

Mike on instagram