Heatwave Harmony
HD replay is now available for purchase- see below
Heatwave Harmony: Painting Light & Atmosphere in Summer Scenes
Watercolors in the Heat? Let’s Talk Strategy. A July masterclass for painting summer light—without sweating it.
Painting in the heat is no joke—your washes dry faster than you can think, shadows shift by the second, and the glare off your paper throws your values out of whack. In this month’s masterclass, Heatwave Harmony, we’ll tackle how to paint summer light and atmosphere without the chaos of direct sun.
You’ll learn how to evoke that unmistakable shimmer and haze of a hot day using tone, edge, and temperature. We’ll break down strategies for capturing the essence of summer in the studio, along with tips for handling the sun when you doventure outside. Warm-ups, demos, and all the tonal magic you need to make your July paintings sing. Read more below!
Masterclass Description:
Heatwave Harmony: Painting Light & Atmosphere in Summer Scenes
Summer light is beautiful—but painting in it can be brutal. The heat dries your washes too fast, the sun distorts your values, and everything feels a little more rushed. In this month’s Masterclass, we’ll look at how to translate the feeling of a hot day into a painting without battling the elements. Using reference and memory, we’ll explore ways to create light-filled summer scenes in the studio—capturing shimmering heat, soft haze, and strong sun-shadow patterns with confidence and restraint.
Expect warm-up studies, brushwork demos, and multiple full paintings focused on simplifying complex scenes and using edge control, value shifts, and temperature to evoke a true sense of atmosphere. We’ll also talk about strategies for painting outdoors in extreme light—what to watch for, how to adapt, and how to keep your watercolors from drying out before your brush hits the paper.
Key takeaways include:
- Ways to control tonal contrast
- Learn to design a quality of light
- How to use color to reinforce moods
- How to design shadow patterns
- Techniques to keep your washes alive and wet
- Techniques to create a feeling of summer haze
- Tips to reinforce direction of light
We’ll also explore:
- Tips & tricks for painting plein air in the heat
- How to make a sun shield
What to Expect:
This 4 hour workshop features 4 full painting demos with detailed explanations and technique breakdowns
Length: 4 hours
Price: $120
Once purchased you will have evergreen access to the HD quality recording in the Masterclass Library
See below for Masterclass Access Instructions
Demos painted in this Masterclass (images coming soon)
Some examples of Dan’s paintings relating to this month’s Masterclass
Masterclasses Access Instructions
