Alex Hillkurtz

  • Bachelor of Arts in Film Production from Chapman University.

    Over 25 years experience as a professional storyboard artist in Hollywood

  • Loosen up your sketches with playful line work

    Simplify your sketches by creating a center of focus and only the essential details

    See the light - use washes of color to create beautiful lighting effects

    Invite color into your shadows to enhance depth and contrast

    Invite a sense of storytelling into your work

  • This is a list of suggested materials. If you don’t have, or can’t find, anything on this list, don’t worry, we can do a lot with a minimum amount of materials. I’ve included my personal choices for each item in parenthesis, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to rush out and buy high-end materials. There are certainly less expensive options.

    Pencil -

    I use a mechanical pencil with 4B lead

    Brushes -

    One Round - (I use Escoda Perla 10, Van Gogh “191” 8)

    One Flat - (I use Raphaél “915” 18 or 12)

    One Mop - (I use Raphaél “le 803” petit gris 8, 5 or 3, Escoda Ultimo 14)

    Ink Pen -

    Any ink pen with waterproof ink, such as Sakura Pigma Micron 03, or 01, or a fountain pen with waterproof ink

    Paper -

    Your favorite sketchbook! This will be where we’ll record all our adventures, so it should be something you love. I strongly recommend sketchbooks with 100% cotton paper, perfect for watercolor painting (Etchr lab “Signature Series", Green & Stone handmade sketchbooks, L. Cornelissen & Son “cold pressed 300gsm, MaxGoodz “aquarellebook”) Strathmore 400 series watercolor sketchbooks are also very good, though not 100% cotton paper.

    Paint -

    I use Daniel Smith and Rembrandt paints, but most brands are suitable for what we’ll be doing. I painted for many years with a student-grade set of half pans, so bring what you have and we’ll have fun! Here’s my palette:

    Cobalt Blue

    Ultramarine Blue

    Phthalo Blue

    Burnt Sienna (English Red if using Rembrandt paints)

    Quinacradone Red

    Pyrrol Scarlet - a warm red, similar to W&N “Scarlet Lake”, Sennelier “red”, Schmincke “Vermillion”, Da Vinci “Permanent Red”

    Indian red

    Raw Sienna

    Quinacridone Sienna

    Cobalt Yellow

    Green Gold

    Phthalo Green

    Miscellaneous -

    Folding stool

    Paper towels

    Eraser

    Water bottle

    Water container (plastic cup)

    Clips for holding sketchbook pages in the wind

  • I have conducted sketching and painting workshops for that last seven years, ranging from one-day workshops to multi-day destination retreats.

    I love teaching people from all walks of life and experience levels how to become more confident artists. I focus on teaching techniques and ways of seeing that will enhance your individual style, and can be applied to any subject you may choose.

    I’ve been invited to teach at the USK Swiss Symposium for the past three years in Basel, Zurich, and Neuchatel.

    I’ve conducted weekend workshops at Mitta Studio, Amsterdam; Art Hustle Studios, Munich; ArtTime Studios, Potsdam; and New Art Fest, Sochi.

    As well as individual workshops in London, Paris, Prague, Riga, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

    My 7-10 day destination workshops are a chance to dive deep into sketching and painting techniques, all while experiencing the beauty and uniqueness of a particular culture. I’ve had the pleasure of teaching in Vietnam, Tuscany, Assisi, Scotland and Provence.

    My on-line course with Domestika focusing on urban sketching with watercolor and ink has been viewed by over 150K students worldwide.

    By book “Sketching Techniques for Artists” was published by Quarto in 2022

Previous
Previous

Paul Wang

Next
Next

Estelle Calandri