Gouache Sketchbook: Painting Your Surroundings

A course by Don Kilpatrick III , Artist and Illustrator

Artist and Illustrator. Birmingham, United States.
Joined June 2021

Use a sketchbook as a tool to develop your artistic style by exploring color theory and other painting principles to document the world around you

98% positive reviews (63)
3,584 students
Audio: English
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Use a sketchbook as a tool to develop your artistic style by exploring color theory and other painting principles to document the world around you

A sketchbook is one of the most effective tools in developing your artistic style, and is a unique way to document the world around you. For American illustrator and multidisciplinary artist Don Kilpatrick III, sketchbooking plays a key role in his overall image-making process. He designed the Olympic medal for the 2002 Winter Games, part of the set of Micheal Mann’s movie Collateral, and the murals for the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, USA.

In this online course, Don takes you through the process of using a reference photo to make an acrylic-gouache composition capturing an everyday scene. Explore the limitless possibilities of gouache for unexpected visual results!

To explore more artistic techniques with Don, check out his first Domestika course, Contemporary Printmaking with Linoleum.

Read more ↓

What will you learn in this online course?

13 lessons & 16 downloads

Materials and Workspace
4 minutes, 19 seconds
The Basic Color Wheel 1
17 minutes, 2 seconds
The Basic Color Wheel 2
13 minutes, 0 seconds
Color Relativity
6 minutes, 18 seconds
Photo Selection and Thumbnails
12 minutes, 13 seconds
Color Studies
14 minutes, 12 seconds
  • 98% positive reviews (63)
  • 3,584 students
  • 13 lessons (2h 14m)
  • 16 additional resources (3 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Use a reference photo to make an acrylic-gouache piece that captures common everyday moments.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

Anyone who is interested in or loves sketchbooking.

Requirements and materials

It is necessary to have some familiarity with drawing and painting.

In terms of materials, you need a sketchbook, pencils, paint, brushes, and a smartphone or camera.


Reviews

3,584 Students
63 Reviews
98% Positive ratings

Don Kilpatrick III

A course by Don Kilpatrick III

Teacher Plus
Artist and Illustrator

Don Kilpatrick III is an American artist, illustrator, and educator based in Detroit. He received his bachelor’s degree in illustration at Utah State University, and went on to receive a master’s in the same field at Syracuse University. He is currently the department chairman in the Illustration Department at the College for Creative Studies.

Don is also a freelance artist and part of the collaborative project the Detroit Wood Type Co. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States, and has been featured in publications like Fortune, the L.A. Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Other notable projects include designing the Olympic medal for the Winter Games in 2002, as well as designing murals for the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Preparation and First Steps

    • Materials and Workspace
    • The Basic Color Wheel 1
    • The Basic Color Wheel 2
    • Color Relativity
  • U3

    Capturing a Reference Photo

    • Inspiration, Reference on Location, and Composition
    • Photo Selection and Thumbnails
    • Value Grouping and Limited Color Palettes
    • Color Studies
  • U4

    Painting and Digitizing the Piece

    • Painting the Project 1
    • Painting the Project 2
    • Scanning, Digitizing, and Sharing on Social Media
  • FP

    Final project

    • Gouache Sketchbook: Painting Your Surroundings

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Gouache Sketchbook: Painting Your Surroundings. Illustration course by Don Kilpatrick III

Gouache Sketchbook: Painting Your Surroundings

A course by Don Kilpatrick III
Artist and Illustrator. Birmingham, United States.
Joined June 2021
  • 98% positive reviews (63)
  • 3,584 students