Online Class: Mandala-shaped Succulents in Watercolor Pencils

In this class, learn to capture the details of circular succulents using watercolor pencils.

Inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s iconic depictions of magnified botanicals, this class will explore the mandala-like radial balance found in her flower close-ups, which invite viewers to marvel at the inner intricacies of magnificent natural forms. Through interactive demos and instructions, teaching artist Sudeshna Sengupta will guide participants through the concepts and techniques for basic drawing, tonal blending, and color-mixing using watercolor pencils by zooming in on beautiful succulents. Watercolor washes may be used as an additional option for wet-in-wet backgrounds.

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This class is suitable for youth ages 12 and up. Children are welcome to participate alongside their adults.

This program will take place via the video conferencing app – ZOOM. Details for accessing the Zoom meeting will be with your receipt upon registration and again sent via email the day prior. Please register in advance to access the program.

Note that all program times are in Mountain Time. Space is limited, reservations required.

Supplies needed for this class: 

• Mixed-media drawing pad in Strathmore 400 series or 140lbs acid-free Hot-Press watercolor paper pad or block in Strathmore 400 series or any other brand in any size between 9” x 12” and 11” x 14”. Thicker paper (140 lb or higher) is better.
• A set of watercolor pencils.
• A graphite pencil and an eraser.
• Watercolor round brushes – 3 to 5 in the range of sizes 6 to 12
• Glass Jars or plastic containers for water
• Masking tape to keep the paper flat, especially if the pad is larger.
• Optional: 2 to 4 Blending stumps (AKA Tortillons, often comes with drawing pencil sets) and or Q-tips. Watercolor paints for background washes. Individual tubes are recommended but a box of half-pans may work as a starter set.

About the Instructor:

Sudeshna Sengupta’s career as a teaching artist spans multiple decades, continents, and cultures that inform her pedagogy for decolonizing studio art. She earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1985 from Visva-Bharati University, founded by the first non-European Nobel Laureate (1913) and humanist poet Rabindranath Tagore.

After teaching art and design at the college level in New Delhi, Seattle, and California, she taught at New Mexico State University-Alamogordo, where she established its first intaglio printmaking studio in 1995. Besides the O’Keeffe Museum, Sengupta teaches credit courses with the School of Art & Design of the Santa Fe Community College.

Her etchings and lithographs from the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi have been featured in a landmark exhibition on Women Printmakers of India at the NGMA-New Delhi in India. Her work is in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Association Musée d’Art Contemporain, France; Kala Institute, Berkeley, and more.

Sengupta also conducts workshops, short courses, lectures, and community-based art events focusing on multicultural and intercultural experiences that emphasize human, cultural, and environmental connectedness through creativity.

To learn more, please visit notes-and-doodles.com and visit her Instagram @santafe_online_art_studio

This class is being offered on a sliding scale.

$10 minimal fee.

$20 covers the cost of the class.

$30 covers the cost of the class, plus a contribution to support educational programs.