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Ana Victoria Calderon

Hand painted watercolor designs by Ana Victoria Calderón

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Watercolors of Morocco

Hi friends! I just got back from an inspiring week in Morocco with a group of amazing women who came to be inspired by this mystical land and paint together. I planned out daily watercolor workshops and balanced out painting time with cultural excursions organized by my retreat partner, Coco from Travellur.

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Group shot in our beautiful private villa

Group shot in our beautiful private villa

Moroccan tile and geometry workshop

Moroccan tile and geometry workshop

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We had a great group of talented artists who were able to make 3 full paintings during our week together! I love spending this intimate time with a small group like this because I can really get to know you and your personal style.

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My sister Maggie who co-hosts The Magic Jungle with me also came along to create some custom opening and closing ceremonies for the retreat. I’m so glad she came because this magic is so powerful for group connection.

My sister Maggie who co-hosts The Magic Jungle with me also came along to create some custom opening and closing ceremonies for the retreat. I’m so glad she came because this magic is so powerful for group connection.

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We also painted Hand of Fatima and I was just amazed by what a good job everyone did!

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This day we also had a lovely picnic in one of the Villa gardens. The food was delicious and we hung out all evening chatting about life.

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We also took a day trip to the Ourika Valley where we had a free day of activities. Some of us chose to go on a camel ride, take a hike or enjoy a Hammam spa treatment.

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We also did plenty of shopping at The Medina! So many treasures.

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We also made custom postcards for each other as part of our closing ceremony. We did it secret santa style. So much fun!

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Oh! I almost forgot to mention our day trip to the famous Majorelle Garden, is a two and half acre botanical garden and artist's landscape garden in Marrakech made famous by Yves Saint Laurent.

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I hope you enjoyed a peek into this beautiful week we spent in Morocco. It is such an honor to have students fly from all over the world to spend these extraordinary experiences with me. I hope to continue to host retreats in the future because they are just so special!

Take a look at last year’s watercolor retreat Watercolors of Sicily and The Magic Jungle Experience , my yearly retreat in Tulum fro creative entrepreneurs.

Any guesses on next year’s location? :)

Big hug!

Ana

Photography by Travellur

Camel Photography by Jennifer Ginchereau

Tuesday 06.11.19
Posted by Ana Victoria Calderon
 

Watercolors of Sicily

Hi friends! I don't blog often, but I think this retreat really deservers a full blog post (or two!).

I just got back from Europe and all I can say is: wow, what an experience. This was the frist of hopefully many Watercolor Retreats where I team up with Travellur, a boutique slow travel specialist in authentic travel experiences. 

Activities from our first watercolor class together

Activities from our first watercolor class together

One of our many gorgeous styled dinners by Travellur

One of our many gorgeous styled dinners by Travellur

I am so grateful that this group of women (who had never met before!) came together with two things in common: our love for travel and painting. Everyday our program included a class I designed specifically for this location, lots of delicious food and a cultural outing or moment. 

Group shot at Castello di Donnafugata garden maze

Group shot at Castello di Donnafugata garden maze

For a full week we painted together and shared many laughs and stories at the beautiful Villa we all stayed at together. In the morning we woke up to delicious breakfasts by my friend Alessia, who also made sure we had plenty of snacks and lunches throughout the day. 

Fresh wild mint infusion from our garden by Alessia

Fresh wild mint infusion from our garden by Alessia

Mariana making a personalized post card for our last class together

Mariana making a personalized post card for our last class together

Mary at the villa (this flower wall was my favorite spot!)

Mary at the villa (this flower wall was my favorite spot!)

I also want to give a special thank you to Jesy for capturing these special moments so beautifully.

Jesy's shopping in Noto

Jesy's shopping in Noto

Jesy also took our portraits and so many cool group pics. Guys, I think I will for sure need a second blog post to share all my thoughts and pictures from the retreat. 

Group shot at Castello Di Donnafugata

Group shot at Castello Di Donnafugata

Jesy making me feel like a princess!

Jesy making me feel like a princess!

Mosaic paintings in process by the group

Mosaic paintings in process by the group

Postcards we made for each other before saying good bye <3

Postcards we made for each other before saying good bye <3

Overall I can't thank Coco from Travellur enough for making this dreamy week come together. I am so glad this partnership exists and delighted to bring more art retreats to you, hopefully for many years to come! I highly recommend Travellur for all your custom travel experiences, she really caters well to small groups who want unique travel experiences.

Coco and I at our farewell dinner

Coco and I at our farewell dinner

There is so much more I want to share with you about this experience! Make sure to check out out hashtag #WatercolorsOfSicily

Lots of love,

Ana

JOIN US IN 2019 HERE!

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tags: watercolor tour, watercolor retreat
Friday 06.29.18
Posted by Ana Victoria Calderon
Comments: 2
 

Watercolor Travel Guide

One of my favorite things about painting with watercolors is how portable and easy to travel with they are. If you're reading this, it most likely means that you'll be joining me on a creative retreat this year. (yay!) Here is a list of some of my personal favorite supplies to travel with: 

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Packing list:

  • Watercolor Paper Pad
  • Variety of Brushes
  • Watercolors (pan sets work great for travel)
  • Cloth for wiping 
  • Basics: pencil, eraser, etc.
  • Optional: Watercolor cup for water

First thing's first, paper. 

Watercolor paper pads are excellent to travel with. Personally I like to carry around two styles when I'm on the go, spiral pads are great because you can work on different projects simultaneously without having to tear out each piece of paper. A great size that fits in most back packs is 9x12 inches, which is a bit larger that traditional Letter size but small enough to carry around in your bag. 

I love this COTMAN paper! The price is right and they have a variation of sizes. I usually get mine on Amazon or Blick.&nbsp;

I love this COTMAN paper! The price is right and they have a variation of sizes. I usually get mine on Amazon or Blick. 

Watercolor sketchbooks are also fantastic. My personal favorite is Moleskine's Watercolor Album. I like the smaller size because it's great for carrying around with you at al times. Make sure to get this style, regular Moleskines do not have appropriate paper for watercolors, it should look like this:

A variety of sizes are available on Amazon and Blick too!&nbsp;

A variety of sizes are available on Amazon and Blick too! 

Watercolor Paints:

In my opinion watercolor pan sets are the best way to travel with your paints. No mess, the mixing palette is included and you have a variety of colors to choose from, all in just one box. There are many sizes and brands of watercolor pans, when I travel I like to take my large pan set because even a complete set is compact enough for me, but there are any smaller options that are GREAT too!  

If you've taken my online classes, you've hear me rave about Sennelier and Schmincke, these two brands are extremely high quality watercolors, pan sets are available in different sizes.&nbsp;

If you've taken my online classes, you've hear me rave about Sennelier and Schmincke, these two brands are extremely high quality watercolors, pan sets are available in different sizes. 

If you're looking for something a bit more affordable, Winsor &amp; Newton hast a student line (Cotman) that I highly recommend. They also have a large variety of shapes, sizes and styles.

If you're looking for something a bit more affordable, Winsor & Newton hast a student line (Cotman) that I highly recommend. They also have a large variety of shapes, sizes and styles.

They even have this cool Field Box Set that comes with a brush, expandable palette and mini water jug. How fun is this?&nbsp;

They even have this cool Field Box Set that comes with a brush, expandable palette and mini water jug. How fun is this? 

A little something extra... if you're like me, you probably have a couple of favorites that you to mix in with your pan sets. For me it's Dr. Ph Martin's mahogany and juniper green. These paints are awesome because they are extremely concentrated and come is small glass bottles that are under 3 oz, so you can even carry them in your backpack and go through security without them being confiscating :) I like to put them in ziplock bags to avoid any accidents. 

You can purchase individual concentrated Dr Ph Martin's here.&nbsp;

You can purchase individual concentrated Dr Ph Martin's here. 

If you're still curious about different watercolor paints, I have a super extended Skillshare class where I demonstrate every single type and brand of paints I use!

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Water Container + Cloth

When painting with watercolors we need WATER! In workshops I will usually provide plastic cups, but it's always nice when someone brings their own cup. You can also carry around any old cup to fill with water... but recently a student of mine gave me a gift and I absolutely love this!

This is the one my student gave me, so practical and easy to travel with.&nbsp;

This is the one my student gave me, so practical and easy to travel with. 

In workshops I also always have paper towels available, but it's also nice to have your personal piece of cloth to wipe off excess paint. 

Brushes and Pencil Case

When it comes to brushes, I like round brushes with synthetic hair. A great option are these W&N Designer's Round series. Again, they won't break the bank and they are round but have a pointy tip so they work for detailing as well. 

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If you're an artist (YOU ARE!) you probably have a variety of brushes you've collected. I recommended these W&N ones but I also have a bunch of different types of brushes in my studio, not to mention pencils, erases, pens, etc. When traveling it's best to have some sort of a Pencil case or Brush case to gather all these supplies.

I found this handmade one on ETSY, thinking of getting one like this!

I found this handmade one on ETSY, thinking of getting one like this!

I made these pencil cases a while ago. They're sold out now BUT I wanted to show you how I travel with supplies. I like cases like this where I can fit everything in. There are tons of pouches out there! Try etsy and support an independent maker :)

I made these pencil cases a while ago. They're sold out now BUT I wanted to show you how I travel with supplies. I like cases like this where I can fit everything in. There are tons of pouches out there! Try etsy and support an independent maker :)

I hope these tips were useful, feel free to share your travel favorites in the comment section. Again, these are just my personal favorites, there are thousands of great supplies out there!


I'm so looking forward to painting with you this year. Teaching in person watercolor sessions are so special for me. Learning from each other and sharing ideas is pure magic. In case your are not signed up yet, here are 2018 dates for Creative Retreats:

June 9-16 WATERCOLORS OF SICILY with Travellur (only 2 spots left)

August 9-13 MAGIC JUNGLE INSPIRATION in Tulum (Early Bird ends March 23rd)

October 23-28 MAGIC JUNGLE EXPERIENCE in Tulum (Early Bird ends July 23rd)

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Tuesday 01.30.18
Posted by Ana Victoria Calderon
 
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