"There is a very playful element to sketching,"

South Pasadena artist Brenda Swenson says in the introduction to her video entitled "Sketching Techniques With Watercolor." "When I start a large painting I tend to get serious…so sketching with watercolor to me is a lot lighter and fun-filled."

Over the years, Swenson, a popular instructor and author, has compiled many sketchbooks that she continues to use as reference material. "I discovered early on in life, that I didn't really see something until I drew it. The more I sketched and painted, the more I became aware of the world around me. I found that even the simple things in life took on a new importance and beauty."

"Sketching Techniques With Watercolor" is comprised of nine chapters beginning with sketching tools and techniques and continuing through to sketching and painting a vignette, a flower bouquet and a church landscape. Learn how a sketch can be complete in itself or be a road map to larger studio paintings. Whether you want to improve your skills, create travel journals or take that next step as an artist, you will come away excited and inspired. This 126 minute DVD is loads of fun for a beginning artist, as well as, a great refresher course for the intermediate painter.

Brenda Swenson is the artist author of two books, "Keeping a Watercolor Sketchbook" (Award of Excellence Finalist) and "Steps to Success in Watercolor". Her paintings and sketches have been featured in "Splash 11," "Splash 12," "Artistic Touch 4," "Watercolor Magazine," "Watercolor Artists' Magazine," "Watercolor Highlights, Quarterly Magazine," "Wheels of Time" and numerous other publications. Brenda has been awarded signature membership in WW and NWWS and she has won numerous awards for her paintings.