Summer & Autumn Trees: Layering, Texture & Light As we move into painting fuller, more expressive trees, this week is all about learning how to create depth, texture, and light in a simple and approachable way. Summer and autumn trees give us the perfect opportunity to explore richer color, fuller canopies, and a little more movement in our brushwork. In this lesson, we focus on three key techniques: layering for depth, dry brushing for texture, and adding shadows to ground o

Spring trees are one of the most fun subjects to paint in watercolor. The colors are soft and fresh, and watercolor’s natural ability to blend and spread on the page makes it perfect for capturing blossoms and new foliage. In class this week we focused on wet-on-wet techniques  for creating organic, natural-looking tree canopies. Instead of trying to paint every leaf or blossom individually, these methods allow the paint and water to do some of the work for us. Below are the

Our first week together focuses on winter trees, a beautiful and approachable subject for beginning watercolor. Without leaves or heavy color, winter trees allow us to slow down and notice the structure of a tree—its trunk, branches, and the quiet shapes it creates against the sky. They’re also the perfect way to begin learning how watercolor behaves on the page. This week we’ll focus on a few foundational techniques that will support everything we paint throughout the course

🕷 Watercolor — Spiders This week’s focus: practicing five watercolor techniques to help us paint spiders and spider webs with texture,...

Watercolor Techniques for Painting Butterflies 1. Layered Gradients Create a smooth gradient wash across the wing using a single color,...

Watercolor Techniques – Painting Bees Dry Brush Technique – Creating Fuzzy Textures How we did it: Start with a damp brush (not dripping...

Layering Use “milk” or “tea” paint consistencies for translucent effects. Allow each layer to dry before applying the next. Builds depth...

I’m so excited you’re here and can’t wait to start painting together this week! Whether you’re new to watercolor or have been painting...

Negative Watercolor Painting (practice)

Color and Emotion in Watercolor This week, we dove into the idea of using color to reflect memory and emotion —turning personal...

Exploring Marks & Movement in Watercolor One of the joys of watercolor is discovering the variety of marks your brush can make and...

Week 4 printable

Color Mixing Chart Color mixing is a fundamental skill in watercolor painting because it helps artists create a broader, palette using...

The color wheel… How to Identify Warm vs. Cool Colors Basic Idea: Warm colors feel like sun and heat: reds, oranges, yellows Cool colors...

Composition Basics in Watercolor Painting The Rule of Thirds The rule of thirds is a simple but powerful guideline for arranging elements...

Watercolor Techniques & How to Use Them Practicing different watercolor techniques can help you create depth, texture, and realism  in...

Watercolor Techniques for Painting Still Life Scenes When painting still life scenes in watercolor, using different techniques can help...

Full disclosure:  I do have a lot of art supplies that I love, but to be completely honest, you don’t need much to get started . For a...

Watercolor Techniques: Layering (Glazing) Purpose: Build depth and translucency for shells. Prepare Your Colors: Mix light washes of your...

1. Flat Washes: Even Color Coverage for Cactus Shapes A flat wash  is a smooth, even application of a single color across a shape. This...