Schedule: 

June 22nd- Fluidity & Water Control

• Objective: Master water-to-pigment ratios and predictable paint movement.

• Techniques: Wet-on-wet blending, timing paper dampness, charging color, gravity flows.

• Project: Moody Skies. Students will flood the paper with clean water to observe how pigment flows across a wet surface. By tilting the board and dropping in deep indigos, grays, and warm undertones, they will create atmospheric, dramatic storm clouds and soft horizons. The lesson focuses on knowing when to manipulate the paint and when to let the water do the work.
   

July 13th- Translucency & Atmosphere

• Objective: Understand how transparency builds visual depth.

• Techniques: Transparent glazing, layering dry-on-wet, color mixing, temperature control.

• Project: Mountain & Tree Silhouettes. Students will explore atmospheric perspective by painting a misty mountain range landscape. They will mix a single color palette and apply it in layers, allowing each layer to dry completely before applying the next. The project builds from a light, distant background wash down to dark, sharp foreground tree silhouettes, demonstrating how watercolor layering creates three-dimensional depth.
   

July 20th- Form & Spatial Awareness

• Objective: Learn to see and paint the shapes around an object to create depth.

• Techniques: Negative space painting, shadow mapping, value scale creation, lifting color.

• Project: Dimensional Teacups. Students will paint a vintage teacup setup without sketching hard outlines. Instead, they will define the edges of the cups by painting the darker, negative space colors around them. This project teaches students how to map highlights, identify cast shadows, and utilize the white of the paper to give an object form, weight, and volume.
   

July 27th-  Textures & Play

• Objective: Break away from realism to explore the physical properties of the medium.

• Techniques: Splattering, lifting, scraping, salt application, plastic wrap textures, organic mark-making.

• Project: Abstract Expressionism. This experimental session encourages students to break away from traditional form and focus entirely on texture. Students will use non-traditional tools like credit cards, sea sponges, and salt to create a vibrant abstract piece. The project emphasizes intuitive composition, color harmony, and exploring how different materials react with wet watercolor paint.
   

August 3rd- Precision & Movement

• Objective: Train your hand for controlled, sweeping strokes and complex flora shapes.

• Techniques: Compound brushwork (varying pressure to press and lift), variegated washes, fine line work.

• Project: Botanicals & Florals. Students will learn to maximize their brush shapes by creating organic leaf and petal forms in single strokes. They will practice pulling fine stems with the tip of the brush and creating lush leaves with the belly of the brush. The final project involves arranging these organic elements into a cohesive botanical study, focusing on crisp edges and smooth, internal color transitions.
   

August 10th-  Integration & Culmination

• Objective: Combine all learned techniques—washes, layers, texture, and values—into one cohesive piece.

• Techniques: Composition planning, focal point placement, edge control, final highlight preservation.

• Project: The Final Still Life. In this final capstone project, students will bring together every skill built over the course. They will arrange a simple still-life setup, plan their composition, map out light sources, and execute the painting from the first loose background wash to the final, fine-detail brush strokes. The session includes a supportive, group wrap-up to celebrate individual creative progress.