Watercolor Illustration Program
We've spent years figuring out what actually works when teaching watercolor. Not the textbook approach — the real stuff that makes beginners feel confident holding a brush.
This isn't about copying someone else's style. It's about finding your own voice through structured practice and genuine feedback from people who paint every day.
Classes start in August 2025, giving you time to prepare your workspace and gather materials at your own pace.
How We Actually Teach
Three principles that shape everything we do. They're not revolutionary — just honest about what beginners need most.
Small Group Sessions
Six students maximum. That's it. When Freya Atkinson started teaching larger groups in 2023, she noticed the same questions kept getting lost in the shuffle.
Smaller numbers mean we catch mistakes early — before they become habits that take months to unlearn.
Real Materials Matter
Student-grade supplies are fine for experimenting. But you'll hit a wall quickly when the paper pills or colors won't mix properly.
We help you build a working kit gradually. No need to drop hundreds at once, but knowing which investments make the biggest difference changes everything.
Weekly Practice Rhythms
Consistency beats intensity every time. We've watched people make more progress with 30 minutes daily than cramming weekend marathons.
Our curriculum builds in natural rest points. You're learning to see differently, and that needs time to sink in between sessions.
What You'll Actually Learn
The program runs twelve weeks. Each phase addresses specific challenges we've seen trip up beginners across hundreds of students.
Weeks 1-4: Water Control
This sounds basic until you realize everything in watercolor depends on getting moisture right. Too wet and colors bleed everywhere. Too dry and you're fighting the paper. We spend a month here because rushing past it causes problems later that are genuinely difficult to fix.
Weeks 5-8: Color Mixing Fluency
You'll mix dozens of greens. Seriously. Because understanding how colors shift when wet versus dry only comes from repetition. We document every mix you create, building a personal reference guide that becomes invaluable once you start your own projects.
Weeks 9-12: Composition Basics
Technical skill means nothing if your paintings feel awkward or unbalanced. We work on cropping, focal points, and knowing when to stop — that last one's harder than it sounds. Most beginners overwork pieces right at the end, and learning to recognize that moment saves a lot of heartbreak.
What Past Students Say
I'd tried teaching myself from YouTube for months and kept wondering why my paintings looked muddy. Turned out I was using completely the wrong paper and pushing too hard with the brush. Freya spotted both issues in the first session. Those small corrections completely changed what I could do.
The weekly practice assignments felt manageable even with my work schedule. Nothing fancy — usually 30-minute exercises focusing on one specific technique. But by week eight, I looked back at my early attempts and couldn't believe the difference. Progress sneaks up on you when you're not obsessing over being brilliant immediately.
Program Details
Everything you need to know before deciding if this fits your schedule and goals.