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Thankfully we have 14 other Watercolor Classes for you to choose from. Check our top choices below or see all classes for more options.

Watercolor Painting (Beginner/Intermediate)

92nd Street Y @ 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY

Unleash your creativity and discover the beauty of watercolor painting. Learn various techniques, color formation, and visual representation through direct observation. Join a supportive community of artists and receive real-time feedback on your progress.

(1060) Beginner 18 and older
$355

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Watercolor Painting (Intermediate/Advanced)

92nd Street Y @ 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY

Master the art of watercolor painting and refine your craft in this intermediate/advanced class at the prestigious 92nd Street Y. Explore different techniques, color mixing, and value to create stunning visual representations. Be inspired by renowned artists and elevate your watercolor skills to new heights.

(1060) Intermediate 18 and older
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Watercolors for Absolute Beginners

92nd Street Y @ 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY

Explore the captivating world of watercolors in this immersive course at 92nd Street Y. Discover the fundamentals of watercolor painting, including techniques, materials, and composition. Join us for a journey into this timeless medium and unleash your artistic potential.

(1060) All levels 18 and older
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Water Color Drop-in

Dirty Hands Studio @ 13 Waverly Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Immerse yourself in the art of fluid expression. Discover the magic of manipulating water and paint in small, supportive groups. With our comprehensive set of tools and pre-set images, experience the instant gratification of mastering one of the most challenging artistic mediums.

All levels 12 and older

Figure Painting with Watercolor

92nd Street Y @ 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY

Explore the grace and movement of the human figure through the vibrant medium of watercolor. Develop your painting skills and delve into the expressive possibilities of the fluid paint application in this figure painting class at 92nd Street Y. Prerequisite: Basic/Intermediate Watercolor. For supplies needed, click here.

(1060) Intermediate 18 and older
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Watercolor Basics

  • All levels
  • 18 and older
  • $275
  • 62 18th St, Brooklyn, NY
  • 15 hours over 5 sessions

Start Dates (0)

  • $275
  • Trestle Workshops @ 62 18th St, Brooklyn, NY 11232
  • 15 hours over 5 sessions
  • No class on April 7.
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Class Description

Description

What you'll learn in this watercolor class:

This transparent water-based painting medium has been enjoyed and used for centuries. Regardless of your experience level, you will learn how to use materials and all the techniques associated with watercolor. You will see demonstrations, and we will discuss composition, design, subject matter, and textures that lend themselves to this medium.

You will leave this course with a full knowledge of how to use materials such as brushes, papers, and paint-to-water ratio. Focus will be given to inventing the medium for yourself by learning to gain the right amount of control for your style. 
In doing this, we will explore different washes: wet on wet, wet on dry, dry on dry painting, in order to help you understand how to make different textures while learning to control the uncontrollable: water! 

Important Things to Note:
  • We will go over color theory and mix colors from the primaries while learning to address highlights and shadows by working without white paint. 
  • Projects within the course will focus on painting from observation. 
  • It is beneficial to build a strong foundation in an observational practice in order to understand composition and design, negative space, color changes from cool to warm, and using contrast and layers to build a believable 3-dimensional space on the paper. 
  • You will leave with a broad experience in the medium that will allow you to branch into any direction of your choosing, not simply the direction the water tells you to go!
Students will need to bring the following materials: 
  • 1 Pad of Paper: (Cold press, 140 lb (300 gsm), 11 x14, 12 sheets.) Great cheap papers: Canson Montval, or Strathmore Series 300 or 400. Other great papers: Arches,  Fabriano, Saunders. 
    * Avoid "Borden & Riley Vellum" and "Canson XL"
  • Hard Pencil (HB or 2H)
  • Kneaded EraserTray/Pallet: A metal travel palette with a lid and at least 12 wells for different colors.
  • Range of Watercolor Brush Sizes varying from round and flat For example: 0 round, 4 or 6 flat, 10 round, 20 flat (you will know them from oil brushes because the bristles on water-based brushes are very soft to the touch.) 
  • 1 Water Container, a plastic cup or coffee tin (anything out of the recycle bin will do.)
  • Watercolor Paint Tubes: I would recommend buying a box of 8-15 small tubes of all the basic colors (Cotman, Blick, or Koi are good starter brands). 
    *** At the very minimum you must have a primary colors: Cadmium Red Deep, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Lamp Black, and Burnt Umber. (No White, Naples Yellow, or “Flesh Tint”) I recommend opening the tubes of paint in the store to make sure the colors look "primary" aka, that the red is really RED and not an orangey red, etc. Also please avoid Reeves Paints, very low quality and hard to work with.
  • Kitchen Paper towels
  • 1 Natural sea sponge 
  • 1 Pen-like Xacto Knife

Refund Policy

Full 8 business days before class time for rescheduling. No refunds.

Reviews of Classes at Trestle Workshops (326)

(4.4-star rating across 326 reviews)
  • Watercolor Basics

    Anonymous review on 8/28/2019
    the teacher is very talented and is definitely a professional. I think it would've been helpful to have a little more individual criticism by the teacher though. she could spend a few seconds or minutes throughout each class to give individualized observations to help the student improve on their weaknesses. Overall a good class.
  • Watercolor Basics

    Reviewed by Kat R. on 8/9/2017
    This was a wonderful 5 week session which enabled me to explore new techniques with watercolor. The instruction was masterfully given in an atmosphere of support and encouragement. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone interested in learning the basics or developing their technique.
  • Watercolor Basics

    Reviewed by Laura B. on 12/21/2014
    Really good class - came in with basically no watercolor experience and really came out knowing enough to practice and get better on my own. Allison is great at giving tips and information while creating a loose, positive atmosphere where you don't need to feel bad if a particular painting doesn't turn out well. Sadly I think it's too expensive for me to take the class again to try to improve in a classroom setting with guidance, especially as there's no intermediate level.
  • Watercolor Basics

    Reviewed by Emma C. on 10/2/2014
    Alison was a great teacher, very friendly and willing to help. I do wish that she did demos before each lesson so students can learn brush and color mixing techniques so that we can apply learnings immediately. Overall, I enjoyed the variety of things we painted in class and the course did enhance my understanding of watercolor.
  • Watercolor Basics

    Reviewed by Alfonso S. on 2/6/2020
  • Watercolor Basics

    Reviewed by Athena S. on 10/25/2018
  • Watercolor Basics

    Reviewed by Lilia H. on 10/23/2018
  • Watercolor Basics

    Reviewed by Lynn K. on 10/17/2018
  • Watercolor Basics

    Reviewed by Ronnie M. on 10/19/2017
  • Watercolor Basics

    Reviewed by Peter L. on 3/15/2017
  • Watercolor Basics

    Reviewed by Stella P. on 3/16/2016
  • Watercolor Basics

    Reviewed by Chun-Fu H. on 3/9/2016
  • Watercolor Basics

    Anonymous review on 11/4/2015
  • Watercolor Basics

    Anonymous review on 8/25/2015
  • Watercolor Basics

    Reviewed by Kyung P. on 8/24/2015
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Review Summary by CourseHorse

Students at Watercolor Basics generally had positive experiences in their classes. They praised the teacher for her talent and professionalism. Overall, students found the instruction to be masterful and supportive, and many felt that they learned enough to continue practicing and improving on their own. Students enjoyed the variety of subjects they painted and felt that the course enhanced their understanding of watercolor. Quotes: - "The instruction was masterfully given in an atmosphere of support and encouragement." - "Really good class - came in with basically no watercolor experience and really came out knowing enough to practice and get better on my own."

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Questions & Answers (2)

Get quick answers from CourseHorse and past students.

Question from Brittany H.
Hello there! I’m looking to take a class series. However, looking at the calendar there is 1 class I will not be able to attend due to a prior work commitment. Is there a way to supplement or make up a missed class? Thanks!
Answer from Brenda L. CourseHorse StaffCourseHorse Staff
Hi there! Trestle does not offer to make up classes, as many of the classes are full and they cannot accommodate student drop-ins from past sessions. That being said, if you inform your instructor, they will do their best to fill you in on missed material during the other class sessions.
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Question from Tracy S.
What are the dates of the other 4 sessions?
Answer from Jenny T. CourseHorse StaffCourseHorse Staff
You can see the other dates by scrolling down to the "Start Dates" section below, then clicking the drop down that says "This course consists of multiple sessions, view schedule for sessions." Hope that helps! :)
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Trestle Workshops

Trestle’s community classes program called Trestle Workshops offers instruction in a wide variety of artist techniques and theories, as well as training in professional practices. This program serves a dual purpose of educating artists in new media and creating jobs for highly-trained teaching artists....

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