Watercolor Painting for Beginners

Learn to paint beautiful watercolors from scratch — no experience needed, just grab a brush and follow along

1. Welcome & What You'll Need

Getting Started
Video

Welcome to Watercolor Painting for Beginners! In this lesson, we'll go over everything you'll learn in this course and the basic supplies you need to get started. Spoiler: you don't need expensive gear.

7 min

2. Choosing Paper, Brushes & Paints

Getting Started
Video

Not all supplies are equal. Learn the difference between student and artist grade paints, which paper weights actually matter, and the only three brushes you need to start painting today.

11 min

3. How Water Controls Everything

Core Techniques
Video

Watercolor is all about water control. Learn the wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques, how to load your brush properly, and why the ratio of water to pigment changes everything.

15 min

4. Flat Washes & Gradients

Core Techniques
Video

Master the two most important techniques in watercolor — laying a smooth flat wash and creating beautiful gradients. These are the building blocks for skies, backgrounds, and so much more.

14 min

5. Mixing Colors with Confidence

Color & Light
Video

Stop guessing at colors. Learn a simple color mixing system using just 6 paints to create any color you need. We'll build a personal color chart you can reference for every painting.

18 min

6. Understanding Light & Shadow

Color & Light
Video

Light is what makes a painting feel alive. Learn to see light and shadow, understand warm and cool tones, and create depth in your paintings with simple shading techniques.

16 min

7. Painting Simple Flowers

Projects
Video

Put your skills into practice with loose, expressive flowers. Learn to paint roses, daisies, and wildflowers using just a few brushstrokes. Perfect for cards, journals, and gifts.

22 min

8. Painting a Sunset Sky

Projects
Video

Create a stunning sunset using wet-on-wet blending. We'll layer warm oranges and pinks into cool purples, let the colors flow into each other, and add silhouette details at the end.

20 min

9. Painting a Cozy Landscape

Projects
Video

Bring together everything you've learned in a complete landscape painting. We'll paint rolling hills, a winding path, and distant trees — layer by layer, from background to foreground.

28 min

10. Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Tips & Next Steps
Video

Everyone makes mistakes in watercolor — and most of them are fixable! Learn how to lift color, fix hard edges, rescue muddy paintings, and work with (not against) happy accidents.

12 min

11. Developing Your Own Style

Tips & Next Steps
Video

Now that you have the fundamentals, it's time to find your voice. We'll explore different watercolor styles — loose vs. detailed, realistic vs. abstract — and how to develop a look that feels like you.

14 min

12. What to Paint Next & Keeping the Momentum

Tips & Next Steps
Video

Congratulations — you're a watercolor painter! In this final lesson, we'll talk about building a painting habit, finding inspiration, sharing your work, and where to go from here.

8 min