Watercolour Classes and Workshops

Watercolour Classes and Workshops to Suit Various Skill Levels

My watercolour classes and workshops are small, relaxed group sessions designed for adults who are comfortable working independently at their own pace. As I teach the classes on my own, I’m unfortunately unable to provide additional supervision or specialised support beyond normal art instruction. If you require extra assistance to participate, you are very welcome to attend with a support person.

Please also note the studio where I teach does not have wheelchair-accessible facilities.

If you’re not sure which class to enrol in or if you have any questions, just drop me an email (renata@renatawrightart.net) with your contact number, and I’ll give you a call.

Terms and Conditions for In-Person Classes 

Learning Outcome

Please note that each class in my regular term runs for 2 – 2½ hours.  During this time, I demonstrate techniques and a step-by-step process on my own painting; I also walk around the class and give you tips and individual instruction and provide feedback at the end of the lesson if required.  Whilst class time is quite comprehensive, I also suggest you practise at home between classes as this will ensure that you improve and what I have taught will be reinforced.  Your attitude is important – remain positive and results will come.  Practise is important too – what you put in will determine the outcome.

Copyright (Very Important)

The photos, pictures and paintings used during my classes are protected by copyright and are not to be used for any purpose other than as painting subjects during class.  They must not be distributed to a third party and should not be sold or used for entry into art exhibitions without my prior written consent.

Class Confirmation / Booking Terms

Classes are sold only by the term (i.e. not per class) and 100% must be paid when booking to secure the spot in the class. Payment may be made via my website booking system, or by online bank transfer or by cash / credit in person at the Orange Palette.

Classes that do not have sufficient minimum numbers will be cancelled, and a full refund will be provided to students of that class. The minimum number of students in the classes is 7, and the maximum number is 14.

An individual’s enrolment in a class can only be transferred to another student 14 days or more BEFORE the term begins. Once the term has started, an enrolled student cannot have another individual attend a class in their absence.

Refunds

Cancellation fees are as follows:

14 or more days prior to commencement of class/workshop – full refund (or fee held in credit for six months), less 10% admin fee
3 – 13 days prior to commencement of class/workshop – 50% refund (or credit for six months)
0 – 2 days prior to commencement of class/workshop – non-refundable

Missed Class Policy

No refunds will be given for missed classes.
No replacement classes, class notes or step-by-step photos will be provided for students who miss classes.
No credit is given for missed classes for the cost of enrolment in subsequent terms.

Stay Home if You Are Sick

If you are feeling ill you should not attend class. Staying home not only allows your body to rest and aid in the recovery process, but it also allows you to prevent spreading germs to others.

Painting Classes FAQs

• Do I need any experience to attend your watercolour painting classes?  This is the most common question I am asked.  No, you do not need any experience at all to attend my classes.  My classes are designed so that you can follow along step by step when you are new to watercolour and later as you progress, I encourage you step outside of your comfort zone and experiment with colours, shapes, brush strokes etc to develop your own style.

• Is watercolour a difficult medium to work with?   Yes and no.  The only difficult thing about watercolour painting is that you need to plan a little bit more because watercolour does not allow you to make too many mistakes.  I do share my tips on how to correct mistakes so you have nothing to worry about though.  Watercolour can actually be quite easy to work with as its unpredictability can actually be a wonderful happy asset when painting, which means it often does the work for you without you even realising it!

• What benefits will I receive from painting in watercolour?   The sky’s the limit with what you can achieve once you start painting in watercolour.  The learning journey itself can be such a pleasure because you suddenly notice things differently around you and you start to wonder how you will paint something – what colours you’d use, how you’d capture the light and the shadow etc.  It’s amazing how painting can be great for your health.  Painting can be so therapeutic and you’ll find you’ll get lost in your own world at times as you squeeze out your paints, mix with your brush and dab, splash and stroke away.  The social aspects are fantastic too.  Many friendships have been formed in my classes, and everyone is helpful and supportive.  You’ll feel like part of a family in my classes.

• Should I be able to draw first before I attend painting classes?  No, it’s not absolutely necessary.  At each class I hand out the picture that we’ll be painting from in the following class.  That will give you a week to draw the picture at home so that you can get straight into painting once you come to class the following week.  I give advice on how to draw the tricky bits and make changes so that the picture is more interesting.  Most of my pictures are adaptable which means you can leave out parts that are too hard to draw and you can add other bits instead.  For example, if we are painting the ocean, you could leave out any people on the beach and just add a seagull or two in the sky.

• I’m nervous when painting around others.  How friendly are the other students?   My classes, whilst remaining structured, are also informal and friendly.  Everyone is made to feel welcome and everyone works at their own pace so there’s no pressure to turn out a masterpiece every time.  I have noticed too, that students love to share information with others so if you’re stuck on anything, your painting neighbour is more than likely to tell you about a time when they had the same problem and how they fixed it!  We have lots of laughs in our class, and yet there are also moments of silence when each person has their head down in deep concentration.
• Are the watercolor painting classes just for women or can men attend too?  My classes are for men AND women, regardless of age, experience, and background.  The men who attend my classes are sometimes outnumbered but they never feel left out or intimidated.  In fact, most of them enjoy having so many women around them and there is often lots of “women vs men” banter thrown about!