Watercolor Workshops
All 2026 workshops are located at Arts Collaborative Medford at 162 Mystic Ave, Medford, MA 02155. (Free parking lot attached to building, Both Tufts Station and Ball Square Station on the Green Line E are a 20 min walk.)
Intro To Watercolor - Level 1
Let’s learn to watercolor! We will begin this class by practicing a few guided watercolor techniques and quick studies to encourage a loose, expressive, free-flowing style. The latter half of the class will focus on completing individual paintings. Each participant will create their own unique arrangement from live flowers and greenery provided by the instructor. Demos and 1:1 feedback is offered throughout the process to help sharpen each participant's composition and color palette.
Instructor Demo
Materials to bring:
Large jar to hold paint water
Rag for clean up
Paper - Choose one based on your budget
Option A: 11x15” Strathmore 400 Cold Press 140lb Watercolor Wirebound Pad (~$10/pad, 12 sheets in each block, you will only use 4 sheets in this class)
Budget friendly and fair quality
If you can find it, block style is recommended but wirebound style is fine if block is unavailable. Please don’t purchase, 9x12”, the dimension will be too small
Option B: 20x30” Arches Cold Press or Rough Press 140lb Sheet in Bright White or Natural White (~$25/sheet, you will only need to purchase one sheet for this class)
Superior quality, easier to work with
Please cut the sheet down the middle lengthwise and widthwise to get four 11x15” sized papers to use for our class
If you’d like to purchase an Arches precut pad instead, either 11x14” or 12x16” will work
Please avoid Canson XL pads - the quality is very low and will not hold up to the techniques we learn
Materials provided by instructor (though if you have your own, you are welcome to bring them):
Brushes
Paint palettes
Watercolor paints (If purchasing your own, Winsor & Newton Cotman line is budget friendly and decent quality)
Lemon Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Quinacridone/Permanent Rose, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber
Watercolors expanded: landscapes - Level 2
Prerequisite: “Intro To Watercolor, Level 1”
Continue strengthening your watercolor skills with a longer, 4½ hour class focused on painting fully rendered scenes. (Don’t worry, we will have a break in between 😄)
We will practice complex washes, glazing, and how to simplify colors and details to create compelling, atmospheric compositions. In the final 3 hours of the class, we will go step-by-step to create a medium-sized landscape painting, referencing a beloved, Boston-based scene. The goal of this class is to introduce and equip students with a set of steps and techniques to continue painting landscapes long after the class concludes.
Materials to bring:
Snacks/lunch if you get hungry 🥪🍎
Large jar to hold paint water
Rag for clean up
Masking tape
Board backer - One drawing board or masonite board. We will tape individual sheets to these boards to prevent the paper from warping when wet. Corrugated plastic cut to size will also work. Please ensure the board you purchase will fit an 11x15 sheet with at least an inch of space around the edges. This material not needed if you’re using a block pad.
Paper (I will not be providing any for this class)
20x30” Arches Cold Press or Rough Press 140lb Sheet in Bright White or Natural White
~$25/sheet, you will only need to purchase one sheet for this class. Please cut the sheet down the middle lengthwise and widthwise to get four 11x15” sized papers to use for our class
If you’d like to purchase a precut pad instead, any 11x15”, 10x14”, or 9x12” size will work fine. Just ensure the pad is 100% cotton. Some have recommended BaoHong’s cotton blocks as a cheaper alternative to Arches blocks.
Materials provided by instructor (though if you have your own, you are welcome to bring them):
Brushes - we will be using a 1” mop/wash brush extensively (hake brushes also work if you already have one)
Paint palettes - if you’d like to purchase your own I recommend this one. It’s cheaper than a ceramic palette, travel-friendly, and the paint won’t bead up on this surface like they tend do on the classroom palettes I own. It will make color mixing much easier.
Watercolor paints - same colors used in the Intro class, plus Quinacridone Gold, Transparent Orange, Phthalo Blue, Cobalt Blue, Dioxazine Violet, Viridian, Sap Green, and Titanium White. We’ll be sharing one set for the whole class so if you already have some of these colors I encourage you to bring them so they’re easily accessible at your painting station.
Instructor demos
2026 Dates
🎨 If a workshop date is full, please send me an email to be added to the waitlist. In past events, one or two people usually join from off the waitlist per session!
Learn to watercolor! During this three hour class, we will practice a few guided watercolor techniques and quick studies to encourage a loose, expressive, free-flowing style. The latter half will focus on completing individual paintings from live flowers and greenery provided by the instructor.
Continue strengthening your watercolor skills with a longer, 4½ hour class focused on painting fully rendered scenes.
Learn to watercolor! During this three hour class, we will practice a few guided watercolor techniques and quick studies to encourage a loose, expressive, free-flowing style. The latter half will focus on completing individual paintings from live flowers and greenery provided by the instructor.
Learn to watercolor! During this three hour class, we will practice a few guided watercolor techniques and quick studies to encourage a loose, expressive, free-flowing style. The latter half will focus on completing individual paintings from live flowers and greenery provided by the instructor.
INFO FOR REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS
**Please arrive AT LEAST 5 minutes early to park, check in, and set up your space. Event will start promptly at the time listed.
All 2026 workshops are located at Arts Collaborative Medford at 162 Mystic Ave, Medford, MA 02155. (Free parking lot attached to building, Medford/Tufts Green Line T Station is a 20 min walk.)
Individual cancellations made more than 7 days before the event will be 100% refunded, minus the 4% card processing fee. Cancellations made 7 days or less before the event will be refunded 50% and cancellations made 48 hours before the event will not be refunded
If you can no longer attend, please email me so I can fill your spot from the waitlist if there is one
If a workshop is cancelled due to weather, payments are 100% refunded, minus the 4% card processing fee. A cancellation email will be sent to participants at least 2 hours before the event is scheduled.