Introduction to Watercolor Painting with Jade Scarlett

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The Introduction to Watercolor Painting seminar explores the foundational skills needed to begin working confidently with watercolor. Watercolor is known for its luminosity, fluidity, and unpredictability. Rather than trying to control the medium completely, beginners learn how to work with the water, pigment, and paper to create expressive paintings. This session focuses on building comfort with the tools while developing an understanding of how transparency and flow shape the final result.

Through guided demonstrations and simple exercises, this seminar covers brush handling, water control, color mixing, layering techniques, and basic composition. Participants will explore essential watercolor methods such as wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry, learn how to avoid common beginner mistakes like overworking the paper, and gain practical strategies for preserving highlights and creating depth. By the end of the session, attendees will feel more confident beginning their own watercolor practice and understand how to approach the medium with patience and intention.

This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Jade Scarlett.

What You'll Learn

• Understand the nature of watercolor and what happens when you add more water versus more pigment.
• Practice brush control and basic strokes, including how pressure and angle change the result.
• Learn water control fundamentals, including light washes vs. saturated color, and how to avoid overworking damp paper.
• Use wet-on-wet vs. wet-on-dry techniques and understand how timing affects edges and color movement.
• Mix colors and work with transparency, building depth through layering rather than opacity.
• Plan simple compositions and preserve highlights by using the white of the paper intentionally.

Who It's For

• Beginners who have never painted before and want a clear starting point
• Creatives curious about watercolor but unsure where to begin
• Artists working in other mediums who want to explore transparent color techniques
• Hobbyists looking for a relaxing and expressive creative outlet
• Anyone interested in learning foundational painting skills in a supportive environment

Required Materials

• Watercolor paints (student grade or artist grade pan or tube set)
• Round brushes in small, medium, and large sizes (recommended sizes 2, 6, and 10)
• Watercolor paper, 140 lb cold press (pads or blocks recommended)
• Two water containers (one for rinsing, one for clean water)
• Paper towels or cotton cloth
• Pencil and eraser
• Optional: masking tape, palette, spray bottle

How to Join

• This class is available exclusively to CreativeLive subscribers. Not a subscriber? Join here.
• The class will be delivered via Zoom Webinars. You’ll need access to Zoom through a web browser or the Zoom app in order to participate.
• To reserve your spot, register using the Sign Up form and button above. Space is limited.
• A unique Zoom join link will be sent to registered subscribers, up to the maximum number of participants per class. You’ll receive this link one hour before the class start time.

About the Instructor

Jade Scarlett is a watercolor artist, modern calligrapher, educator, and confessed craftaholic. It is her deepest belief that people can be happier and more fulfilled when expressing themselves creatively, and she's intensely passionate about teaching and making art accessible to all.

Her desire is to uplift and encourage everyone to live their best creative lives.

Her motto in life is “Make art, feel happy!"