Many a time, you want to learn to paint, but you may think, ‘Oh, I am too old for this,’ or ‘I do not have any time for it,’ ‘I am terrible at it, I do not know where to start.’ Well, if this is you, you are in the right place. Here, in this space, you will find some of the best and top-rated online watercolor courses. How did we decide these are the best? We spoke to 20+ watercolor and painting experts, read through the online reviews of the students who took online watercolor classes, and then short-listed twelve of the best online painting courses. Let us get started and take a look at them one by one.
12 Best Online Watercolor Classes & Courses
- BEGINNERS Watercolor. Get Clear On The Basics And Just Paint - Udemy
- Foundations for Mastering Watercolor Painting - Udemy
- Art Essentials: Learn Watercolor Painting Basics - Skillshare
- Paint Realistic Watercolor and Botanicals - STUDIO BASICS - Udemy
- Watercolor Painting: Create Watercolor Flowers - Skillshare
- Beginners Watercolor Techniques with Geoff Hutchins - Udemy
- Paint Realistic Watercolour and Botanicals - CHASING AUTUMN - Udemy
- Your Introduction to Watercolor Painting: Create With Confidence - Skillshare
- Watercolor 101 - Creative Live
- Watercolour Jumpstart: Free Course - Angela Fehr
- Learn to Paint Realistic and Stunning Watercolours - Anna Mason
- Learn Realistic Watercolor Painting - Rebecca Rhodes
About this course
In our best online watercolor courses list, ranked right at the top, is a course by Udemy with a rating of 4.5.
If you are looking for online watercolor classes for beginners, this Udemy course can be quite a pick. It has been a consistent best seller. So, for anyone who has always wanted to paint with water colors but did not know where or how to start, this one is the perfect course for you.
These online watercolor classes are designed to impart learning through play classes which are very basic. In this course, your educator will help you escape the draw and color-in, a method that you have cultivated as a child. You will learn to play with colors and color in simple shapes to grow your understanding and build your confidence.
Please understand that if you seek a formal structure, this Udemy watercolor class may not be ideal. Herein, the educator will tell you about color mixing, names of colors, drawing, or composition. It is only a course to help you get started in the world of painting. For someone who has already been painting, this isn’t the right course for you.
One prominent reason we recommend beginners to pick this course is that they will be taught by a self-taught artist who understands the feeling people have about their creative work. She knows that you want to create art, but it leaves you feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Your educator will help you overcome all of these fears through her sensitive, relaxed, and friendly teaching style. Nicola, your trainer, has years of experience teaching people of all levels, both via the internet and in person.
A prominent reason why it is one of the best online watercolor courses is that with it, you get a 30-day money-back guarantee.
This course comprises 4 hours of on-demand video, 11 articles, and 32 downloadable resources. Further, you get complete lifetime access with this course. You can view it on your TV and mobile. Following the completion of the course, you will be awarded a certificate of completion.
What will you learn in this online watercolor course?
In this Udemy watercolor class, you have a lot to learn. Some of the things that you will learn as part of this course are listed below.
- Learning to work watercolor paints with water, and using them effectively.
- Understanding and learning the principle of a color wash
- Learning how the different wash layers from the same color tend to create different shading and shape.
- Learning to watercolor paint in a 3D object.
- Learning to create shadows and highlights in watercolor paints.
- Gaining confidence as a result of thorough repetition to watercolor in the best manner possible.
- Starting at the beginning and understanding the color mixing basics.
What do you need?
For undertaking this online watercolor course, you need a few things mentioned below:
- Watercolor paint box, which best suits your budget.
- Black ink pen
- 2B pencil
- Eraser
- Felt tip
- Two jam jars that will accommodate water – One of the jars will be for mixing colors and the other one for cleaning your brush.
- An absorbent kitchen paper.
- A round paintbrush, in-between the size 7 to 10.
- A thick watercolor paper, opt for the one as thick as what you can afford. 140 lbs or 300-gram thickness is the best.
- White or clear wax crayon or candle
Who should take up this Udemy watercolor class?
- It should be the perfect course for anyone who wishes to begin with watercolor painting.
- It is an excellent course for students who have the gear but do not know how to use it.
- It is the right course for people who are scared to paint and think they are not going to be good enough at it.
- Lastly, it is a great course for anyone who wishes to lower their stress by painting.
Review by Phyllis Sjogren
“
I could follow at my own pace. This coarse has given me the confidence to paint and not be so picky. Nicola was very well spoken and patient, and encouraging to mess around and experience the colours. I enjoyed learning about the different colours you can get by adding more water and dabbing off. It is really up to you and what you see. I learned the importance of shadow and how the achieve that. I thought this coarse gave me what I wanted as a beginner
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About this course
Ranked at number two in our best online watercolor courses is this foundation course by Udemy. It has a rating of 4.8 and is one of the top-rated Udemy watercolor class.
Before we tell you more about this online watercolor course, please understand that it is not a hands-on painting course. Instead, it is a lecture-based class, which comprises of information that you may not find elsewhere. The entire essence of a watercolor painting is established on the importance of hue, water, and a painting surface. To master this medium, you should have a thorough knowledge and understanding of all the materials.
This course has been crafted to give you an in-depth look and information on every material's properties that go into the watercolor painting process. Having this understanding will make things easy for beginners. They will have an easy time learning the techniques. Further, even the experienced painters will benefit from this as they will then be better equipped to perfect their skills and solve potential problems.
Further, an impeccable thing about this online watercolor course is that you get a 30-day money-back guarantee with it. As part of the course, you get a bunch of resources, such as 3.5 hours of on-demand video and 26 downloadable resources. Further, the course comes with lifetime access. You can view the course on your TV and mobile. Following the completion of the course, you will bag yourself a certificate of completion.
What will you learn?
Through these online watercolor classes for beginners, you have a lot to learn. Some of the things that this class will teach you are:
- Some watercolor techniques to paint faster and more efficiently.
- Understanding what watercolor paint is and knowing how it is so unique.
- Discerning how a paint tends to perform based on the pigment property.
- Gathering the requisite insight on the pivotal role of water in the water painting process.
- Appreciating the surface structure and texture importance while painting.
- Understanding the differences between the brush materials.
- Feeling free in developing your artistic voice.
- Problem-solving with success, if and when something goes amiss in the painting process.
What do you need for these online watercolor classes?
The great thing about this Udemy course is that there are no prerequisites as such.
Who can take up this online watercolor classes for beginners?
These are the best online watercolor classes for both new and experienced painters. If you are a novice painter, it will make the learning process a lot more simplified. However, this course will help you acquire a deeper insight into the whole painting process if you are an experienced painter. Please understand it is not a technique-based class. The class will provide you with a broader and more in-depth understanding of the medium.
Review by Helen Little
“
Very impressed with the quality of both the production and the content! Really interesting and useful, can't wait to start the next course in the series!
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About the course
At number three in our best online watercolor courses list is a course by Skillshare, wherein you will learn the water coloring basics that can help you get started with your illustration and fashion projects. The good thing is that even the most experienced painters will discover quite a technique or two with this course. So, grab your brushes and palettes and get started.
As a medium to accentuate the lessons and show off the newly acquired skills, through this class, you will be painting a subject matter, which has incredible structure, texture, and color. This course will require a lot of experimentation and practice to help you get a good grip on the working of the watercolors and understanding how they react to a different process.
As part of this course, you will not be learning how to draw. You can find drawing downloads as an additional resource in this course. Further, as part of the course, the educator will also provide you with some critical takeaways like when you need to employ more or less water, differentiating between different brushes, and making a basic color chart with the available paint.
So, go ahead, and enroll yourself in these online watercolor classes for beginners. Be assured it is a great course as over 27,474 students have already taken it till date.
What will you learn?
This is one of the best online watercolor classes for beginners and has a lot for you to learn. Some of the things that you will know with this course are:
- Using the watercolor paint on wet and dry paper.
- Mixing a color using the primary colors
- Creating a texture with the help of accessories or brushes, such as paper towels and salt.
Review by Stefani Akins
“
This was a great way to introduce watercolor techniques and to learn painting textures. Very fun class!
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About the course
At number four in best online watercolor courses is again a course by Udemy. It has a rating of 4.5 and is an impeccable course for beginners.
These best online watercolor classes are a part of a foundation watercolor course imparted via a competent, experienced tutor and artist. The great thing about this course is that, with it you get a bunch of wonderful tips, hints, and insights on everything from a studio environment to essential work practices and materials. The course comprises two levels of exercises, which have been explicitly designed to familiarise with the most prominent watercolor techniques, which are pivotal for natural botanicals and watercolors.
With more than three hours of knowledgeable content you’ll know how to get started in this field. These best online watercolor classes come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Further, the course comprises 3 hours of on-demand video, 1 article, and two downloadable resources. Also, the good thing is that you get complete lifetime access to this course, and you can view the course on your TV and mobile. Following the completion of the course, you will be lauded with a certificate of completion. It is a shareable certificate. You can download it, share with your friends on social media, print it, include it in your CV, add it to your LinkedIn profile, and increase your prospects of a job.
What will you learn in these best online watercolor classes?
Through this Udemy watercolor class, you will learn how to get started and be on the right foot. Some of the awesome things that this course will teach you are listed below.
- Understanding the materials, sound studio, and technique basics required to create realistic botanical paintings and watercolor.
- Learning about the materials to understand what to purchase, and do not waste the money on the wrong things.
- Learning ways to improve the approach, environment, and results you get as part of your own work.
What do you need?
A great thing about these online watercolor classes is that it is your first step to everything. The course will help you understand exactly where to start, even if you are a beginner. Further, through this course, you can improve and comprehend whether painting is your thing.
Who should take up this course?
It is one of the best online watercolor courses, which is ideal for:
- Anyone who prefers realistic painting and natural subjects.
- People who like to paint with watercolors but do not quite know where they should start.
- People with a certain level of experience wanting to accentuate their skills and knowledge in the watercolor medium.
- Anyone who has any questions with regards to water coloring.
- People who are looking to move a step ahead in their water coloring career
Review by Jocelyn Cole
“
Very helpful for improving skills. Enjoyable, encouraging precision in Botanical art. With Grateful Thanks.
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About the course
Next in line for the best online watercolor classes is this Skillshare course. This online watercolor classes for beginners is again a beginner level painting course. You can understand a step-by-step process to create alluring watercolor flowers, including different techniques and tips, which you can use to make different kinds of watercolor painting. It is a beginner level course and has been taken by over 8,304 students. So, go ahead and take up this course, as it will teach you phenomenal skills to get on your pathway of being a top-notch artist.
Review by Iris Morales
“
Her class was very organized and detailed from start to finish. She gave you supplies, where to go for ideas and how to go about doing your own drawings. It really inspired me to start drawing my flowers and to use watercolor to do my own creation. Very excellent class for beginners.
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About this course
Next in line for the best online watercolor classes is a Udemy course. It is a top-rated course, which has a rating of 4.5.
This is one of the recognized online watercolor courses that can help anyone yield their first water painting at home. The course is presented to you by Geoff Hutchins, an English professional artist, and tutor who will guide you through ten exercises filmed in real-time. The first five exercises will present to you elements, such as skies and trees. In the following five activities, Geoff will further extend the training to take you through the process of painting completion. The good thing is that Geoff will work through every exercise step by step via the employment of many different methods, which are all easy to understand.
More so, the PDF you get along with this Udemy watercolor class has all the vital information pertaining to details on the paints, materials, brushes, and the paper type. This course's every lecture starts with a list of paint colors and the brushes needed to complete the exercise. It is a 3 hour and a 20-minute long course.
The course comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and comprises 3.5 hours of on-demand video and two downloadable resources. You can view it on your mobile and TV, and you have complete lifetime access to this course. Further, following the completion of the course, you will be lauded with a certificate of completion. More so, Geoffs has a successful record of over 5000 satisfied students, so your satisfaction is guaranteed. You can also shop for this course, with zero apprehension, as with it, you get a 100% moneyback guarantee.
What will you learn?
Through this Udemy watercolor class, you will learn many useful techniques, which will enable you to create top-notch watercolor paintings of your own. Some of the things that this course will teach you are:
- Basics of texture, composition, detail, and perspective.
- The course will help you learn about the different paints, brushes, and paper types to help you pick the best option for you.
- Through this course, you will be able to paint your buildings, boats, skies, trees, and a lot more.
What do you need?
For taking up these best online watercolor classes, you do not need any previous experience. However, by the end of this course, you will be able to complete a watercolor painting with full proficiency. A vital aspect of this course is that you get advice on the materials and tools through a PDF as an essential resource.
Who should take up this course?
It is a perfect online watercolor course and is ideal for anyone who wishes to learn to paint successfully.
Review by Sarah Paolino
“
absolutely, I feel really good from just the first lesson on painting trees, made complete sense and can't wait for the rest.
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About this course
At number seven in our best online watercolor classes list is again a Udemy course. With a rating of 4.6, it is a highly demanded course. This 'CHASING AUTUMN' watercolor painting course has been particularly developed and designed to nudge you into applying the knowledge, skills, practice, and concept, which pertain to making you a proficient artist.
Through this course, your educator will provide you with simple shapes, forms, and outlines, which will give you a diverse palette, to begin with, and an endless combination of a variety of textures and colors to play with. Through this topic, you will come across various techniques and color usage, which will, in turn, help you achieve phenomenal success as an artist. Overall, this course is about having fun with colors but watch out; you may just end up learning a bit too much.
Through this online course, you will work together with your tutor and explore a series of seven beautiful autumn leaves, one leaf at a time. Each of them has been selected exquisitely and designed to focus on developing precise target areas of the watercolor techniques to reproduce a completed painting.
As part of this online watercolor course, you will get access to four hours' worth of content, and you can follow the trainer's step by step guide on every element set out for you or by exploring your compositional ideas. Through this tutorial, you can customize your work and create some fine paintings.
The course is divided into seven different subjects, allowing you to break down the course into bite-size portions and giving you the time to process and digest one thing at a time. It is indeed an impeccable thing to help you get started and begin your learning process.
This course comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. It comprises four hours of on-demand video and five downloadable resources, and you get complete lifetime access to the course and all the resources that come with it. You can view the course on your TV and mobile. Following the completion of the course, you will be lauded with a certificate of completion.
What will you learn?
- Through this course, you will practice the basics of all that you have learned into action.
- It will enable you to understand the development of a concise idea or painting from the beginning to the end.
- The course will help you identify a suitable color choice for a simple element or subject.
- It will provide you with a better sense of basic watercolor techniques, which involve washes, dry brushing, glazes, and masking fluid.
- Understanding how a beginner can undertake a botanical painting
- Finally, being more confident in your watercolor painting process
What do you need?
As such, there are no prerequisites, and anyone can join this course. Thus, it is a good pick for almost everyone.
Who should take up this course?
It is one of the best picks for:
- Anyone interested in watercolor painting
- Anyone wanting to take up botanical painting
It is the perfect starting point for people willing to learn botanical illustration and watercolor medium. This course can also help experienced painters who need an ideal place to refine their skills and techniques.
Review by Sarah Paolino
“
absolutely, I feel really good from just the first lesson on painting trees, made complete sense and can't wait for the rest.
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About the course
Have you found it somewhat challenging to work with the watercolors? Do you wish to add watercolor textures to your hand lettering toolbox or any other design work? Through these online watercolor classes, you will get a hold of all the necessary skills that will enable you to better your water coloring technique and will allow you to have more fun in due course.
Overall, this online watercolor course is an excellent pick for designers, beginners, craft addicts, and art nerds. Of course, it may not be Watercolor 101, but what this class will do is that it will make you better acquainted with watercolors. With this Skillshare course, you will learn some new techniques and tools and create a phenomenal watercolor background. So, why are you still waiting? It is time to get started. How do we know these are one of the best online watercolor classes? So far, over 6000 students have taken this beginner-level course and have always said great things about the class and its educator.
Review by Donna Marcialis
“
Excellent class! I wasn't having much success testing backgrounds. This class has helped so much with organizing, mixing, and producing the type of backgrounds I'm looking for. Thank you!
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About the course
Through these online watercolor classes, you will learn everything you possibly need to know about brushes, colors, papers, and composition. It is a comprehensive painting guide by Molly Murrah, where she teaches you different painting techniques, which will come in handy when you want to create your artwork.
Now, this class has found a place in our list because over 17000 students have taken it, and seventy-three percent recommend this class. With this class, you get 28 Video lessons in HD and ten-hour 3 min of class content. In addition to it, you will also get access to some exquisite bonus content with this class. The best thing about the creative live course is that you get free lifetime access. You can watch this course anywhere, anytime. It can also be streamed offline on your mobile and desktop. It can also be synced offline with your iPad and iPhone applications. Be assured, with this course, your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed.
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About this course
Learning to paint can be quite a lonely affair. At times, it may seem lonely despite having a great instructor. When you see them doing it, it may look easy, but you may feel lost when you try it by yourself. If that has happened to you, trust us, you are not alone. Well, if it consoles a bit, trust us, it is the story of every artist. To help you overcome that feeling, we have this great online watercolor course for you, which is 100% free and is designed to help you get the requisite encouragement and direction to kick-start your watercolor journey.
As part of this course, you will receive an email with a link to the watercolor lesson every couple of days followed by a pep talk, which will help you stay motivated, even if your painting didn’t turn out the way you wanted them to. So, go ahead, and enroll in this course. It is a free one, so how does it hurt?
What will you learn from these online watercolor classes?
Some of the things that these online watercolor classes teach you are:
- An overview of all the basic techniques
- Wet-in-wet vs. wet-on-dry
- Planning a composition
- Floral painting
- Working with photo references
- Landscape painting
- Negative painting
Angela will provide you with a comprehensive list of supplies and materials, along with some reference photographs so you can paint along with her.
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About the course
Did you ever feel drawn to painting but never really picked up the skill, simply because something or the other keeps holding you back? Just imagine how good you could get if you had the proper instructions and guidance? Why not give yourself a chance and learn to paint with these online watercolor classes. It is one of our top-recommended classes. Keep reading, and you will know why.
This online watercolor course is taught by Anna Mason, an award-winning professional artist. She is a nature-inspired artist who loves to paint vibrant and detailed watercolors. One thing that made us like her online watercolor course is that she is a self-taught artist. So, she will be better able to understand the kind of struggles you may have when you start painting. It is a 20-hour long online watercolor course and has a lot for you to learn.
Over the years, Anna has refined her unique style of painting an incredible side of nature, and through her skill and experience, she has certainly evolved from a mere hobbyist painter to a pro. She has been teaching painting to novice and pro students for the past seven years. Over these years, she has taught thousands of students from over 100 countries around the world.
To check out some of the work that students have created after her online watercolor course, you can check out her website. A lot of these paintings have been created by beginners who have absolutely no idea and experience with watercolors.
In her step-by-step video classes, there is a clear focus on structured practice that will enable you to overcome self-doubt and emotional roadblocks and transform this experience into something empowering, positive, and fun.
The good thing about this course is that the basic principles taught through this course can be applied to other subjects. So, by the end of these online watercolor classes, you will be in a position to paint portraits of structures, pets, people, landscapes, and a lot more.
As part of the course, Anna will provide you with the right tools that come in handy when you get to the real task. You will get a PDF listing, which will have all her recommended set of the palette, paper, paints, and brushes available for free on her website. Please understand for producing top-class paintings; you need top-class tools. Further, every class provides you with a structure, which is to be practiced with ease to gain confidence and avoid common mistakes.
Of course, you will not be in a position to hold an exhibition after 20 hours, but trust us, you will feel phenomenal with the progress you make. More so, with this course, you will get access to a library of more than seventy HD video tutorials, which will have detailed and guided instruction with subtitles. You will be shown everything that you need.
Who should take up this course?
These online watercolor classes are perfect for anyone, regardless of their skill level.
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About this course
Last in our list of online watercolor classes is this realistic painting class by Rebecca Rhodes. Through this course, you will learn to paint detailed and realistic watercolors in a simplistic and step-by-step online class. The thing is, when you purchase Rebecca’s individual course, you will have access as long as you may want it. So you can go back and watch the course, as many times as you want, on any device of your choice.
These online watercolor classes come with some free introductory tutorials. Apart from that it also has annual & monthly memberships, including access to all the courses in the school until the time you cancel your subscription. So, in any case, this course is not what you need, you can get in touch with Rebecca Rhodes within the first one month of your purchase, and she will give you back your full refund. So, at all times, your interests are fully secured.
Painting videos happen in real-time, with each of them demonstrating a step by step process with voice over and subtitles by Rebecca herself. This course comes with several downloadable resources, which includes the materials list, outline drawing, and reference picture. Please bear in mind that the course is available only on the source website and is not available for download.
What do you need?
Since the videos are for streaming, you will need high-speed internet to access them.
Bottom Line
So, these are the 12 best online watercolor classes. Along with some of the recognized painting experts from around the world, we have handpicked these courses, especially for you. Be assured; these are all the best courses you may find online. Go ahead, browse through these courses' websites, read more about them, and make your pick. For your easy convenience, we have linked the website along with the course. Happy Painting!
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