San Diego Watercolor Society

Composition & Narrative

Instructor: Chuck McPherson

For watercolor painters seeking more from their paintings, a strong composition and a good narrative will lend a “voice” to your art that turns heads. Paint from your own reference material. Chuck’s layout reviews and demos will emphasize that once you have created an interesting narrative, it’s on to telling the story with composition.

Recommended experience level:  all levels

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Non Members Fee: $180.00 Members Fee: $165.00

This workshop takes place on:

Watercolor Block Prints

Instructor: Helen Shafer Garcia

Imagine the combination of relief block prints and watercolor. You will learn to design and carve images with little effort on a soft synthetic material suitable for print additions. These designs will build detail and strong lines for our watercolor painting using simple printmaking methods. Bright colors, lines, and shapes just pop immediately on the surface using fully charged dropped in watercolor pigments.

Recommended experience level:  All levels

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Non Members Fee: $180.00 Members Fee: $165.00

This workshop takes place on:

Painting Water Subjects

Instructor:  Drew Bandish

Watercolor painting methods are particularly well suited to the subject of water in its many moods and colors. In this lesson set, we will focus on developing effective symbols for such characteristic watery effects as:

-very calm and reflective surfaces, as in lakes, ponds and puddles, including their surroundings.

-water with some motion, as in harbors with boats moving about and their many shattered reflections. 

-splash and spray, as in surf and waterfalls, sprinklers and other. 

-clear and refractive, as in a vase of flowers or clear, shallow shoreline areas or dew drops.


All skill levels welcome!

You can do it.

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Non Members Fee: $185.00 Members Fee: $165.00

This workshop takes place on:

Tracing Paper Treasures

Instructor:  Julie Anderson

Learn to design and use value plans to turn your photo references and/or figure drawings into exciting paintings full of texture.  Using photo references, gridding up drawings, applying tracing paper to watercolor paper backing, and use of color schemes will be covered.

All skill levels starting from advanced beginner 

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Non Members Fee: $185.00 Members Fee: $165.00

This workshop takes place on:

Memorable Landscapes

Instructor:  Jami Wright

Create visually exciting watercolor landscapes using your favorite photos as reference. Emphasis will be on simplification, composition, value adjustments, atmospheric perspective and defining your focus with higher contrast and detail. Supply options for painting while traveling will also be covered. 

Recommended experience level: Advanced Beginner and higher levels 

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Non Members Fee: $185.00 Members Fee: $165.00

This workshop takes place on:

Vibrant Abstracts On Yupo Paper

Instructor:  Wanda Honeycutt

It’s official! Painting on Yupo paper is an amazing experience!  

Can it be challenging? …. YES!

Can you learn tricks to tame it, while still allowing it to do it’s wonderful, colorful magic? …. YES!

Wanda will teach you her secrets of painting with watercolor on Yupo paper. This workshop will focus on non-representational abstracts but you can use the techniques you learn in representational work.

These techniques have allowed her to create unique, award winning paintings.

From Wanda: Many people have said things to me like:  I love your abstracts but I just can’t do them myself…….I wish I could.

This class will give you the structure you need to succeed and the freedom to create your own unique paintings.  

All skill levels welcome!

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Non Members Fee: $185.00 Members Fee: $165.00

This workshop takes place on:

Creating Watercolor Abstracts

Instructor:  Kathleen Scoggin

This workshop will focus on where to find inspiration and how to develop your own abstract style.  Design and composition will be explored as part of the process.  Step by step instructions will be given for a no fail abstract with lots of WOW FACTOR.  We will explore different ways of applying the watercolor medium.  We will also use mixed mediums to achieve new and varied effects.

All skill levels welcome!

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Non Members Fee: $185.00 Members Fee: $165.00

This workshop takes place on:

Bold Big Brush Painting

Instructor:  Craig Anderson

Spend a few days learning how to be a more confident artist creating loose watercolors and have fun while doing it.  The workshop will include what defines a painting and the steps involved to go from concept to completion.

We will use markers to create a value sketch as a foundation and guide for your final painting.

All skill levels

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Non Members Fee: $185.00 Members Fee: $165.00

This workshop takes place on:

The JOY of Yupo!

Instructor:  Carol Thomason

Discover the JOY of using polypropylene Yupo! Carol will demonstrate and talk about how—and why—she creates her Lines of Communication painting series using mixed watermedia and layers of fluid acrylic…now all on Yupo!  Paint with abandon!  Do it all on Yupo! 

All levels welcome!

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Non Members Fee: $185.00 Members Fee: $165.00

This workshop takes place on:

Developing a Style

Instructor:  Gordon Bashant

In this workshop you will work on color along with ideas for and distortion of “subjects.” The emphasis will be on finding your unique style. This class will help newer painters get off on the right track and inspire experienced painters to find new ways to look at a blank piece of paper.

All Levels Welcome

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Non Members Fee: $185.00 Members Fee: $165.00

This workshop takes place on: