Beginner Workshops

SDWS offers a very popular series of workshops twice a year for adults new to watercolor or for those adults who wish to renew their interest and skill level. You do not have to be a SDWS member to attend these workshops. Each series consists of seven Saturday workshops with all supplies provided. Students may elect to just take one workshop or attend all seven. All students who are not members and take at least four of these workshops will receive a SDWS membership, free for one year.

Students attending the initial Beginner Basics Workshop receive one flat brush and one round brush to keep. Materials, brands, and where to purchase art supplies are discussed during this first class. The balance of the class is spent with the students learning basic watercolor painting techniques and watching step-by-step painting demonstrations and getting lots of practice using what they learned.

Our instructors come from SDWS’s Education/Outreach Committee. In addition to teaching beginner classes, they volunteer their time to teach art classes to all ages - in schools, after school programs and senior centers. As well as being active members of SDWS, many of our instructors are credentialed teachers who have recently retired or are in between teaching positions.

After the Beginner Basics Workshop, the next workshops will begin with a review of key watercolor techniques and then focus on a specific topic. These additional topics are: Color and Value, Drawing for Watercolor, The Still Life - Bringing It All Together, Landscapes, Portraiture - Let's Paint a Face, and finally Mixed Media. All workshops are held in the gallery’s education center. We hope new students will enjoy this new creative outlet and then join our membership by taking other workshops taught by a variety of professional instructors from across the country and from our own membership.

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Workshop Information

Currently, our San Diego County and the CA Department of Health

recommends wearing masks when indoors and when you are around those 
who may be vulnerable to the virus

All workshop particpants must have an account on our website to register for a workshop. SDWS Members should log in to their account prior to registering. If you are not a member and do not have an account, please click HERE to create a free account.

Premier & Weekend Workshop prices are discounted for SDWS Members.  To receive the discounted price, please log in to your account before registering. If you are not a member or your membership has expired and would like to receive the discounted price, click "Membership" in the main menu to renew your membership or join SDWS prior to signing up.

Please contact our workshops registrar at registrar@sdws.org or the workshops director at workshops@sdws.org with any questions.

In-Gallery Workshops: All in-gallery workshops are held in our beautifully light-filled education center inside the San Diego Watercolor Gallery in The ARTS District of Liberty Station. (Location)

ZOOM Workshops: Virtual workshops will be conducted using Zoom. They will include a combination of live painting demo(s), interactive communication with the instructor, and individual painting time - all from the convenience of your home / studio.

Click HERE for Virtual Workshop Technology Requirements

Click HERE for Workshop Refund Policy

Click HERE for Nearby Hotel Accomodations

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