Watercolours for Developers: Level 2

Level 2: Developing Your Watercolour Painting

6-Week Intermediate Course

Take your watercolour painting to the next level in this structured 6-week follow-on course at The Art School, Chester.

This course is designed for adults who have completed Watercolour Painting Foundations—or who already understand basic washes, colour mixing and layering—and would like to develop greater confidence, control and creative independence.

Building on the techniques introduced in Level 1, you’ll explore more expressive brushwork, richer colour relationships, stronger compositions and a wider range of textures and effects. You’ll learn how to plan a painting without losing the freshness and spontaneity that make watercolour so distinctive.

Across the six weeks, you’ll work from observation and reference images while developing your own artistic choices. You’ll explore how to simplify a subject, identify a focal point, create atmosphere and balance loose passages with carefully chosen details.

Each session includes tutor demonstrations, focused exercises, individual guidance and time to develop your own paintings in a calm, friendly studio environment.

All materials and equipment are included.

What You’ll Learn

• Developing confident and expressive brushwork

• Selecting and simplifying subjects for watercolour

• Creating stronger compositions and focal points

• Mixing sophisticated, harmonious colour palettes

• Using warm and cool colour to create depth and atmosphere

• Building transparent layers while preserving light

• Creating convincing textures and varied edges

• Using negative painting techniques

• Balancing loose washes with controlled detail

• Planning and completing more developed watercolour paintings

• Making confident creative decisions in your own work

What You’ll Learn Each Week

Week 1 – Refreshing Skills & Expressive Brushwork

Refresh the essential techniques learned in Level 1 before exploring more expressive brushwork and varied mark-making. Learn how changing the amount of water, pressure and brush angle can produce lively, confident results.

Week 2 – Composition, Focus & Simplification

Learn how to select and arrange a subject before beginning a painting. Explore thumbnail sketches, cropping, focal points and the balance of positive and negative space. You’ll practise simplifying complex reference images into clear, effective compositions.

Week 3 – Developing Colour & Atmosphere

Go beyond basic colour mixing by exploring warm and cool relationships, limited palettes and subtle neutral colours. Discover how colour can create distance, light, mood and atmosphere without becoming muddy or overworked.

Week 4 – Texture, Edges & Negative Painting

Experiment with techniques for suggesting foliage, stone, wood, reflections and other natural surfaces. Explore hard, soft and lost edges, along with negative painting methods that allow shapes and highlights to emerge from surrounding colour.

Week 5 – Developing a Personal Painting

Begin a more ambitious watercolour painting using a chosen subject or tutor-provided reference. Plan the composition, palette, tonal structure and order of layers while deciding where to use loose washes and where to introduce detail.

Week 6 – Completing & Refining Your Painting

Bring your final painting to completion with individual tutor support. Learn how to assess your work, strengthen focal areas, add selective detail and recognise when a painting is finished. The session will conclude with an encouraging group review and ideas for continued development.

Who Is This Course For?

This course is ideal for:

• Adults who have completed Watercolour Painting Foundations

• Beginners who already understand basic watercolour techniques

• Returning students who want to strengthen their skills

• Painters who would like to work with greater confidence and independence

• Students who want to develop stronger compositions and colour choices

• Anyone wishing to loosen their painting style while retaining control

• Those looking for a calm, creative weekly escape

No advanced drawing skills are required. Students should have some previous experience of flat and graded washes, wet-on-wet painting, colour mixing and basic layering.

We keep class sizes small to ensure plenty of one-to-one guidance and a relaxed, supportive atmosphere.

What’s Included

• All materials and equipment provided

• Step-by-step tutor demonstrations

• Focused technique exercises

• Reference images and composition guidance

• Individual feedback and support

• Small-group teaching

• Watercolour studies and a finished artwork to take home

By the end of the course, you’ll have developed a broader range of watercolour techniques and a more confident approach to composition, colour, atmosphere and personal expression. You’ll be better equipped to plan and complete your own paintings while maintaining the freshness and luminosity of the medium.

Duration: 6 weeks

Level: Beginners / Improvers / Level 2

Materials: Included

Location: The Art School, Chester

Spaces: Limited places available to maintain quality tuition