Course Now Available
Watercolor Foundations
Beginner – Intermediate
You can learn to paint with watercolor!
Painting with watercolor is a skill and with practice you can learn it! This course is designed for the absolute beginner and those with some experience looking to brush up on their watercolor skills.
$80
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Upcoming Courses!
Interested in any of these courses? Click on one or more buttons below, submit your info and I'll let you know when it becomes available. I hope to meet you in one of my courses soon!
Watercolor Foundations 2
An intermediate course that takes you to the next level with more advanced projects. We'll get into lost and found edges, wet in wet and composition.
Paint Funky Cup!
Paint Funky Cup, or your own mini one item still life to paint along with me! This short course is about painting direct and juicy!
Basic Drawing
This course will focus on drawing basics: examining tonal values, light and shadow, using line to define volume, and line and wash. Improve your observational skills thus improving your painting skills.
Relief Block Printing
Free! Learn how to make a one color block print. This is a reductive process, forcing our brains to work in reverse. A template is provided or create your own image.
Tomyhoi Peak
Intrigued by Watercolor?
Me too. It’s a passion of mine and I love teaching people about its fluid magic. In my opinion watercolor is, hands down, the most exciting medium on the planet!
Here's my watercolor story:
I began painting with watercolor as a student at Western Washington University in Bellingham. After 4 years of working with it as a professional illustrator, I gave it up, feeling stuck in an unsatisfying style that wasn't going anywhere. So I put it aside for more than a decade. Then, on a fluke, I decided to take my watercolors with me on a backpacking trip up the Yellow Aster Butte trail in the Mt. Baker Wilderness. A stunning and inspiring hike, by the way! The first morning, high in the alpine, I decided to do a watercolor sketch of the towering granite peak near the campsite named Tomyhoi Peak. As it turned out I made a breakthrough with that sketch that made me fall in love with watercolor all over again. The medium felt fresh and alive! The scenery was rugged and beautiful and I fully enjoyed the fluid immediacy of watercolor in my expressive interpretation. I learned to "Let it Flow!" that day. I realized it was working with watercolor impromptu that made it exciting for me. That trigger. That "AhHa!" moment can happen in an instant anywhere, any time. So here I am, years later, still painting with watercolor and teaching it to others. I've discovered tricks along the way that help make watercolor easier to understand and work with. It's my hope and goal to inspire others to explore and realize their own "AhHa!" moments, and pass on the watercolor bug! Come join me, I'll show you the joys of painting with this gorgeous medium and teach you the skills and mindset to create beautiful watercolor paintings.
My Teaching Philosophy
I love art and teaching people art. I believe everyone has an artistic voice and people are creative by nature. It's what we humans do. As an instructor, I'm here to teach the how-tos and art foundations to help launch students on their creative journey. To support, foster and facilitate my students discovery of the beauty and uniqueness of their own work. Each student brings their own personal approach to the course. I look to them for feedback to improve each lesson and exercise. My students help mold my courses and I appreciate that. I'm also here to learn. To be a better teacher and improve my skills along with my students. We grow together. I love that about teaching and learning. I'm grateful to each and every student for the gift of teaching. Thank you!
What My Students Have To Say
"Wonderful class! I'd been playing with watercolor for a few years but finally learned some of the "basics" about values and shadows and softening edges. Has improved my art so much.
Thanks Kris - you're a great (& patient) teacher!"
- Lisbeth
"The class covered exactly what I wanted it to which was a basic understanding of watercolor and good practices with an emphasis on knowing your tools and materials so with practice you can start to see the beauty of the medium.
Kris quickly assessed the needs of the students. Demos were very helpful as were specific homework assignments. Also, teaching us to value the translucent nature of the medium and the magic of letting the interaction between water and color do some of the work for you."
- Judith
"Kris is passionate about watercolor and enjoys sharing that passion with others. She is a foundational methodology instructor; she explains the technique, demonstrates the technique, then provides support while her students practice the new technique. I am much more confident as an artist and willing to take risks while I practice."
- Shannon