Watercolour Painting Course

What you'll learn

Learn to paint and use watercolours with our painting short courses in Sydney!

This watercolour painting course is designed for both absolute beginners and those with some experience looking to refine their skills. Whether you are new to watercolours or want to develop your technique further, this structured course will guide you step by step, helping you build confidence in your painting abilities.

Starting with the fundamentals, you will learn essential techniques such as brush control, washes, layering, and colour mixing. Each week, you will have the opportunity to practise through structured exercises designed to introduce and reinforce key watercolour skills. As the course progresses, you will apply your learning to create three complete paintings, each carefully designed to develop your technique and artistic expression.

Your tutor will structure each session to support all levels of experience, ensuring that beginners receive clear guidance while more experienced students are encouraged to expand their skills. The small-group environment allows for personalised feedback, helping you to gain confidence in your approach to watercolour painting.

This course is designed to be ongoing, with students encouraged to re-enrol as many times as they like to continue refining their skills. Whether you are exploring watercolours for the first time or looking to enhance your abilities, this course provides a supportive and inspiring environment to develop your painting style.

Join us and discover the beauty of watercolour painting, gaining the skills and confidence to bring your artistic vision to life.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this watercolour painting course, you should have:

Learned a variety of brush techniques
Learned tonal value in a painting and how to manipulate colour and tone
Applied techniques of watercolour painting
Learned the power of composition
Used glaze, wash and sketching techniques

Course content

What will be covered in this watercolour painting course?

The medium and your watercolour equipment
Application of pigment and brush techniques
Rules of watercolour
Colour mixing and atmospheric perspective
Controlling the interplay and water, paper, pigment & you
Problem Solving: How to paint your watercolour for success
Composition in the context of still life and botanical subjects
The illusion of three-dimension and the role of light and dark

Intended audience

Who is this watercolour painting course for?

This watercolour painting course is designed for all levels. Beginners are welcome, but some drawing experience will be an advantage.

Course venue

Rozelle Campus

2A Gordon Street, Rozelle NSW 2039 (corner of Gordon St & Victoria Rd in the grounds of St. Joseph's Church)

Course materials

What to bring to class

Option 1: Purchase a full materials kit at enrolment checkout. This will be supplied at your first class.

Option 2: Uncheck the materials kit at enrolment checkout and bring your own - materials list.

*Materials kits are ordered from our supplier and can take up to a week to arrive. If you enrol close to the start date, you may receive your kit at the second session instead of the first.

Additional information

Please note the following:

Closed-in shoes required
Please wear old clothes and/or bring an apron
Long hair must be tied back

Course testimonials

Helen said: I was very happy with this course as a first time watercolour student. Shippi provided good challenging exercises and instructions to assist all students. She also provided feedback and assistance between each class whenever requested.
Jan said: Very friendly and relaxed class, with a focus on skill development
Rachel said: Shipra was a great teacher, giving you step by step instructions on each painting and advice on the way through. I would recommend this course to anyone who wanted to improve their skills in water colour painting. It would be great if the course was a couple of weeks longer.
Eric said: Very helpful and resourceful
Kate said: Shippy is an outstanding tutor - my second workshop with her and I'm enrolling in a third. She scaffolded the four days to introduce specific skills and then we incorporated those into a work each day. Exhausting but exhilirating.

Course tutors

Shipra Shah

Shipra trained for 5 years at a premier art institute and has a Degree in Fine Arts and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She has worked as a Visual Merchandiser and Set Designer for...

View Shipra Shah's profile

Classes Online Courses

Watercolour Painting Course

Mon 14 Jul 2025 - Thu 17 Jul 2025

4 sessions, 20 hours total

10am - 3pm (UTC+10:00) (first session)

2A Gordon St, Rozelle

Shipra Shah

Materials Kit: Kits must be ordered at least one week before the class starts to allow time for delivery. You can purchase a kit at checkout or bring your own—just uncheck the box.

*The Early Bird discount expires five days before the class starts.

When	Time	Where
Mon 14 Jul 2025	10am - 3pm	A1-1: Visual Arts - 2A Gordon St, Rozelle
Tue 15 Jul 2025	10am - 3pm	A1-1: Visual Arts - 2A Gordon St, Rozelle
Wed 16 Jul 2025	10am - 3pm	A1-1: Visual Arts - 2A Gordon St, Rozelle
Thu 17 Jul 2025	10am - 3pm	A1-1: Visual Arts - 2A Gordon St, Rozelle

If there isn't a class to suit you, please join our waitlist and we will notify you when we have places available. Join waitlist for Watercolour Painting Course