WATERCOLOR

ESSENTIALS

WATERCOLOR THE EASY WAY

with Lee White

Enrollment Closed

With the right approach, it’s easy, fun, and actually relaxing. After teaching thousands of students, I’ve seen the same three problems pop up again and again:

1. Too many colors. More isn’t better — it’s confusing, expensive, and it kills color harmony.

2. Wrong materials. Brushes that don't hold enough water, paper that is too absorbent, paint that stains the paper, etc… if you are fighting your tools, you will never win.

3. No clear technique. Watercolor has its own rules. Without knowing how to control water and pigment, everything feels like guesswork.

Watercolor Essentials fixes all of that. Through simple, step-by-step exercises, you’ll see how watercolor works—and how fun it becomes once you understand the “why” behind it.

Watercolor shouldn’t feel like

wrestling an alligator.

Enrollment Closed

Learn to paint in watercolor

without the struggle!

Schedule

Week 1

  • Intro

  • Controlling Water and Paint

  • All about PAPER!

  • Brushes and Line Work

  • How to make PERFECT Gradients

  • Project 1: Bringing it all Together

Week 2

  • 3 Step Painting Technique

  • 3 Step Basic and Advanced Exercises

  • Neutral Palette with Exercises

  • Full Palette with Exercises

  • Extra Exercises

  • Wrap Up

Livestream schedule

Sat May 16

5pm PDT
Welcome + Week 1 Videos

Tue May 19

9am PDT
Live Session

Thu May 21

5pm PDT
Live Session

Sat May 23

9am PDT
Live Session + Week 2 Videos

Tue May 26

5pm PDT
Live Session

Thu May 28

9am PDT
Live Session

Sat May 30

5pm PDT
Wrap Up!

here’s what you’ll get

Guided Video Lessons

A collection of thoughtfully paced lessons you can return to. We’ll move through the full process together, from what paints to use to how each stroke works. You’ll be painting fun and free watercolor paintings in no time!

Live Studio Sessions

Throughout the workshop we’ll gather for relaxed live sessions where you can ask questions, share what you're working on, and get guidance as your scene takes shape. Lee will do live demos that will reinforce everything you learned in the video lessons.

A focused painting approach

Lee will walk you through each step so you fully understand how each thing works independently. This unique approach will show you exactly which technique to use and when!

A Community of Makers

You won’t be painting alone.

Inside the class space you’ll be able to share progress, exchange ideas, and cheer one another on as everyone’s skills develop. You will be able to chat with the whole group or one on one.

“this class was simply amazing! it took out all the confusion i’ve had about how to paint in watercolor. I thought watercolor was so hard, but now that i know what to look for, it’s easy!”

— Jeff Moore, Watercolor Essentials student 2025

Watercolor essentials Workshop

‍$399

• A hands-on 2-week watercolor workshop for artists of all levels


• Step-by-step lessons from thumbnail sketches to a finished painting


• Learn to design compositions using layered color and atmospheric depth


• Build confidence in watercolor fundamentals: washes, glazing, and lifting


• Paint expressivly - Fun and free flowing techniques


• Simple techniques for controlling water, edge quality, and color flow


• Capture natural light effects and paint believable shadows and highlights

• Helpful exercises for color mixing charts, material lists, and practice exercises


• Live sessions for questions, demonstrations, and personalized feedback


• A welcoming community of painters sharing work, tips, and encouragement


• Finish five different paintings to learn how to handle different subjects

Enrollment Closed

Meet Lee

Lee White is an illustrator, author, and educator with 25+ years creating narrative-driven images in digital, watercolor, and mixed media. He’s illustrated 20+ children’s and YA books—including Love, Santa; Kate, Who Tamed the Wind; and This Pretty Planet—with publishers like Penguin Random House and Candlewick, and has commercial clients such as Disney, Amazon, Apple, National Geographic, United Airlines, and Verizon.

He taught concept design full-time at the Art Institute of Portland for over a decade, focusing on visual storytelling, character design, and worldbuilding, and emphasizes a process-driven approach to building foundational skills. Co-founder of the School of Visual Storytelling, Lee has helped thousands of students grow their illustration and storytelling abilities. He also co-hosts the podcast 3 Point Perspective, speaks at SCBWI events and industry workshops, and exhibits work internationally. He holds honors degrees from ArtCenter College of Design and an MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Once purchased you will have access for 2 months to the class content

  • The Sketch Smart Workshop is for both beginner and experienced artists. It's designed to be a resource you can revisit as you build your skills. Advanced artists and professionals can apply the techniques immediately to enhance their work, across many forms of visual art. It is adaptable to whatever kind of work you want to make.

  • New class starts May 16th 2026. The first set of lessons will be released during Week 1 and the second set during Week 2.

    During this time you can work on the assignments any time you like. There will be live feedback sessions every other day.

    Class ends on May30th, 2026.

  • There will be 10 lessons with each one designed to take around an hour or two to complete. Since this class is about process, most images will focus on principles and not finished work. The class is divided into two separate weeks with 5 lessons and assignments per week. Students can complete the work any time they want during the week.

  • No, the Watercolor Essentials Workshop and the SVSLearn subscription have very different formats and goals. Workshops are designed as a focused, 2-week program with 3 live sessions for students to ask instructors questions. SVSLearn, on the other hand, is geared toward building general illustration skills through self-directed learning.

  • If you're not already a member of SVSLearn, a student account will automatically be created for you upon enrollment. This is where you'll access the class content, livestream details, and private group chat. Please note that the lessons will be released in two batches over the course of the class. You can do the lessons at your own pace, and you'll have the opportunity to join 3 livestreams with the instructor to ask any questions you may have.

  • Most likely! This workshop includes 3 livestreams, where the instructor will answer questions and discuss common challenges students face. While the instructor often provides spot critiques, he may not be able to critique every student individually each session due to time and cost. Generally most students struggle with similar things. So the instructor can solve the problem for most students by highlighting a cross section of paintings and demos. 

  • The class is structured over 2 weeks, but you can take as much time as you need to complete it. Some sections, like certain painting techniques, may take longer than others, so the overall pace will vary from person to person. You'll have access to the content for 2 months after the class is over, so we encourage you to go at your own speed and focus on creating your best work.


  • 100% refund if canceled by the first day of class.

    50% refund if canceled by the third day of class.

    No refunds after the third day of class.

    But you’ll love it so much you won’t need one!

  • The instructor will send out a supply list, but basically any watercolor supplies will work. The goal of this class is to help you understand the materials you already have.