Watercolour Painting FAQ

You can learn watercolour painting at Sunny Art Centre in Covent Garden, Central London. We offer in-person watercolour classes for complete beginners, intermediate students and advanced artists, with individual demonstrations, technical guidance and feedback from experienced artist tutors.

Our studio is on Kemble Street, London WC2B 4AW, within walking distance of Covent Garden and Holborn Underground stations. Each two-hour lesson is taught in a small group of no more than 10 students.

Yes. Our beginner watercolour classes are suitable for complete beginners, including students who have never painted before. You do not need to prepare a portfolio, complete an assessment or bring examples of previous artwork.

Your tutor will help you begin with suitable materials, exercises and subjects, guiding you through the essential techniques step by step — colour mixing, brush control, washes, layering, edges, tone and water control.

No previous drawing or painting experience is required. Your tutor will assess your current level and recommend a suitable starting point. Complete beginners can begin with simple exercises, while students with previous experience can work on more advanced techniques and personal projects.

Each student follows an individual study plan, so you will not be expected to work at the same level or speed as everyone else.

No. You do not need strong drawing skills before starting watercolour painting. Basic drawing can help with proportion, composition and planning, but your tutor can guide you through the drawing required for each project, and many students develop their drawing and painting skills at the same time.

Students who want to build a stronger foundation can also combine watercolour study with a separate drawing course.

Watercolour can feel challenging because the paint is transparent, moves with the water and can be difficult to cover once it has dried. However, these qualities become easier to manage when you understand water control, timing, pigment strength and layering.

Your tutor will demonstrate each technique and help you recognise how wet the paper and brush should be at different stages. Beginners are not expected to create a perfect finished painting immediately — the course develops control and confidence gradually through practical exercises and guided projects.

Watercolour and acrylic have different advantages. Watercolour is transparent, portable and easy to clean, but it requires careful control of water and planning of the light areas. Acrylic is more opaque and can usually be painted over, making corrections easier.

Watercolour may suit you if you enjoy luminous colour, delicate layers and expressive washes on paper. Acrylic may suit you if you prefer stronger coverage, thicker paint and more freedom to make changes. You can book a free consultation if you are unsure which medium is most suitable.

Our regular adult art courses are suitable for students aged 17 and over. We offer separate art programmes for children and teenagers, with projects and teaching methods designed for younger students.

Please contact the office before booking an adult course for anyone under 17.

Depending on your experience and progress, a beginner watercolour course may cover:

• How to use watercolour paints, brushes and paper
• Basic colour theory and colour mixing
• How to control water and pigment
• Flat and graduated washes
• Wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry painting
• Layering and glazing
• Creating hard and soft edges
• Lifting and correcting colour
• Creating texture and expressive marks
• Tone, light and transparency
• Planning a composition and painting simple still-life, landscape or natural subjects

Your tutor will introduce these skills in a suitable order according to your experience and progress.

During your first lesson, your tutor will ask about your previous experience, interests and reasons for learning watercolour. Complete beginners will normally be introduced to the basic materials and shown how to control water, pigment and brush pressure.

Your first project may include colour mixing, creating different washes, practising edges or painting a simple subject. You do not need to prepare a subject before attending — the tutor will help you select an exercise appropriate to your current level.

No. Our watercolour classes follow a personalised teaching approach. Students may work on different exercises and projects depending on their level, interests and stage of study, while the tutor moves around the class giving individual demonstrations, corrections and feedback.

This allows beginners, intermediate students and experienced artists to attend the same session while following different study plans.

When you first join, your tutor will normally recommend exercises and subjects that help you develop the most important foundational skills. As your confidence and technical control improve, you can discuss your own ideas and preferred subjects with the tutor.

Students may work from still-life objects, photographs, landscapes, flowers, portraits, animals or other suitable references. The tutor will help you balance personal interests with the technical development required for steady progress.

Watercolour can be used for a wide range of subjects, including:

• Landscapes, skies and water
• Flowers and botanical subjects
• Still life
• Animals
• Portraits and figures
• Architecture and cityscapes
• Travel sketching and illustrative work
• Abstract and experimental painting

The subjects you study will depend on your course level, interests and lesson package.

Yes. Landscape, botanical and portrait painting can all be included in your personalised watercolour programme. For landscapes you can learn to paint skies, clouds, trees, water, buildings and atmospheric distance, and to simplify complex references using composition, colour temperature and tonal perspective.

For flowers and natural forms you can learn to mix natural colours, create soft and hard edges and build transparent layers to describe delicate petals, leaves and stems. Portrait painting — facial proportions, skin tones, light and shadow, layering and edge control — can be studied once you have developed sufficient control of drawing, tone and colour mixing.

Depending on your level, your course may cover:

• Wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry
• Dry-brush painting
• Flat and graduated washes
• Layering and glazing
• Colour lifting
• Masking and preserving highlights
• Creating blooms and textures
• Hard, soft and lost edges
• Transparent and more opaque applications
• Colour mixing, limited palettes and expressive mark-making

Your tutor will demonstrate how and when to use each technique within a painting, rather than teaching techniques only as isolated exercises.

There is no fixed amount of time, because progress depends on your starting point, attendance, goals and how regularly you practise. A complete beginner may begin to understand colour mixing, washes and water control within the first few lessons.

Developing stronger technical control and completing more complex paintings usually requires regular study over several months or longer. Consistent attendance and practising between lessons will normally produce the strongest progress. Intermediate and advanced students can also use the course to develop a more personal style and a consistent body of work.

The cost of watercolour classes in London depends on the number of lessons, teaching format, class size and whether materials or other benefits are included. Sunny Art Centre offers 15-, 25- and 35-lesson watercolour course packages, with each lesson lasting two hours.

Please visit our watercolour course and prices page for the latest prices, VAT information, validity periods and package inclusions.

We offer packages of 15, 25 and 35 lessons. The 15-lesson package provides a shorter introduction to the materials, colour mixing and foundational techniques. The 25-lesson package gives you more time to strengthen your technique, work on a wider range of subjects and develop more completed paintings.

The 35-lesson package provides the most comprehensive study period and suits students who want to build a thorough technical foundation and make sustained progress. Complete beginners who want strong, lasting watercolour skills normally benefit from a larger package, though the best option also depends on your availability, goals and previous experience.

Each group watercolour lesson lasts two hours. The two-hour format provides time for tutor demonstrations, independent painting, questions and individual feedback.

Private and bespoke lesson durations may vary according to the programme arranged.

Our group classes have a maximum of 10 students. The small-group format allows each student to receive individual demonstrations, technical corrections and feedback during the lesson.

Certification is included with selected watercolour course packages. Please check the package description before enrolling to confirm whether a certificate is included with your chosen course.

Materials inclusion depends on the course package you purchase. Some larger packages include a materials pack, while students taking a smaller package may need to provide their own paints, brushes and paper. Easels and basic studio furniture are always provided.

We offer a recommended watercolour materials pack, and selected paints and materials can be purchased from our studio shop. Please check the individual package description before purchasing, as inclusions can vary.

A basic watercolour kit normally includes:

• Watercolour paints
• A small selection of soft watercolour brushes
• Watercolour paper
• A palette or mixing surface
• A water container
• Pencil and eraser
• Tissues, kitchen roll or a cloth

Your tutor or the course materials list will advise you on suitable colours, brush sizes and paper, and a recommended materials pack is available. Easels and basic studio furniture are provided.

Beginners should use paper specifically designed for watercolour painting. Watercolour paper is thicker and more absorbent than normal drawing or printer paper, so it can hold water and repeated layers more effectively.

Cold-pressed paper of approximately 300gsm is a versatile option for many beginners because it has a lightly textured surface suitable for washes, details and different subjects. Your tutor can recommend a suitable paper for your particular project.

Both pans and tubes can be suitable for beginners. Watercolour pans are compact, clean and convenient for travel or smaller studies, while tubes make it easier to mix larger quantities of stronger colour and may be useful for larger paintings.

The best option depends on how you intend to work. Your course materials list or tutor can recommend an appropriate set.

A beginner does not need a large collection of brushes. A few good-quality round brushes in different sizes are usually enough to begin — a larger brush for washes, a medium brush for general painting and a smaller brush for details. Soft synthetic or synthetic-natural blend brushes can provide good water control at an accessible price.

Selected paints and art materials are available to purchase from our studio shop, subject to availability. Please check the recommended materials list before your first class rather than relying on every specialist item being available immediately before your lesson.

Yes. Our timetable includes weekday evening watercolour classes, suitable for working professionals, university students and anyone who would like to attend after their daytime commitments. Saturday classes are also available at our Covent Garden studio.

Weekend classes suit students who cannot attend during the week or who want to develop their practice alongside work or study. All sessions are subject to the current timetable and available places.

Yes, you can start at any time. Our watercolour courses use rolling enrolment, so you do not need to wait for the beginning of a school term. After purchasing your package, your lesson credits are added to your student account and you can select an available date for your first class.

You are not required to attend the same session every week — you can select from the available class times and attend on different days and at different times, subject to availability. This flexible system is particularly helpful for students with changing work, travel or family schedules.

First, visit the watercolour course page and select your level and preferred lesson package. After completing your purchase:

• Your lesson credits are added to your online student account
• You can view the available timetable
• You can reserve your preferred class times
• One lesson credit is used for each two-hour class

A confirmed online booking is required for every lesson because class places are limited.

Students must provide at least 48 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule a group class. When a booking is cancelled within the permitted notice period, the lesson credit is returned to the student’s account. Late cancellations and missed lessons will normally result in the credit being deducted, and bookings and cancellations should be managed through the online student account.

Every course package also has a stated validity period, which depends on whether you purchase 15, 25 or 35 lessons. All classes must be booked and attended before the package expires, so please select a package you can realistically complete.

Our watercolour classes are held at Sunny Art Centre in Covent Garden, Central London, near multiple Underground and transport links. Easels and basic studio furniture are provided on site.

Full address
Sunny Art Centre, Kemble Street, Covent Garden, London WC2B 4AW

Nearest Underground stations
Covent Garden: Piccadilly line
Holborn: Central and Piccadilly lines

Nearby bus stop
Aldwych/Kingsway, Stop F — routes 1, 68, 91, 168, 188, N1, N68, N91, N171 and SL6

Nearby car parks
Lincoln’s Inn Fields Car Park, Urban Parking Shelton Street, NCP London Covent Garden and Intelli-Park Covent Garden — all open 24 hours.

Our central London location is convenient for students attending during the daytime, after work or on Saturdays.

Yes. We offer private one-to-one watercolour tuition for students who would prefer fully individual teaching. Private lessons can be tailored to a particular technique, subject, personal project or portfolio goal.

They may also be suitable for students with limited availability or those seeking an intensive learning programme. A free consultation can be arranged to discuss the right option for you.

Yes. Watercolour can be used to demonstrate colour, observation, experimentation, composition, material exploration and personal ideas within an art portfolio. Students preparing for GCSE, A-Level, IB, foundation courses or university applications may also benefit from our dedicated portfolio preparation programmes.

The right programme will depend on your target institution, course requirements and application deadline.

Yes. Alongside watercolour, Sunny Art Centre teaches drawing, oil painting, acrylic painting, Chinese painting, portrait, life drawing and more. Because enrolment is flexible, many students explore more than one medium over time.

You can check each course page or book a free consultation to plan the right path for your interests and goals.

Yes. Prospective students can book a free consultation before choosing a course. During your consultation you can visit the studio, discuss your experience and goals, view examples of student work and receive guidance about the most suitable course level and package.

There is no obligation to enrol following the consultation.