Tracy Arm (September 2024)

Location: Tracy Arm (Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska)

Video Time: 2 hrs 9 min (Bonus sections add one hour)  - Go to this lesson -

I am so excited to share one of my favorite paintings from the North Cascades. We explore a landscape of snow, rock, and ice floating in an alpine tarn.

Colors Used: The paintings in this lesson use a variety of colors, which are listed in the downloads for each painting. The main colors in the primary painting are sodalite, phthalo blue green shade, indanthrone blue, burnt sienna/transparent oxide, Quinacridone Gold, Burnt Umber, Cobalt Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Simplifying a very complex scene into more simple shape and color zones
• Creating patterns for rock and snow
• Wet next to wet techniques for painting rocks with beautiful patterns and color
• How to paint ice filled water
• Simplifying a jumbled icefall of a glacier

Wahclella Falls (August 2024)

Location: Wahclella Falls trail, Columbia River Gorge

Video Time: 2 hrs 8 min   - Go to this lesson -

I am so excited to share one of my favorite paintings from the North Cascades. We explore a landscape of snow, rock, and ice floating in an alpine tarn.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Indanthrone Blue, Burnt Umber, Monte Amiata Natural Sienna, Sodalite, Indian Red, Quinacridone Gold, White Gouache (optional)

Primary Techniques:

•  Strategies for creating patterns of rock and snow
• Painting water with ice on it! 
• How to paint shadows on snow
• Painting haze and atmosphere in peaks and skies
• Using colors to create a subtle reflection 

Icy Tarn (July 2024)

Location: Ptarmigan Ridge Trail, North Cascades

Video Time: 2 hrs 8 min   - Go to this lesson -

I am so excited to share one of my favorite paintings from the North Cascades. We explore a landscape of snow, rock, and ice floating in an alpine tarn.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Indanthrone Blue, Burnt Umber, Monte Amiata Natural Sienna, Sodalite, Indian Red, Quinacridone Gold, White Gouache (optional)

Primary Techniques:

•  Strategies for creating patterns of rock and snow
• Painting water with ice on it! 
• How to paint shadows on snow
• Painting haze and atmosphere in peaks and skies
• Using colors to create a subtle reflection 

Wetlands Sketches (June 2024)

Location: Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Plas Newydd Farm

Video Time: 2 hrs + three bonus sketches   - Go to this lesson -

Choose your own wetlands watercolor adventure with FIVE shorter and smaller paintings to choose from as we explore the Ridgefield Refuge and a local farm. 

Colors Used: Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Gold, Cobalt Blue, Indanthrone Blue, Cerulean Blue, White Gouache, Perylene Red or Quinacridone Rose (optional - Burnt Orange)

Primary Techniques:

• How to mix all the greens for spring!
• Using a flat angle shader brush to create interesting texturs and patterns for foliage
• Simplifying the layers of a landscape and differentiating foliage with color 
• Three approaches to skies with clouds
• Creating the patterns of water, especially still water in wetlands with lots of reflected green

Escalante River Canyon (May 2024)

Location: Escalante River, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument 

Video Time: 2 hr 20 min   - Go to this lesson -

Paint the glowing light of a desert canyon and stunning backlit cottonwood trees in the spring beside the Escalante River

Colors Used: Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Hansa Yellow Medium, Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade,
White Gouache and cobalt blue (optional)

Primary Techniques:

• Dramatically simplifying canyon walls into two layers of paint- one to hint at texture and color, and one to add the shadows
• "Negative" painting around glowing tree foliage 
• Easy brush strokes for grassy foliage and deciduous leaves
• How to create the glowing effect of reflected light in a sandstone canyon

Mt. Bachelor Ski & Paint Adventure (Apr. 2024)

Location: Mount Bachelor, Oregon

Video Time: 1 hr 50 min   - Go to this lesson -

This month we hop on skis to explore the expansive views from Mt. Bachelor in Oregon and paint the wintery shapes and shadows of  Broken Top Mountain and the Sisters. 

Colors Used: Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Indanthrone Blue, Quinacridone Rose, New Gamboge

Primary Techniques:

• Creating a 3D effect for mountains using shadow shapes
• Small trees as seen from far away (sewing-machine-hand method)
• Mixing lively greys
• Simplifying a mountain landscape

La Sal Mountains & Desert Towers (Mar. 2024)

Location: Arches National Park, Utah

Video Time: 2 hr 30 min   - Go to this lesson -

Hike the Devil's Garden loop at Arches National park and paint a stunning scene of snow-capped desert mountains framed by vibrant red and orange towers. This is one of the more complex lessons in the classes library. 

Colors Used: Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Cobalt Blue, Quinacridone Gold, Burnt Orange, and Violet, Indanthrone Blue, Perylene Red

Primary Techniques:

• Using color contrast (instead of shadows and highlights) as a key design element and as a compositional tool to convey a sense of place 
• How to paint and simplify distant snow-capped mountains 
• Distilling a complicated meadow into color blocks and blooms
• How to sketch and pain complicated desert towers and fins

Mendenhall Glacier (Feb. 2024)

Location: Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau AK

Video Time: 1 hr 32 min   - Go to this lesson -

Paint the incredible patterns of ice in the Mendenhall Glacier. This class focuses on speed, hard vs. soft edges, and exploring abstraction as a tool for simplification

Colors Used: Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Ultramarine Blue, Quinacridone Rose (a red-pink), New Gamboge (a dark yellow)

Primary Techniques:

• How to create the patterns in glacial ice
• Using color shifts to create depth and distance
• Combining elements of abstraction with simplification to help convey the story of a place (and make it easier to paint!)
• Wet-in-wet blending, softening edges, and using blooms to convey ice and rock patterns

Gardner Meadows: Wildflowers & Simplified Mountains (Jan. 2024)

Location: Gardner Peak area, eastern Cascade Mountains outside Twisp

Video Time: 2 hr 20 min   - Go to this lesson -

Hike through an eerily beautiful burn zone and explore steep meadows filled with wildflowers, dynamic cloudy skies, and mountain ridges.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue,  Phthalo Blue Green Shade,  Indanthrone Blue, Burnt Umber, Rose or pink, Bright yellow (optional - white Gouache, and some others listed in the lesson)

Primary Techniques:

• Simplifying a complex mountain scene 
• Creating depth with layered mountains and color contrast
• How to sketch and paint pink Paintbrush flowers
• Using the natural blending abbillities of watercolor to create landscape patterns
• Strategies for painting dynamic clouds in one layer

Foggy Coast (Dec. 2023)

Location: Toleak Point, Washington Coast 

Video Time: 2 hr 5 min   - Go to this lesson -

This painting is quintessential Pacific Northwest; atmospheric, moody, full of beautiful greys, and painted in swirling bands of coastal fog. 

Colors Used: Neutral Tint, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Quinacridone Rose, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Indanthrone Blue, White Gouache (optional)

Primary Techniques:

• Mixing lively and subtle grey mixtures perfect for foggy scenes
• How to create an atmospheric and textural sky
• Painting gentle ocean waves and strategies for creating depth in watery landscapes
• Using hard and soft edges and atmospheric effects to create a feeling of distance on our painting and within layers of sea stacks

Sahale Mountain: Snow, Shadows, and Summits (Nov. 2023)

Location: North Cascades National Park

Video Time: 2 hr 10 min   - Go to this lesson -

Explore the North Cascades and the patterns of Mount Forbidden and many impossibly jagged peaks dusted in snow as we paint some of the most spectacular mountain terrain I've ever seen

Colors Used: Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Cobalt Blue, Indanthrone Blue, Neutral Tint

Primary Techniques:

• Defining a scene and mountains with shadows as the primary focal element
• How to simplify an insanely complex range of mountains, especially with a fresh dusting of snow that highlights all the details
• Techniques for creating realistic but minimal rock, snow, and ice patterns

Pleasant Creek Golden Cottonwoods (Oct. 2023)

Location: Capitol Reef National Park

Video Time: 2.5 hours   - Go to this lesson -

Return to the magic of fall in the southwest and paint glowing yellow trees, huge sandstone domes, and a peaceful babbling creek.

Colors Used: Hansa Yellow Medium, New Gamboge, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Phthalo Blue Red Shade, Burnt Sienna, Neutral Tint, White Gouache

Primary Techniques:

• Painting backlit rocks and simplifying slickrock patterns
• How to create a glowing effect for cottonwood/ deciduous trees
• Strategies for simplifying running water
• Painting rocks, and what to do when they aren't turning out well!

Lost Pass (Sept. 2023)

Location: Olympic National Park

Video Time: 2 hr 15 min   - Go to this lesson -

The Olympics painting adventure continues with a painting of a meadow filled with dancing white flowers glowing in the morning sun framed by backlit trees and layers of peaks

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Ultramarine Blue, New Gamboge, Hansa Yellow Medium, Sodalite (or black), optional - white gouache, quinacridone gold

Primary Techniques:

• Creating a backlit effect using transparent washes of color
• How to paint white wildflowers (two different methods!)
• Painting the patterns of silhouetted trees, quickly and eficiently
• Simplifying a scene 
• Using granulating colors to mimic complex mountain textures
• How to create a glowing green alpine meadow

Sentinel Peak (Aug. 2023)

Location: Olympic National Park, WA

Video Time: 2 hrs, including a bonus section on wildflowers   - Go to this lesson -

Sometimes we don't have much time and we have to paint quickly! Today we backpack to Sentinel Peak and speed paint the view with a bonus studio lesson on two small wildflowers. 

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Neutral Tint, Indian Red (or burnt sienna), Quinacridone gold, and white gouache (optional for the sky)

Primary Techniques:

• Strategies for working quickly!
• How to look for and paint patterns in a  ridgeline 
• Creating a sense of depth with shifts in color and value
• Letting the paint do the hard work for us with on-the-page mixing
• Creating a dynamic sky with clouds and patches of blue

Golden Throne (July 2023)

Location: Capitol Reef National Park

Video Time: 2 hr 10 min   - Go to this lesson -

 Back to the desert we go! Hike up a canyon to paint an incredible sandstone formation called the Golden Throne below a wide blue sky filled with wispy clouds.

Colors Used: Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, New Gamboge, Perylene Red

Primary Techniques:

• Wet-on-wet techniques for creating a dynamic sky and clouds
• Layering colors to mimic the textures and patterns of sandstone
• Utilizing wet-on-dry brush strokes and fading edges to more easily paint rock
• Glazing layers of transparent color
• Simplification of a complex landscape

Icefield (Jun. 2023)

Location: 8,500 feet in the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains, Yukon Territory

Video Time: 1 hr 45 min  - Go to this lesson -

Venture deep into the mountains of the Yukon with me on a small airplane, and then explore the incredible patterns of peaks surrounding an icefield from which two glaciers descend. 

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Neutral Tint, Rose, Gold/ yellow

Primary Techniques:

• Simplifying the immeasurably complex layers of distant mountains
• Creating the textures of distant rock and steep, craggy peaks
• Mimicking the patterns of snow with subtle washes of color
• Using shadows as a base layer to create form and shape in mountain landscapes 
• How to paint steep snowy peaks

Slickrock & Shadows in the Desert (Oct. 2021)

Location: Escalante, Utah

Video Time: 2 hr 30 min   - Go to this lesson -

Sandstone slickrock, shadows, and a beautiful pine tree! This place was so stunning that I hiked here many times to watch sunrise and the glowing morning light on the yellow and red stone.  

Colors Used: WHITE GOUACHE, New Gamboge, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Phthalo Blue Red Shade, Quinacridone Violet, and a tiny bit of Perylene red and Neutral Tint

Primary Techniques:

• White Gouache- our first lesson utilizing this unique opaque pigment that allows us to layer paint differently and create stunning desert patterns
• Creating the patterns in slickrock using transparent and opaque lines
• Using controlled blooms of color to mimic complicated rock textures
• Simplifying complex patterns into basic lines
• Painting dark shadows and foliage using a round brush

Mossy Waterfall (May 2023)

Location: Cougar Mountain Park, Washington 

Video Time: 2 hrs 20 min   - Go to this lesson -

Explore how to paint a gorgeous small waterfall cascading down the most wonderfully green moss covered rocks on the first warm spring day of the year.

Colors Used: Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Gold, Perylene Red, Phthalo Blue Green Shade

Primary Techniques:

• Using the contrast between white paper and paint to create a waterfall shape
• Creating the impression of movement in water 
• Simplifying the complex patterns of rock and moss so we can create a painting in about 60 minutes!
• Adding an ink baselayer to guide the painting and add extra texture

Hazy Mountain Layers (Apr. 2023)

Location: North Cascades, WA

Video Time: 1.5 hrs   - Go to this lesson - 

Mountain layers that stretch to the horizon are a favorite landscape to see and paint. Today we will explore my favorite techniques for simplifying these layered landscapes. Sometimes, it is the "smaller" views that are the most fun and accessible to paint when we have limited time or energy. 

Colors Used: Quinacridone Gold, Indanthrone Blue, Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Indian Red (or burnt sienna, or really any red if you just use a little)

Primary Techniques:

• Creating the impression of depth and atmosphere 
• Adding color or clean water wet-in-wet to encourage blooming and interesting patterns
• Painting small trees on distant ridgelines
• Simplification and using value to create a feeling of depth

Glaciers, Tarns, & Trees at Mt. Baker (Mar. 2023)

Location: North Cascades, WA

Video Time: 3.5 hours   - Go to this lesson - 

Paint at an incredible alpine tarn reflecting the patterns of blue iced glaciers, alpine meadows, and the steep cliffs of Mt. Baker. This is our longest & most complex class, so if you are new to watercolor I recommend checking out a few prior lessons (such as the first Crater Lake or Thunder Mountain Lessons). 

Colors Used: Perylene Red, New Gamboge, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade (and red shade in the sky only)

Primary Techniques:

• Wet-in-wet techniques for creating impressionistic reflections 
• Layering colors to create three dimensional rocks
• Foliage layering
• Distant rocky cliffs and glacier patterns

Delicate Arch (Feb. 2023)

Location: Arches National Park, Utah

Video Time: 1 hr 20 min   - Go to this lesson - 

Back to the desert we go! This time, to paint an icon of the southwest - Delicate Arch - on an overcast day with subtle colors and surprising snowcapped peaks. 

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Indanthrone Blue, New Gamboge Yellow, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Perylene Red

Primary Techniques:

• Tips for working quickly and simplifying a complex scene
• Breaking a landscape into layers and pattern
• Painting distant snow-capped mountains
• Creating a feeling of overcast sky and backlighting using subtle color shifts
• Making patterns for slickrock!
• Strategies for sketching and proportions 

Winter at Crater Lake (Jan. 2023)

Location: Crater Lake National Park

Video Time: 2 hours 20 min  - Go to this lesson - 

This month, we go back to Crater Lake for a wintery landscape of brilliant white snowfields and adorable pine trees framed by peaks perfectly reflected in the lake.

Colors Used: Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Indanthrone Blue, Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade

Primary Techniques:

• Using transparent layers of paint to build the delicate patterns of snow
• Painting foliage the easy way with a splayed brush
• Simplifying the very complex patterns of the crater rim and the reflections in the water

Thunder Lake: Ink & Watercolor (Dec. 2022)

Location: Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Video Time: 2 hours 30 min   - Go to this lesson -

In this very unique lesson we head to an incredible lake cradled between granite cliffs and header meadows. This class is unlike any others I've created so far because I invite you into the process of learning from a "failed" field painting and integrating that experience into a new painting. There is also an optional ink sketch, too! 

Colors Used: Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Burt Orange, Quinacridone Rose

Primary Techniques:

• Ink Sketching to study shapes
• Exploring what went wrong the first time, and how to fix it 
• Vibrant water, and how to use glazing to add more saturation 
• Creating rock patterns with pen and watercolor
• Simplifying a scene into a cohesive composition
• Layered foliage 

Mt. Stuart: Craggy Mountains & Snowline Patterns (Nov. 2022)

Location: Navaho Peak, Teanaway Mountains

Video Time: 2 hours   - Go to this lesson -

Head to the east side of the Cascades to paint magnificently craggy cliffs and the unusual colors of the Teanaway Mountains. The focal point of our painting is Mt. Stuart in the early summer when the lingering snow accentuates the amazingly steep peaks. 

Colors Used: Indanthrone Blue, Cobalt Blue, Perylene Red, Quinacridone Gold, Monte Amiata Natural Sienna

Primary Techniques:

• Painting clouds with soft hazy edges
• Strategies for creating simplified but realistic patterns of snow and rock
• Wet-in-wet techniques for creating rocky ridges and impressions of treed valleys
• Small tree shapes
• Using white space and subtle shading to bring snow to life 

Ridgeline Layers & Distant Alpine Lakes (Sept. 2022)

Location: Mt. Daniel via Peggy's Pond, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Video Time: 1 hr 44 min   - Go to this lesson -

This two-part lesson explores how to create layers of ridgelines, alpine lakes glittering in the sun, and mountains that have depth and a sense of atmosphere. 

Colors Used: 

Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Hansa Yellow Medium, Neutral Tint, Perylene Red, Quinacridone Gold, A little Monte Amiata Sienna and Phthalo Blue Red Shade

Primary Techniques:

• Using color and value shifts to create depth
• Quick stretegies for making atmosphere in ridgelines
• How to let watercolor do the hard work for gradients
• Creating mountain patterns with blooms and subtle white spaces
• Painting wet-on-wet to facilitate unique patterns, color mixes, and textures

Mt. Rainier Reflections (August 2022)

Location: Mount Rainier (Tahoma) National Park, Washington.  

Video Time: 2 hours 15 minutes   - Go to this lesson -

After over a year of searching, I finally found a full mountain reflection for us to paint!! This class is all about mountain patterns and how to paint a complex reflection using sketching hacks, color shifts, and simplification.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue Red Shade, New Gamboge Yellow, Quinacridone Rose, Indian Red, and a tiny bit of Hansa Yellow Medium

Primary Techniques:

• Color mixing to create depth and the shifted hues of a reflection
• Mirroring topography and the directions of cast shadows to quickly create stunning mountain patterns
• Creating fog and soft edges
• Strategies for creating a reflection!!!

Painted Desert (July 2022)

Location: Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona 

Video Time: 1 hr 50 min   - Go to this lesson -

The Painted Desert is a spectacular area of Petrified Forest National Park. And at sunset, it is a landscape defined by sinuous purple shadows and glowing hills.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Rose, Perylene Red, Sodalite (I show you options for mixing this in the colors section), Buff Titanium (not necessary to paint the scene) 

Primary Techniques:

• Using gradients to create unique textures
• Layering transparent colors to make vibrant & lively shadows
• Strategies for painting the glowing desert in evening light
• Using blooms and direct-on-paper blending to make the patterns of the badlands and grassland

Petrified Forest (June 2022)

Location: Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. 

Video Time: 2 hours   - Go to this lesson -

Learn to paint the incredible shapes, colors, and patterns of the rainbow petrified wood. Plus a bonus mini lesson on my shadow painting technique.

Colors Used: Quinacridone Gold, Perylene Red, Quinacridone Violet, Ultramarine Blue, Indanthrone Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Form vs. cast shadows
• Sketching a smaller and closer in object
• Controlling the wetness of our page to create stunning patterns
• Using shadows to ground a shape and add dimensionality

Crater Lake (May 2022)

Location: Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. 

Video Time: 2 hrs 20 min   - Go to this lesson -

Snowy peaks, watery reflections, and the most beautiful shadows. This lesson from Crater Lake is one of my absolute favorites, and I am so excited to paint it with you! 

Colors Used: Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Burnt Umber

Primary Techniques:

• How to use angled lines in shadows and rock to convey curvature and steepness in a landscape
• Shadows in snow!
• Loose and expressive reflections in water
• Simplifying the textures/ patterns of rocks, trees, and shadows

The Castle (April 2022)

Location: Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. 

Video Time: 2 hr 18 min   - Go to this lesson -

The Castle is an iconic rock formation in the park, and was an absolutely subject to paint. I was drawn to the contrast of the brilliant yellow cottonwood trees with the hues of red and orange in the sandstone. 

Colors Used: New Gamboge Yellow, Indian Red, Quinacridone Rose, Ultramarine Blue, Yellow Ochre, Viridian, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Buff Titanium 

Primary Techniques:

• How to use negative painting to create the brilliant trees
• Using hard and soft edges to create a dynamic scene
• Exploring the unique magic of granulating pigments
• Employing white line borders to imply light and paint quickly 
• Simplifying grasses with a simple brush technique!

Alpine Meadow: Goat Rocks Wilderness (Mar. 2022)

Location: Easton Glacier, Mount Baker. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 50 min   - Go to this lesson -

Venture up the icy slopes of Mt. Baker to paint the stunning patterns of the Easton Glacier icefall.

Colors Used: Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Hansa Yellow Light (or Med), Quinacridone Rose, New Gamboge, Ultramarine Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Sketching thumbnails to help us find a good composition
• Zooming in on a landscape to make it easier to paint
• Ice colors and textures
• Blending / feathering of hard edges
• Color mixing with a focus on a beautiful variety of blues

Winter Sea Stacks at Secret Beach (Feb. 2022)

Location: Secret Beach, in the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor. Oregon.

Video Time: 2 hrs 25 min   - Go to this lesson -

Winter sunlight illuminates layers of sea stacks and the sound of the outgoing tide is a constant companion as we explore how to paint the unusual light in this beautiful place.

Colors Used: Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Perylene Red, New Gamboge

Primary Techniques:

• Painting ocean water with dry brushing and horizontal lines
• using blooms to create texture and pattern
• Creating depth by altering value, saturation, and detail
• Trees, especially far-away yet still detailed trees
• Wet-in-wet color application for rocks

Glowing Desert Cottonwoods (Jan. 2022)

Location: Spring Canyon, Capitol Reef. Utah.

Video Time: 2 hr 10 min   - Go to this lesson -

Explore the glowing yellows of a cottonwood grove illuminated by the fall sunlight. This was a magical scene of yellow and gold leaves that looked like distilled sunshine and contrasted with afternoon’s blue shadows and the patterns of red sandstone

Colors Used: Hansa Yellow Medium, New Gamboge, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Ultramarine Blue, Pyrrol Scarlet

Primary Techniques:

• Negative painting (painting around the subject to define its shape)
• Sandstone textures, including desert varnish and tafoni (holes in the rock)
• Deciduous tree foliage
• Painting tree trunks & low-ground foliage

Sunrise & Sunset in the Olympic Mountains (Dec. 2021)

Location: Marmot Pass, Olympic National Forest. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 40 min   - Go to this lesson -

Hike from a lush rainforest along the Upper Big Quilcene River to a ridgeline and paint the incredible colors of sunrise and sunset from alpine meadows at an elevation of 7,000 feet.

Colors Used: Hansa Yellow medium, Quinacridone Rose, Pyrrol Scarlet, Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Indanthrone Blue, Neutral Tint

Primary Techniques:

• Strategies for painting clouds (near and far away)
• Single-layer color gradients
• Silhouetted ridgelines
• Time-saving white line technique
• Shifting colors in hills/ mountains to create depth

Desert Bridge at Sunrise (Nov. 2021)

Location: Hickman Bridge, Capitol Reef. Utah.

Video Time: 1 hr 43 min   - Go to this lesson -

It's time to paint big! Wake up before dawn and hike to a huge natural sandstone bridge and explore the colors of desert glow on a big half sheet of watercolor paper. With a short hike in, this is a relatively easy location to get to, and the light is perfect just after sunrise! This is the largest painting in our classes library.

Colors Used: Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Rose, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Phthalo (Blue Red Shade), Neutral tint

Primary Techniques:

• Sandstone textures and patterns
• Simplification of a background to speed up a painting
• Creating a sense of glowing rock at sunrise using layers of color
• Dry brushing and using the whole surface of our paintbrush to create texture
• Silhouetted desert trees

Icefall (Oct. 2021)

Location: Easton Glacier, Mount Baker. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 50 min   - Go to this lesson -

Venture up the icy slopes of Mt. Baker to paint the stunning patterns of the Easton Glacier icefall.

Colors Used: Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Hansa Yellow Light (or Med), Quinacridone Rose, New Gamboge, Ultramarine Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Sketching thumbnails to help us find a good composition
• Zooming in on a landscape to make it easier to paint
• Ice colors and textures
• Blending / feathering of hard edges
• Color mixing with a focus on a beautiful variety of blues

Alpenglow on Mt. Baker (Sept. 2021)

Location: Easton Glacier, Mount Baker. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 50 min   - Go to this lesson -

Venture up the icy slopes of Mt. Baker to paint the stunning patterns of the Easton Glacier icefall.

Colors Used: Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Hansa Yellow Light (or Med), Quinacridone Rose, New Gamboge, Ultramarine Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Sketching thumbnails to help us find a good composition
• Zooming in on a landscape to make it easier to paint
• Ice colors and textures
• Blending / feathering of hard edges
• Color mixing with a focus on a beautiful variety of blues

Atmospheric Landscape (Aug. 2021)

Location: Bagley Lakes below Artist Point. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 26 min   - Go to this lesson -

Venture with me to an alpine lake tucked beneath snowy peaks and explore how to paint clouds and create the soft atmospheric effects that are uniquely suited for watercolor.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Indian Red, Neutral Tint

Primary Techniques:

• Hard vs. soft edges, and utilizing them to create atmosphere
• Strategies for creating depth
• Layering trees of variable value (also to create depth)
• Loose reflections in the lake
• The beauty of a limited palette and using a subtle range of grey tones to create a mood

Mt. Rainier Rock & Ice (Jul. 2021)

Location: Burroughs Mountain Trail, Mount Rainier. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 20 min   - Go to this lesson -

Wander a high alpine landscape with a skyline dominated by the 10,410 ft tall Mt. Rainier, and explore how to paint the craggy rocks and icy glaciers of Mount Rainer.  

Colors Used: Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Phthalo Blue Red Shade (only used in sky, could substitute cobalt or ultramarine), New Gamboge, Quinacridone Rose, Ultramarine Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Painting rock and ice
• Mixing greys using three primary colors
• Choosing a composition based on what is feasible and interesting to you
• Editing composition to serve your vision, and not being afraid to stray from an exact copy of the landscape

Sea to Trees (Jun. 2021)

Location: Oregon Coast & The Sitka Center for Art and Ecology

Video Time: 2hr 34 min   - Go to this lesson -

A three part painting adventure beginning at the ocean's edge painting a sea arch, then exploring sand dunes and ocean hues, and ending in a mossy grove of Sitka Spruce trees.

Colors Used:

• Sea Arch: Cobalt blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Quinacridone Rose, New Gamboge
• Sand Dunes: Phthalo Blue Red Shade, Quinacridone Gold, Buff Titanium, Neutral Tint
• Sitka Spruce: Hansa yellow medium and Cobalt Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Using ink lines to enhance the depth and texture of a painting
• Exploring more vibrant colors than what we see in our landscape
• Using blooms for rock texture
• Dry brushing for ocean waves
• A new technique for painting grass/ foliage with a splayed brush!
• How to use two colors to create a beautiful tree and gradients when mixing wet-in-wet

 Mountain Tarn: Painting an Expressive Landscape, Fast! (May 2021)

Location: Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 26 min   - Go to this lesson -

Hike with me to a remote alpine tarn and paint the landscape quickly, expressively and exploratively, with lots of colors & patterns. With bonus technique lessons in the studio.

Colors Used: Cobalt blue, ,Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Phthalo green, New Gamboge Yellow,, Quinacridone rose, Neutral Tint, Burnt Sienna

Primary Techniques:

• Abstracting a landscape with simple lines and expressive brush lines/ patterns
• Letting the paint and water do the hard work for you to create patterns
• Loose ink sketching to set the stage for a fast painting
• Using color banding to visualize how the whole painting will work together
• Tips for working with a water brush
• Loosely painted trees
• Relaxed brush strokes and mixing colors on our paper (instead of pre-mixing in a palette)

Painting the Pacific Coast (Apr. 2021)

Location: Beach by the Estuary of the Salmon River, Oregon Coast.

Video Time: 1hr 45min   - Go to this lesson -

Walk through a mossy forest and paddle across the Salmon River with me as we journey to an isolated beach on the Pacific Coast to sketch the ocean, headlands, and shells.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Neutral Tint, Quinacridone Gold, Burnt Sienna, Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Rose

Primary Techniques:

• Creating realistic ocean wave patterns with minimal brush strokes
• Deciding on a layout for a page of visual observations
• Sketching & painting smaller, more detailed objects
• Working on two smaller paintings simultaneously to save time
• Altering the landscape to work well as a composition
• Easy textures for meadows and painting shadows on coastal rocks

Exploring A Sunlit Northwest Forest (Mar. 2021)

Location: Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River. Washington.

Video Time: 1 hr 30 min   - Go to this lesson -

Wander through a forest of moss and glowing winter light. In our painting we will explore shadows and dynamic color choices.

Colors Used: Hansa Yellow Light, New Gamboge, Quinacridone Rose, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Indanthrone Blue

Primary Techniques:

• Using blooms to create foliage patterns
• Mixing vibrant greens and layering colors to preserve luminosity
• How to paint in a very humid and slow-drying environment
• Painting with many colors to create dramatic light on tree trunks
• Utilizing a dark background with vertical blooms as a shortcut for adding contrast and visual interest
• Blue woodland shadows

Alpine Lakes Wilderness (Feb. 2021)

Location: Waptus Lake, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Video Time: 1 hr 18 min   - Go to this lesson -

Our first outdoor adventure painting takes us to a huge alpine lake with cobalt blue water below snow dusted peaks and surrounded by groves of evergreen trees.

Colors Used: Cobalt Blue, Quinacridone Gold, Indanthrone Blue, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Neutral tint, Indian Red

Primary Techniques:

• Painting a sky quickly and in a single layer
• Far-away trees swathed in golden fall light
• Loose and energetic reflections in water
• Mountain patterns and shadows
• Shortcuts for painting tree-covered hillsides with watercolor blooms

Outdoor Watercolor Intro Series

This guide is your welcome to the Adventure Art Academy! If you are new to watercolor or want to review some of the most common techniques I use in many of the lessons this is a great place to begin. These modules were filmed in my studio and along a northwest river in the winter (it rains on one of our painting sections!).

Topics covered:

• A welcome from Claire
• Materials & other hiking supplies
• Sketching: Warm up contour drawings, thumbnails
• Basic composition shortcuts and looking for shapes in a landscape
• A watercolor warm-up, and exploring hard vs. soft edges
• Gradients and watercolor blooms
• Atmospheric hills, basic mountain patterns and rock textures
• Trees (seen both near and from afar)
• Practicing color swatches
• - Go to this lesson -

Bonus Lessons

The bonus classes are lessons that are filmed in the studio. Some are in full HD, and some are recordings from live zoom classes, which means the video will be at a much lower quality than our main lessons. But, I heard from many students that they really enjoyed these classes, so I wanted to keep them all available for you.

Current bonus lessons available:

• Rainier in Monochrome
• Monochrome Mount Shuksan
• Sunrise Alpenglow
• Story Sketching (Watercolor & Ink)