WATERCOLOUR FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS

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Create loose, juicy and mud free watercolours with this on-demand art course. Designed to help you master the fundamentals and paint with confidence.

This is your time…

What’s included?

  • ✺

    Comprehensive Watercolour Foundations – Over 3 hours of step-by-step video lessons, covering everything a beginner needs to get started with confidence. If this were a live workshop, it would span two full days (10 hours of teaching)

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    Master the Essentials – Learn how to use your brushes, mix colours beautifully, and apply key techniques to create vibrant, expressive paintings.

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    Practical Hands-On Exercises – Build confidence with guided brush control drills, colour mixing experiments, and mini painting studies to practice your new skills.

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    Creative Exploration & Play – Discover different ways to loosen up, experiment, and develop your own painting style, without the pressure of creating a perfect final piece.

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    Expert Guidance & Pro Tips – Benefit from 30+ years of teaching experience, with clear, easy-to-follow explanations that help you avoid common beginner mistakes.

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    Your Watercolour Toolkit – Get a detailed materials guide so you know exactly what to use, plus extra resources to help you continue your watercolour journey long after the course ends!

Meet Sarah:

Hi, I’m Sarah your new art teacher!

I work with students who are looking for a refreshing, approachable way to learn to paint. If you’ve always wanted to try watercolours but didn’t know where to start, my 6-session course for absolute beginners is designed just for you!

With over 30 years of teaching experience, I’ve helped thousands of students build confidence in their creativity—whether through adult workshops, GCSE & A-Level Art teaching, or beginner-friendly courses. My goal is to make learning watercolour simple, enjoyable, and stress-free!

When I’m not in my studio, you’ll likely find me:
Sipping coffee in a cosy Cornwall café, watching the world go by, rock pooling at low tide ( and just being inspired by the sea or just getting lost in a good book.

I can’t wait to help you start your watercolour journey - let’s dive in!

get to know Sarah

THE COURSE DETAILS:

Unlock six in-depth (over 3 hours of tutorial time), on-demand watercolour sessions designed to help you master the fundamentals and paint with confidence.

Module 1: Materials

I’ll talk you through the essential supplies to get started with, to get ready to paint with me and explain just why they’re so good.

Module 2: Brush Strokes

You’ll learn the way to fill up your brush to create big juicy brush strokes, as well as paint tiny dots, fine lines, leaf and flower shapes.

Module 3: Colour Mixing

I’m sharing my secrets here and will show you how exactly much water to add to your paints to allow them to flow (the clue is in the name: water-colour,) and create amazing colours that glow on paper like stained glass.

Module 5: Flowers in a Jar

In this lesson we’ll create a beautiful loose painting of colourful sweet peas in a vintage green glass bottle. We’ll build on dropping colours into wet silhouette shapes, and will experiment with adding more water to the mix to increase transparency.

Module 4: Wet-in-Wet

We’ll be experimenting with painting wet silhouettes of shapes on watercolour paper and then dropping other wet colours into that surface. We’ll be creating gorgeous colours which will flow into each other, whilst knowing how to keep everything under control.

Module 6: Watercolour Tree

Here I’ll first share some tips with you on how to sketch a simple, credible looking tree, then we’ll mix up generous amounts of colour to paint it and bring your sketch to life:

Bonus Module 1

In this calming bonus class, you’ll learn how to paint a glowing sea sunset in watercolour. Sarah will guide you through creating soft sky blends using the wet-in-wet technique, mixing warm sunset colours, painting reflective water with ease, and adding a silhouette sailing boat to complete your serene seascape.

Bonus Module 2

This session is designed to help you feel more confident with colour mixing, so you can move away from muddy results and start creating beautiful, intentional colours. You’ll learn a simple yet powerful approach to mixing clean, vibrant hues, discover Sarah’s favourite mixing recipes (and how to develop your own), and apply what you’ve learned in a gentle watercolour landscape.

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Does this sound familiar?

  • •Craving a calm, clear way to start getting creative

  • •Wanting to feel confident with your painting

  • •Wondering where to start - technique, materials, sketching, colour… It’s all a bit much.

  • •You just want someone to show me how to begin painting with watercolours - with no pressure.

Now, Imagine Completing This Course And... 

  • Actually feeling confident with watercolours

  • Thinking “Wow… I did that” when looking at your art

  • Create a piece you love enough to hang on your wall

  • Having a toolkit full of techniques, tips, and reliable hacks to create beautiful watercolour every time

  • You start to see your unique creative style shine through

  • You finally feel like an artist

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Real results from real students!

Natasha’s Watercolour Experience…

Natasha tried our beginner watercolour course - here’s her thoughts:

Here’s some of Natasha’s wonderful watercolour paintings created whilst following this course:

Linda’s Watercolour Experience…

Linda’s Watercolour Experience…

After joining some of Sarah’s in-person watercolour workshops, Linda was excited to try my new online course. This is what she had to say:

A few images of the lovely work Linda completed from this course:

Comments from Sarah’s online course students:

Student, Davina

“The lovely Sarah doesn't only make everything sound simple, she actually makes it simple. However the results don't look at all simple. I am delighted with the paintings I have created and I am looking forward to doing more.”

Student A

“I can’t praise this course enough. Valuable tuition on every aspect of watercolour painting, from materials required (not expensive or excessive either) to a variety of techniques to enable great progress (colour mixing, colour theory, brushstrokes and brush control, colour values and even granulating colour). Plus fun paintings to paint along with Sarah of course!

I have enrolled on a number of day workshops over the last couple of years with Sarah and can honestly say that the online course is equally as brilliant as the actual workshops. Well done Sarah - this course is a credit to you and I know is going to help so many beginners and artists in future..”

Student B

“The online waterclour course for absolutely beginners brilliant. Being able to go at one’s own pace and to be able to keep dipping in and out of each stage is a brilliant idea and so good for anyone with a brain injury. Sarah’s method of teaching is perfect. Sarah explains everything so well and easy to understand and inspires one to keep at it and I love that she dips in and out of our chat forum with praise and constructive comments”

Ready to Paint with Confidence?

No more guesswork. No more muddy colours. Just beautiful watercolours!

  • Perfect for beginners & frustrated painters

  • Step-by-step video lessons

  • Lifetime access—learn anytime, anywhere!

Watercolour For Absolute Beginners

£120
3 payments of £40/month

Start your watercolour journey today with this Sarah Bell’s on-demand course! Learn the essential materials, master key brush techniques, and unlock the secrets to mixing vibrant, fresh colours—all at your own pace.

Gifting this course:

There are two ways to gift this course to your loved one:

  1. Buy the course via the Enrol button on this page – simply select the gift option at checkout and send the course directly to them by email.

  2. Order a personalised gift voucher and pay via bank transfer – we’ll create a custom voucher with a unique redeemable code (emailed to you) for them to use at checkout. To order a gift voucher, email hello@sarahbellsartschool.com.

✺ Frequently asked questions ✺

  • Absolutely!

    If you're looking to improve your watercolour skills, our on-demand Watercolour For Absolute Beginners is the perfect place to start. Whether you’re completely new to painting or have dabbled before but struggle with muddy colours and lack confidence, this course will help you build strong foundations.

    • You'll learn:
      The essential materials – which brushes, palettes, and paper to use

    • How to mix fresh, vibrant colours from just four key pigments

    • Techniques to avoid dull greys and browns, creating transparent, pure colours

    • Brush control and wet-in-wet techniques for effortless blending

    You'll also put your new skills into practice with small, expressive studies of fresh fruit, flowers and trees—without the pressure of creating a finished masterpiece.

    This course is all about loosening up, gaining confidence, and truly enjoying the painting process. And who knows? One of your studies might just be frame-worthy!

  • Materials aren’t included in the course.

    I’ve made you a handy free download with all my favourite watercolour materials (that I also use in this course). You can download it here.

  • The course price is £120. If you have a discount code you can use this at the checkout.

  • This beginner-friendly watercolour course offers a rich and supportive foundation for anyone looking to start their creative journey with confidence. With over 2 hours of step-by-step video lessons (equivalent to two full days of in-person teaching), you'll learn essential techniques, brush handling, colour mixing, and more — all guided by Sarah, who brings 45 years of art practice and 20 years of teaching experience to the table.

    Through practical exercises, creative play, and expert guidance, you’ll build the skills to paint expressively and begin developing your own unique style. Whether you're brand new to watercolour or returning after a break, this course gives you everything you need to get started — and to keep going.

  • This course is over 3 hours long and consists of 8 in depth classes.

    When Sarah teaches this course live, it’s covered over two full day workshops.

  • Both!

    The essential skills you’ll learn:

    • Key Brush Strokes

    • Colour Mixing

    • Wet-it-West Technique

    • Undoing Watercolour Mistakes

    You’ll paint:

    • A Watercolour Pear

    • Sweatpeas in a Jar

    • A Watercolour Tree

    • A Seascape Sunset

    • Simple Landscape with Colour Mixing

  • This is a self-paced, on-demand course, so you can learn at your own speed and revisit the lessons anytime! While there’s no live feedback, the course is designed to give you clear, step-by-step guidance to build confidence in your watercolour skills.

    You’ll have access to detailed video tutorials, practical exercises, and a carefully curated materials list to set you up for success. Plus, if you’d like to share your progress or ask questions, keep an eye out for any community spaces or future live workshops where you can connect with other learners!

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