First Annual Master Skill Building Challenge, with guest juror James Gurney

We are pleased to announce our first Annual Master Skill Building Challenge, with Guest Juror James Gurney   Our primary goal at the Watts Atelier is to help our students become better, more skilled and more proficient artists.  It’s with this goal in mind that we have reached out to award winning artists and illustrators, and created… Continue reading


Skill Building Challenge 10 Winners announced! Cycle 9 Crit video released!

We would like to take a moment to congratulate the Winner and Honorable Mention of our Cycle 10 Skill Building Challenge. Our Skill Building Challenge entries are judged on the displayed comprehension of the lessons, and (most importantly) the improvement displayed by the internalization of those concepts and application of them over the course of… Continue reading


Skill Building Challenge Cycle 9 Winners Announced!

We would like to take a moment to congratulate the Winner and Honorable Mention of our Cycle 9 Skill Building Challenge. Our Skill Building Challenge entries are judged on the displayed comprehension of the lessons, and (most importantly) the improvement displayed by the internalization of those concepts and application of them over the course of… Continue reading


New Friday Night Live with Lucas Graciano, August 28th, 7-10pm PST

Join illustrator and Watts Atelier instructor Lucas Graciano on Friday, August 28th from 7-10pm PST for a special from-the-studio edition of our Friday Night Live Workshop. Watch and ask questions live, as Lucas works on his largest painting to date; A 6-foot dragon illustration. This workshop is part of our ongoing, free “Friday Night Live”… Continue reading


Skill Building Challenges; New Changes, New Incentives, New Learning Opportunities

  Here at the Watts Atelier, we are constantly striving to improve the learning experience for our students.  With this in mind, Jeff and his team of instructors recently took a close look at our Skill Building Challenges, and brainstormed ways to structure the challenges (as well as their rewards) to better help the skill advancement… Continue reading


Supplemental Training: James Gurney’s “Tyrannosaurs: Behind the Art” dvd

We recently had the pleasure of reviewing illustrator and author James Gurney’s dvd, “Tyrannosaurs: Behind the Art.”  This wonderful instructional video (available as an mp4 download here, or a dvd disc here) joins James in his studio, as he executes and completes a pair of paleontological illustrations for Scientific American magazine   One of the illustrations from… Continue reading


Skill Building Challenge Cycle 8 Winners Announced!

  We would like to take a moment to congratulate the Winner and Honorable Mention of our Skill Building Challenge, Cycle 8. Our Skill Building Challenge entries are judged on the displayed comprehension of the lessons, and (most importantly) the improvement displayed by the internalization of those concepts and application of them over the course… Continue reading


The Watts Atelier Workshop and Bootcamp FAQ

  At the Watts Atelier, we understand the importance of quality, skill-based art instruction.  We also understand that individuals from across the globe wish to increase thier skills, students who are unable to spend a full ten-week term studying with us in person at our Atelier.  This understanding is what led us to create our innovative… Continue reading


Grading Issues Resolved

We’re happy to inform everyone that the grading issues many of our users were experiencing should now be resolved.  Students are now once again able to view the feedback for their lessons, and will receive email notifications when a lesson has been completed. We’d like to thank you all for your patience as we worked… Continue reading


Skill Building Cycle 7 winners, Cycle 8 announced!

We would like to take a moment to congratulate the Winner and Honorable Mention of our Skill Building Challenge, Cycle 7. Our Skill Building Challenge entries are judged on the displayed comprehension of the lessons, and (most importantly) the improvement displayed by the internalization of those concepts and application of them over the course of the… Continue reading


A Message from Watts Support, regarding lesson grades and feedback

To our students, We’ve recently been working with a third party to iron out and fix a few system errors in our grading program. While the fix seems to have solved the initial problems, it seems the update was incompatible with other parts of our system. We’ve been receiving reports that students are no longer… Continue reading


Realizing your Artistic Journey, with Jeffrey Watts

I’d like to thank everyone for their overwhelming response to my youtube podcast, “How to Train to Become a Successful Working Artist.”    I’m thrilled to see so many artists and students interested in learning what it takes to become a working professional.  With that in mind,  I’d like to expand beyond the realm of… Continue reading


Assignment Grading FAQ

  We’d like to take a moment to thank our students for their amazing response to our Guild program and the associated lesson assignments.  Our lesson assignments in particular have received a fantastic response from our student community, and as such we’ve decided to compile a list of frequently asked questions regarding assignment submissions and… Continue reading


Skill Building Cycle 6 winners chosen, Cycle 7 announced!

We’d like to give a round of applause to all of the students who participated in our Cycle 6 Skill building Challenge.  Returning to the basics may seem like a “backwards” step initially, but there are few things more important than maintaining a strong foundation for your skills to grow upon. We would like to… Continue reading


Beginning this Friday: “In the Studio” podcast series, with Jeff Watts

  We are thrilled to announce the start of a new ongoing feature for our online school; our “In the Studio” podcast series, premiering this Friday at 7pm PST on our Youtube station.  .  This exciting series of video podcasts takes the viewer into the at-home studios of the artists and instructors of the Watts… Continue reading


Just Released: “Designing and Painting Dragons,” with Lucas Graciano

  We are proud to announce that our newest Master Class, “Designing and Painting Dragons” with Lucas Graciano, is now available! This course will delve into the research, prep work, and finishing techniques that are required to paint dragons for the illustrative industries.  Students will be guided through the process of designing a dragon with personality and weight… Continue reading


Skill Building Challenge update: Cycle 5 winners chosen, Cycle 6 announced

Cycle 6 marked a very special first for our Skill Building Challenges, as all participants were given a brief critique of their work by our team at the Atelier.  It was thrilling to see everyone utilize their feedback and make such leaps in their skills in such a short amount of time.  Choosing a winner… Continue reading


Skill Building Challenge News; Cycle 4 winners, Cycle 5 announced!

The results of our Skill Building Challenge, Cycle 4 are in…!  This cycle saw our greatest turnout yet.  Our judges had a very difficult time choosing the winner of this cycle, but ultimately one student’s efforts claimed the winner’s prize.  Without further ado, we would like to congratulate the winner of our fourth Skill building Challenge..… Continue reading


Skill BuildingChallenges, Cycle 4 Now Live!

    Cycle 4 of our Skill building Challenges is now live and open for all participants of our online Atelier.  If you haven’t participated in our Skill Building challenges yet, now is the perfect time to start.  With new incentives and new “Path options” for  both the beginner and the advanced students, Cycle 4… Continue reading


New Classes for a New Year: Landscape Phase 3, with Jeffrey Watts

2015 has arrived, and we’re excited to begin the new year with the release of our online program’s Landscape Phase 3 lessons. This course walks the student through breaking down Landscape paintings from some of Jeffrey Watts’ favorite painters. While deconstructing the paintings, Jeff places emphasis on incorporating the chosen artist’s brushmanship, color harmonies, compositional choices,… Continue reading


Skill building Challenge news; Exciting Changes and Winner of Cycle 3 announced!

The results of our Skill Building Challenge, cycle 3 are in…! The winner will be receiving an original portrait drawing (pictured above) by Watts Atelier instructor Lucas Graciano. Our Skill Building Challenges are designed as a friendly competition that’s geared towards advancing the participants’ skill base. Each individual Skill building Challenge (which we refer to… Continue reading


Now Available, “The Figure Drawings of Jeffrey R. Watts, Vol 1”

  We are proud to announce that Jeff Watt’s first book of drawings is now available through our online store. “The Figure Drawings of Jeffrey R. Watts, Vol. 1 The Male Figure,” is the first in an eight-part series, showcasing Jeff’s favorite efforts from his decades of figure drawing experience. This oversized book, measuring 14×10… Continue reading