Course Previews

  • Drawing Fundamentals Phase I Preview

      The goal of this phase is to provide you with a working understanding of the essential building blocks of all drawing, and ultimately painting, in the Watts method.  You will be introduced to concepts such as value scales, essential geometric shapes used to breakdown the complex forms of the head and figure, the four… Continue reading →

  • Drawing Fundamentals Phase II Preview

    In this phase you will start using freehand perspective to construct lay-ins of solid 3D objects. We will build from simple, single objects to more complex multiple object scenarios. This phase will expand on, and reaffirm, the earlier concepts emphasized in Phase I. These exercises will prove instrumental as you move into the figure and… Continue reading →

  • Head Drawing Fundamentals

    Overview Join Brian Knox, as he breaks down and then builds up the process of constructing the human head.  This course will instill a solid knowledge of the underlying structure of the human head.  Using a combination of constructive and rhythmical approaches, students will learn how to first block in major forms, then break down… Continue reading →

  • Figure Drawing Fundamentals Preview

    Overview Figure Drawing is essential. It is a core foundation of being a great representative artist. Through figure drawing you will learn so much about the various techniques that we employ at the school, such as angle measurements, comparative measurement and plumb lines, anatomy and more. In this introductory figure drawing phase, get ready for… Continue reading →

  • Quicksketch Fundamentals

    Overview Welcome to Quicksketch Fundamentals! This class will cover the basics that must be understood for the successful execution of figure quicksketch drawing.  This course will approach figure quicksketch by breaking down the discipline into three understandable principles: Gesture, Structure, and Mass.  By studying these three principles separately, students can then work to integrate them… Continue reading →

  • Head Phase I Preview

    In this phase you will explore basic head construction, and learn how to simplify the complex forms of the head through various measuring techniques. You will then move on to studying the skull, the Asaro head (both simple and complex), and the rhythmical head abstraction. Each section will look at straight on, three-quarter, and profile head… Continue reading →

  • Head Phase II Preview

    Now that you have started to become familiar with navigating the human head from various angles, and using a variety of techniques, it is time to put that knowledge to work.  In this phase you will be called upon to take the aforementioned techniques and apply them to drawing from photos of plaster casts. We… Continue reading →

  • Head Phase III Preview

    In this phase Jeff will introduce you to the art of head quick sketch.  You will watch Jeff tackle indicating heads ranging from 15 second to 5,10,20 and up to one hour.  It is in these lesson’s you start to see the true value of all the hard work you did in phase I and… Continue reading →

  • Head Phase IV Preview

    In this phase Jeff will be joined by two other two other Watts Atelier artists, Erik Gist and Lucas Graciano.   Each will demonstrate their use of the concepts taught in the first 3 phases as they execute 2 drawings each at a 3 hour duration..  This mirrors the standard class taught at Watts Atelier… Continue reading →

  • Head Phase V Preview

    Join Watts Atelier founder Jeff Watts and Atelier instructor Jim Hahn for the fifth phase in our head drawing lessons.  In this Phase, Jim and Jeff will show the student how to approach a finished, polished, and fully rendered head drawing, paying special attention to features, likeness and design.  This phase will build off of… Continue reading →

  • Figure Phase I Preview

    In this phase you will learn to break the figure down into various “mannequins” and to understand the canons of measurement and proportion. You will also be introduced to the male and female planes, and how to unify your figures using the basic figure abstraction. Terms defined in this phase will become critical for studying… Continue reading →

  • Figure Phase II Preview

    Now that you have started to digest the basic foundational components of the Watts method, you can begin to apply what you’ve learned. This phase will introduce you to studying the male and female forms through photo work. Jeff will demonstrate how to bring out the basic abstraction rhythms, as well as walk you through… Continue reading →

  • Figure Phase IV Preview

    In this phase Jeff will be joined by two other Watts Atelier artists, Erik Gist and Lucas Graciano. Each will demonstrate their use of the concepts taught in the first 3 figure phases as they execute 2 drawings each at a 3 hour duration.. This mirrors the standard class taught at the Watts Atelier and… Continue reading →

  • Figure Phase V Preview

    Join Watts Atelier founder Jeff Watts and Atelier instructor Jim Hahn for the fifth phase in our figure drawing lessons.  In this Phase, Jim and Jeff will show the student how to approach a finished, polished, and fully rendered figure drawing.  This phase will build off of the solid concepts learned in earlier phases, and… Continue reading →

  • Gouache Phase I Preview

    In this phase Jeff Watts introduces you to his second favorite medium after oil: gouache. He will demonstrate this medium using a traditional approach that is rarely taught in contemporary art schools. It will be instrumental to your future growth. Jeff refers to this technique as “tiling”, but you can think of it as shape… Continue reading →

  • Gouache Phase II Preview

    Now that you have successfully completed the Phase I gouache you can open up your palette some more, to a warm/cool palette. This will allow for a full treatment of color. We will again be working up our paintings through the chain of values, but now we will have a greater opportunity to use a… Continue reading →

  • Gouache Phase III Preview

    Painting from the master’s was an instrumental learning tool for Jeff as a student and still plays an important role in his current training regimen. In this phase Jeff picked a few of his favorite illustrators to emulate. Each one possess certain qualities that he feels will help cultivate your design skills, color harmonies, edge manipulation and much more.

  • Portrait Phase I Preview

    This phase will introduce you to several monochromatic palettes.  This means you will not be venturing into the realm of color as of yet. Instead, monochrome will give you ample time to focus on more important concepts: manipulating edges and values in oil paint.  You should start cultivating an acute awareness of value judgment and… Continue reading →

  • Portrait Phase II Preview

    Now, after grounding yourself in the foundation of portrait in oil, it’s time to open up your palette range a bit. First we will jump into the “Zorn” palette, named after famed Swedish painter Anders Zorn. This four color palette is truly amazing. You will learn to premix this palette, then Jeff will introduce you… Continue reading →

  • Portrait Phase III Preview

    In this phase we will be exploring the individual features in three palettes.  We will work from both male and females and utilize photo reference as well as master studies.  It is essential to Familiarize yourself with each feature from as many different types and angles as possible.  This will prove very beneficial as we… Continue reading →

  • Portrait Phase IV Preview

    This course will expand upon your portrait painting foundational skills, and introduce you to the loose style and expressive edge work of gesture portrait painting.  These lessons will help you understand color and color mixing in a more instinctual way, as well as help hone your understanding of edge work and your ability to push… Continue reading →

  • Figure Painting Phase I Preview

    In this phase we will again be placing the emphasis on limited palettes. We will start almost all first phases in painting this way.  The goal will be to familiarize yourself with value control, shape recognition, and edge control. Students will work from photos of the male and female casts, both front and back, as… Continue reading →