1
Get Your Bearings
Take a quick overview of the site. Just like your training, things will become easier as you progress. We’ve designed the site to support students of the Atelier and the Online School. To get started on the Online School, you need to login by clicking the login button is at the top left part of your screen. You can then find your classes (Drawing, Painting, and Specialty) under the Online Menu at the top of the page.
2
Taking Classes
Jeff designed the Curriculum from his 20+ years guiding thousands of students through the Watts Atelier.
- There are 3 major programs: Drawing, Painting, and Master Classes. You can signup for either the Drawing program or the Full Access Program on our Membership Page.
- Each program is broken down into multiple Tracks (e.g. Drawing Fundamentals, Head, and Figure). Each track has multiple phases and each phase has many lessons. Eventually each track may have 6 or more phases.
3
Meet other Students
Ask any Watts Atelier student and they talk about the wonderful and supportive students they met during the program. We’ve tried to recreate the same environment online.
- Upload a picture of yourself and start interacting with other students.
- Have fun creating your portfolio in the Media section. You can setup as many albums as you like. For instance, you can create albums for each of the tracks in the program like Portrait, Figure, Landscape…
- You can limit access to your images if you like. If you edit the image, you can change who can view the image by selecting from Private, Friends, Users, or Public from the drop down box next to the Title.
- Although we didn’t cover it in the video, you can send private messages to other students using the Messages section on your Student Page.
You can access your subscription information on your My Account page. You can update your payment information, change subscription plans, or cancel your account.
4
Select a Mentor
We created the Guilds to aid you in your journey as an artist. Just like adding a friend, you can select a Mentor to help guide you through the program. Once you achieve the higher Mastery Levels you can also become a mentor and give back to the newer students.
To learn more about the Guilds, click here.
5
Use the Forums
The Watts Forums are a treasure trove of amazing art, techniques, and fun. The forums are one of the most popular parts of the site. Spend some time exploring the each forum. Get to meet fellow students and see their efforts in the Sketchbook forum. Or get critiques on your class assignments in the Study Groups forum. Over time we will continue to open up new forums so check back often.
6
Sit in On the Orientation
You are about to embark on a tremendous journey that will bring great joy and a few challenges along the way. Listen to Jeff give an actual orientation talk to new students at the Watts Atelier in Encinitas, CA.