Before the snow fell one year, I was cutting back plants in my garden when I noticed the soft colours and sculptural shapes of their stems, leaves and seed heads. So, instead of adding everything to my compost pile, I selected a few and brought them to my studio.
That small decision changed how I now see my winter garden.
Sure, I’ve been sketching fresh flowers for years. But now I’ve also fallen in love with the quieter, less obvious beauty of end-of-season plants. There’s something especially rewarding about slowing down to really observe them. To appreciate the warm hues and delicate details that are so easily overlooked.
In Sketching a Winter Garden in Watercolour, I’ll share the way I approach winter garden plants in my own sketchbook. You’ll learn how to observe closely, simplify what you see, and translate these cold-weather beauties into an expressive narrative all your own.
In Sketching a Winter Garden in Watercolour, we’ll create a lively sketchbook page made up of five individual plant vignettes plus lettering, very much like the way I work on location in public gardens or in my own backyard.
Along the way, we’ll notice what makes each plant distinct. The bright punctuation of winterberry clustered on their bare stems. The airy scatter of asters. The strong central cones of echinacea. The fine, lacy structure of yarrow. And the soft clustered forms of end-of-season hydrangeas.
Then we’ll finish the page with expressive lettering that ties our vignettes together.
Watch the course trailer!
Course Length: nearly 3 hours
Skill Level: All Levels
Sketching a Winter Garden in Watercolour includes:
- A warm-up exercise to help you loosen up by practicing drawing, colour mixing and painting
- Five full-length, step-by-step watercolour demos you can watch at your own pace, as often as you like
- Close-up views of my brush and paper so you can clearly see how I mix colours on my palette and how I apply each mark and wash
- Downloadable reference images so you can draw and paint along
- A video show-and-tell of the tools and materials you’ll need, along with a downloadable materials list
- A comments section where you can ask questions and share your finished work
- Optional subtitles in English, French, Italian, German, Portuguese and Spanish
In this course, I invite you to slow down. To observe closely and capture the delicate beauty of a slumbering garden in your sketchbook. Please join me.
Learn to mix subtle
winter colours
I'll show you how to mix soft, muted winter colours that best suit end-of-season plants.
Simplify shapes so our page reads clearly
You’ll learn how to simplify individual plants and harmonize colours so everything comes together on one page.
Add lettering
as a final touch
We’ll add simple, expressive lettering to unify the page and guide the eye. I’ll share how I approach letterforms so it feels natural and supportive, not stiff or overworked.
Course Curriculum
FAQ
How long is this course?
It’s almost 3 hours in duration and includes FIVE full-length demos plus a practice exercise so you can strengthen your drawing, paint mixing and painting skills.
How long will I have access to this course?
Once you sign up, the course is yours to watch as often as you like.
Who is this course for?
This is a course that any sketcher with basic drawing and watercolour skills can follow. We cover all the steps, including pencil drawing and lettering.
What tools will I need?
We’ll cover sketching tools in some detail at the start of the course, and you can download a list of materials.
Will I have access to all the lessons at once?
Yes, once you register you’ll have access to all the lessons so you can start learning, drawing and painting immediately.
Is the course subtitled?
Yes. You can turn on subtitles in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
How do I find the courses I am enrolled in?
Go to the top of the page and look for the "My Courses" tab. All the courses you have registered for are right there.
