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This course is a good fit if you:
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Feel like watercolour “gets away from you”
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Want better control without losing softness
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Struggle with muddy colour or overworking
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Want to understand why techniques work
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Prefer thoughtful, slower painting over fast results
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Want to improve drawing specifically for painting
This course may not be a good fit if you:
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Want quick tricks or shortcuts
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Prefer highly stylized or illustrative step-by-step replication
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Are looking for a critique-heavy class
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Watercolour is often taught as a medium you have to “let go” with.
This course teaches you when to let go—and when not to.
Instead of jumping straight into finished paintings, you’ll learn how watercolour behaves, how to guide it, and how to make intentional decisions about water, brush, and colour.
Each class is structured around one technical focus, with exercises designed to build skill gradually and thoughtfully.
This is not about speed, tricks, or copying a final image.
It’s about understanding the medium well enough to trust your process.
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Water Control
Learn how water-to-pigment ratios, timing, and paper moisture affect every mark you make. You’ll practice controlled wash scales, understand how to prevent blooms and back runs, and use water control to create form before adding complexity.
Focus:
Water consistency, timing, even washes, controlled blending
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Each class includes:
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A clear technical focus
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One small experimental exercise
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One larger focused study
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Live demonstrations and paint-alongs
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Emphasis on restraint, observation, and decision-making
Brush Control & Laying Paint
This class focuses on how your brush actually touches the paper. You’ll work on drawing for painting, brush pressure and angle, confident mark-making, and using a single brush in multiple ways.
Focus:
Brush economy, edge control, confident lines, intentional marks
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Putting It All Together
The final class builds on all previous skills and focuses on advanced topics including:
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Layering and glazing for depth
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Edge control and transitions
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Seeing and painting shadow
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Knowing when a painting is finished
The class concludes with a final integrated project using all techniques learned.
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Colour Mixing & Limited Palettes
Learn how to mix colour with purpose instead of formulas. You’ll work with vibrant, neutral, and earthy limited palettes and learn how to build light, midtones, and shadows without chaos.
Focus:
Limited palettes, harmony, mixing for depth, colour restraint
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By the end of this course, you’ll have:
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Stronger control over water and paint
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More confident, intentional brushwork
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A clear understanding of colour mixing
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Experience working with limited palettes
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Tools to avoid overworking your paintings
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A calmer, more grounded painting process
This course emphasizes:
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Demonstration over theory-heavy lectures
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Quiet guidance instead of formal critique
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Process over perfection
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Learning how to think like a painter
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My classes are calm, focused, and technique-driven. I teach watercolour the way I actually use it in my own work: slowly, intentionally, and with a lot of attention to control, layering, and colour decisions.
Rather than rushing toward finished paintings, we focus on understanding the medium and building confidence through small, thoughtful studies. I am a big believer in technical skill when developing your art practice because no only does it allow you to create work that reflects your ideas more accurately, skill-building is confidence-building, which in turn boosts your creativity and helps you get more out of your art.
I Teach How I Think While Painting
You won’t just watch me paint. You’ll hear why I make decisions as I work.
I talk through colour choices, water control, timing, and adjustments in real time, so students can understand how a painting develops rather than feeling like steps are being skipped.
Slow Painting Is a Skill (And We Practice It)
We work in small areas, build layers gradually, and pause intentionally.
This approach helps students:
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Avoid overworking
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Gain control over water and edges
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Build depth without stress
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Trust the process instead of rushing it
Technique Without Intimidation
The course is beginner-friendly, but it’s not simplistic.
Exercises are designed to be:
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Manageable
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Focused
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Technically meaningful
You’re never asked to “just loosen up” without support. Experimentation is guided and purposeful.
Quiet Guidance, Not Critique
This course does not include formal critiques.
Instead, I offer quiet, individual guidance as students work, helping them adjust water, brush pressure, or colour mixing in the moment. This keeps the environment supportive and low-pressure while still offering real technical feedback.
Building Control Before Complexity
Many watercolour classes jump straight into complex subjects.
This course does the opposite:
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Control comes before detail
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Understanding comes before speed
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Restraint comes before expression
The result is more confident, intentional painting, and fewer frustrating surprises.
The registration fee for this course includes all supplies to use in the class.
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This class uses high-quality professional or semi-professional watercolour supplies so you can experience how watercolour is meant to behave.
We will discuss why these materials were chosen, how to understand pigments, paper, and brushes, and where quality matters most when building your own supply kit.
While having the best supplies doesn't guarantee great art, it certainly helps :)
This kit covers good quality student-friendly supplies that let you immediately use the techniques taught in class.
Contents:
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Student watercolour paper pad
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Basic watercolour paint pan set
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One round brush
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A simple plastic palette (with mixing wells)
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Pencil + eraser
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A Julily Art high quality art print
This kit elevates the materials to better quality, closer to what Julie Epp uses in her own practice, allowing you to focus on techniques and building towards a higher level end product.
Contents:
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100% Cotton Paper
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Professional Quality Brushes
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High Grade Paint Set
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Mixing Palette
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Pencil & Eraser
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A Julily Art high quality art print
$55 CAD
$85 CAD
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Hi, I’m Julie Epp, the artist behind Julily Art!
I work in watercolour, gouache, and mixed media, and I love finding inspiration in nature, storytelling, and the little details we often overlook, like the folds of a flower petal or the changing colours of the sky.
In my classes, I focus on technique, patience, and helping you build confidence. I guide you through each step of the painting process, showing not just what to do, but why each choice matters. My approach combines demonstrations, guided practice, and hands-on exploration to help painters of all levels grow their skills and find their own creative voice.
I believe that understanding materials, colour, and layering is the key to painting with clarity and freedom. I love helping students discover the joy of watercolour while keeping the class relaxed, supportive, and fun.
