Online Watercolour Tutorials with Renee Walden

watercolour tutorials

Learn to paint confidently in watercolours – anytime, anywhere

Join me, Renee Walden, for inspiring online watercolour lessons designed to grow your skills at your own pace. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your technique, my real-time video tutorials and step-by-step lessons guide you through every brushstroke. With over 100 tutorials available, there’s something for everyone – from quick sketchbook pages to full fine art paintings. And there is a new post every week.

Patreon and Renee's Studio have all the same lessons. Choose Renee's Studio if you have an iPad or a newer Mac.

Let's get started! Click on one of the images below to sign up or browse all the available tutorials.

What Makes My Tutorials Unique

My teaching style is warm, down-to-earth, and rooted in years of experience. With a Higher Diploma in Education and more than eight years of teaching watercolour, I focus not just on how to paint but on why each technique matters. My lessons are designed to help you truly see like an artist, simplify what you see, and enjoy the process of painting.

You’ll find tutorials across a wide range of subjects — landscapes, buildings, travel sketching, animals, and more — all filmed in real time, or with written step by steps, everything with clear explanations and visual demonstrations. Whether you're learning on an iPad via Renee’s Studio or using Patreon, your subscription gives you instant access to the full library.

All content is in English. Videos have auto-generated subtitles in French, German and Spanish.

Learn with me: watercolour tutorials for all skill levels

Whether you're a complete beginner or a more experienced painter, you'll find something to love in my collection of over 100 watercolour tutorials. Each month, I release a well-rounded mix of lessons — from full-length paintings to quick sketchbook sessions, skills-focused exercises, and creative challenges. My goal is to help you grow your confidence, build core techniques, and find joy in the process — all at your own pace.

Let's Paint
Full-length lessons featuring more refined, ‘fine art’ style watercolours — the kinds of pieces I’d be proud to exhibit.

Let's Sketch
Looser, quicker sketches — like the ones I create in my travel sketchbooks or while painting on location.

Out & About
Join me as I paint outside with my camera rolling. You'll see my process for creating location-based sketches.

Skills
Focused mini-lessons that break down individual techniques — like painting skies, stone textures, or trees.

Q&As
Detailed answers to questions from students, often with step-by-step visual explanations.

Challenges
Monthly prompts designed to help you apply what you've learned, with tips and suggestions to guide you.

Start learning with me

Join our Facebook community

Learning is more rewarding when shared with others. As part of your membership, you're invited to join our private Facebook group — a welcoming space for inspiration, feedback, and connection.

Share your work, see how others interpret the lessons, ask questions, and receive friendly feedback directly from me. It's a great way to stay motivated and feel part of a vibrant, creative community.

Try a Free Lesson

If you’re curious about my teaching style, why not try a lesson or two before you subscribe? Below you’ll find a video preview, plus a link to a free tutorials available on my Patreon. This lesson is yours to enjoy when you sign up for free.

Free Lesson: Paint a summer lighthouse


My confidence and understanding of watercolor has grown so much Renee's lessons have been a wonderful resource for me as someone brand new to watercolor. She is a wonderful teacher, not only in how she guides students through her tutorials, but also in how she structures content - teaching new skills and then building upon them step by step. My confidence and understanding of watercolor has grown so much, and I thoroughly enjoy each new lesson she creates! T.P.		It's always exciting to see what tutorial she has in store for us. I discovered Renee's art on Instagram and quickly fell in love with her artwork, style, and her choice of pigments. I started following her and then quickly became a Patron student. In my short few months of being Renee's Patron, I learned how to paint stone work, roofs, lighthouses, various skies, ocean/waves, flower meadows, birds (the ones with abstract background are my favourite, so much fun and actually it's the heron with the abstract background is what made me become Renee's Patron), castles (whoever thought I could do that!), and I really learned to lean into loose style. Every Thursday, I look forward to an email notification with a new lesson from Renee. It's always exciting to see what tutorial she has in store for us. Also, I really like the lessons structure. I get to paint by re-creating via a step by step video tutorial, then there's a photo reference with detailed steps to paint and no video, then there're skills lessons and my favorite is challenges where all we get is a reference! That's one way to get confidence in watercolor painting by doing the whole thing yourself leaning into all the lessons learned from Renee's tutorials. Renee is very encouraging, kind, patient and provides valuable feedback for every single watercolor painting. I've learned so much in the last few months of being her student. E.M.

Just finished another one of @reneewaldenart's online classes. What fun this was! Thank you so much Renee! I am thoroughly enjoying your classes and learning soooo much!!! :-) It makes some of the things that have intimidated me feel so much more doable. Your generous teaching has been such a gift. M.C.		You are a great teacher! Amazing tutorial lots of theory - you are a great teacher! Thank you! Hard subject and you broke it down beautifully in a way that was easy to understand C.K.

I love the variety of painting content, including buildings, landscapes, and animals. Renee’s lessons on Patreon have kept me engaged and always learning. The mix of skills lessons, full tutorials, and challenges have raised my painting skills to a new level. Her teaching approach is accessible and fun- and I love the variety of painting content, including buildings, landscapes, and animals. Her personalized feedback and group chats where people share pictures are always supportive. I’m so glad I’ve found her! M.		Your calm manner is so motivating. Hello Renee, tonight I painted your lesson of the lighthouse. Thank you for this great explanation. At first I thought... it would never work, but now the result is on my table. I can hardly believe that I managed this. Your calm manner is so motivating. Thank you for letting us see what magical images you create on your Patreon channel. We call it a really big cinema here in Germany. M.

Student paintings from the tutorials

Start learning with me