Watching Watercolor Come to Life

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Welcome back to your Watercolor Live highlights! On Day 2 this year, we saw more full-length watercolor painting demonstrations with Shelley Prior, Sebastian Thommen, Janine Helton, Georgia Mansur, Thomas Schaller, and more, including sessions with our sponsors: Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, Turner Color Works (with Pierre Guidetti and Barbara Tapp), Blick Art Materials (with Emily Olson), and Royal Talens (with Wennie Huang).

It’s incredible to watch each painting come to life throughout the day, including the works that attendees (you!) share with us while you paint along!

“I know that if you’re a less experienced painter, it can feel a bit intimidating to put your work out there,” said Eric Rhoads. “But remember, this is a supportive community where we celebrate growth and creativity at all levels. Your unique perspective and progress are what make this event so special.”

Keep scrolling to see what you may have missed from Day 2…

Watercolor Painting Session Highlights from Day 2

watercolor painting - From Shelley Prior's still life demonstration on painting glass
From Shelley Prior’s still life demonstration on painting glass

“Can you imagine any other medium that would be better suited for painting glass than transparent watercolor?” Realism painter Shelley Prior says it’s the best choice, and demonstrated just how to do it in her still life demo of how to paint glass bottles, using a clear, blue, and purple bottle in her setup.

From Sebastian Thommen's plein air landscape session
From Sebastian Thommen’s plein air landscape painting session

Painting en plein from a high vantage point in Ireland, Sebastian Thommen gave a demo on how to paint with watercolor when you’re outdoors, including insights on his plein air setup and the essentials you should bring.

watercolor painting - From Janine Helton's portrait painting demo
From Janine Helton’s portrait painting demo

Janine Helton joined us to paint a small (5 x 5-inch), close-up portrait, which she says is a great way to practice your skills, become proficient in painting faces, and experiment with color. Janine used reference photos and drawing studies to help guide her choices in values and more.

Georgia Mansur, sharing her passion (and techniques) for birds in art
Georgia Mansur, sharing her passion (and techniques) for painting birds in the landscape

Watermedia specialist Georgia Mansur works in watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, and water-soluble oils, all of which she says make it easy for her to travel and teach painting workshops. In her session, she focused on using pastes and grounds to create different textures and how to make “delicious” darks.

Thomas Schaller watercolor live 2025
This scene shows the half-way point in Thomas Schaller’s cityscape demo

In a much-anticipated segment, Thomas Schaller joined us live on camera for a cityscape demo. He explained that he almost exclusively starts a painting by focusing on the lights, then the mid-tones, and lastly the darks. “No color – no matter how beautiful – is going to save a painting if it doesn’t have the right values,” Thomas said, adding that to him, “values are 90 percent of the painting.”

“Listening to what he says is just as important as watching him paint. He is such an inspiration!” ~ Nancy H., during Schaller’s demo

“Thanks to all of you! it was a fantastic and inspiring day!” ~ Kellie L.

Join us NOW at WatercolorLive.com so you don’t miss another minute – the sessions go until Friday evening (EST), and replays are available. See you soon!

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See related articles on the art of watercolor painting here…


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