Painting & Drawing
Code: D1225-26
-
O
Open to All
Students of any skill and knowledge level.
The Mechanics of Watercolor: Light, Color and Wash
Aug 17 - 21, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
Tuition: $1,295.00
Course Fee: $270.00
Registration Fee: $45.00
Concept
Learn the elements of watercolor painting and many of the techniques that yield the luminous results the medium is known for. Students explore washes, dry brush techniques, color mixing, working in grey tones, and drawing elements. The workshop begins with working from a still life and moves on to other possibilities for observational study. Students leave the workshop with a toolbox full of new skills and techniques to apply to their watercolor painting practice, as well as several unique works of art to add to their portfolios.
View All Painting & Drawing Workshops
Media & Techniques
Watercolor on paper
View Recommended Books from EB Lewis
Faculty
EB Lewis
E.B. Lewis is a professional teaching artist and an award-winning fine artist, illustrator, and educator. He has illustrated over seventy books for children, including Nikki Grimes’ Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman, aCoretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner; Alice Schertle’s Down the Road, an ALA Notable Book; Tolowa M. Mollel’s My Rows and Piles of Coins, an ALA Notable Book and Coretta Scott King Honor Book; Garvin Curtis’ Bat Boy and His Violin, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and Jacqueline Woodson’s The Other Side, a 2002 Notable Book for the Language Arts.
EB Lewis, Bridge View
Tuition: $1,295.00
Course Fee: $270.00
Registration Fee: $45.00
Join Waitlist for The Mechanics of Watercolor: Light, Color and Wash
Thank you for your interest in the waitlist. When space in a workshop or program becomes available, registration will open on the website. Everyone on the waitlist will be emailed to alert them of the opening. This ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity to register for the workshop or program.
Workshop Details
Workshop Supplies
For general information about studio access, shipping, and more, please visit our info page.
If you have any questions regarding your supplies for your workshop, please contact Lindsey Yeager, [email protected].
Provided by Anderson Ranch
Equipment
- Butcher paper
- Containers
- Cordless drills
- Cutting mats
- Drawing boards
- Easels
- Gamsol (OMS)
- Gloves
- Glues
- Hand tools: hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, clamps
- Laser printer
- Palette knives
- Palette-topped utility carts
- Presentation projector
- Push pins
- Rags
- Rulers
- Scanner
- Scissors
- Spray bottles
- Staple guns
- Stools
- Tape
- Work tables
Supplies
- Arches Natural White Watercolor Paper, Cold Press, 22" x 30"
- Gator board
- Masking tape
- Drawing pencils, HB
- Kneaded erasers
- Tissues
- Large water containers
What you need to bring
Required Tools and Supplies
- View Recommended Books from EB Lewis
- Prohibited supplies: power tools, torches, spray paint, encaustic, turpentine, resin, plastisol, any solvent that isn’t low VOC
- Lemon Yellow watercolor**
- Cadmium Yellow watercolor**
- Yellow Ochre watercolor**
- Raw Umber watercolor**
- Burnt Sienna watercolor**
- Sepia watercolor**
- Cadmium Red watercolor**
- Alizarin Crimson watercolor**
- Permanent Sap Green watercolor**
- Cobalt Blue List watercolor**
- Ultramarine List watercolor**
- Prussian Blue watercolor**
- Payne’s Gray watercolor**
- Palette with various size wells**
- Recommended books from EB, not required
Optional Tools and Supplies
- White (or light colored) t-shirt for screen printing**
* Available for purchase in the studio.
** Available to purchase at the Anderson Ranch ArtWorks Store for 10% off. The store aims to stock comparable items, though specific products from the supply list may vary based on inventory.
Learn more about shipping supplies and artwork to and from the Ranch in the Student Handbook.
Lodging & Meals
Housing is limited and includes shared and private lodging options. Reservations will be managed on a first-come, first-served basis. The earlier you reserve housing, the better your chance of receiving your preferred option. Please note: Workshop costs do not include accommodations.
NEW: Course fees includes a welcome dinner and lunches. In our effort to foster a stronger sense of community and accessibility at Anderson Ranch, we include the welcome dinner and all lunches as part of course fees for summer workshop students. Our hope is that this adjustment will encourage all students to come together to share meals and engage in meaningful conversations. The Ranch Café Meal Plan, which is included with Room and Board fees, strives to provide healthy, creative meals that will nourish your artistic creativity. Learn more.
We have established a Business Safety Plan with added layers of precaution that prioritize the health and safety of our staff, students, faculty and guests while continuing to provide you with the Anderson Ranch experience that you know and enjoy.
Painting & Drawing
Painting & Drawing Studio in Aspen / Snowmass
The Painting & Drawing Studio at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, located in Snowmass Village near Aspen, Colorado, is a professional studio environment designed to support immersive artistic practice across a wide range of media. The space provides dedicated work areas, natural light, and technical infrastructure for artists working in oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, and drawing.
Interested in enrolling? Explore the full schedule of Painting & Drawing workshops at Anderson Ranch.
Make, reflect, consider, engage—these are all critical elements of the Painting and Drawing workshops at Anderson Ranch. Our exceptional workshops combine focused, hands-on art making with critical feedback for artists of all levels. Painting and Drawing guest faculty are phenomenal artists and educators with experience supporting students by offering technical knowledge and encouragement.
The bright, natural light of the Wyly Painting and Drawing Building provides an inspiring environment where students can explore and expand their artistic practice. Our facilities are equipped with individual worktables, wall space, easels, rolling palettes, odorless solvents, a wide range of hand tools, computer access with Adobe software, wifi, printing, scanning, and projection capabilities. Spend a week here— or several—and engage in a variety of activities that will fuel your practice throughout the year.
Don’t know where to start? View the skill levels for Painting and Drawing workshops.
Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a historic, rustic campus that features gravel pathways and uneven terrain that may pose challenges for individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. We strive to provide accommodations to ensure all guests can access and enjoy our programs and facilities. With advance notice, our staff can offer personalized assistance and coordinate access to studios and campus spaces. For questions or to request an accommodation, please contact us at (970) 923-3181 or [email protected].
Related Events
Scholarships, College Credit & Discounts
Making Art Accessible
Applications for scholarship support are encouraged. Specific scholarships are funded by Ranch supporters, either through endowed funds or special gifts.
Many colleges and universities offer college credit for workshops taken at Anderson Ranch. Discounts are available for students and teachers.
You Might Also Be Interested In
-
O
Open to All
Students of any skill and knowledge level.
Jul 6 - 10, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
The Expressive Figure: Painting Allegorical Stories
Daphne Arthur
Tuition $1,295
Code D0613-26
This dynamic workshop explores the expressive power of painting allegorical narratives through a mixed media approach. Students draw from photographs, artworks, and collage to generate bold, dynamic sketches that spark ideas for their final projects. Blending play with technical skill, the class emphasizes both creative freedom and craftsmanship, encouraging participants to find their own artistic voice. With exercises in color, material experimentation, and contextual study, students build confidence while expanding their visual language. The week culminates in innovative projects that showcase imagination, skill, and personal interpretation.
-
O
Open to All
Students of any skill and knowledge level.
Jul 6 - 10, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
Hybrid Horizons: Collage Across Digital and Traditional Forms
K Rhynus Cesark
Tuition $1,195
Code P0615-26
In this workshop, students expand their collage techniques with digital and traditional processes to create simple and layered composite images and constructions. Combining painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, wood, paper and found or fabricated imagery helps tell the story. Students use the laser cutter to cut or engrave paper or other materials and push their imagery further by utilizing the capabilities of the UV printer. Demonstrations include collage, nontoxic resin, laser engraved imagery and cutting, and transfer techniques. Participants have the freedom to explore individual projects with the assistance of the fabrication lab assistants. Discussions include developing content, narrative, and artistic voice through combined techniques.
-
II
Level II
Students have basic knowledge of 2-D art making including form, negative space, value and line.
-
III
Level III
Students have formal training in critical issues of 2-D art making, experience with public critiques and a solid portfolio of their artwork.
Jul 6 - 10, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
Meeting The Moment: Finding Symbols and Narrative through Drawing and Painting
Jordan Seaberry
Tuition $1,295
Code D0614-26
Drawing and painting have the capacity to make a bold impact through formal elements like color and contrast, as well as through conceptual elements like the ability to tell a visual story. In this workshop, we use drawing and painting prompts to intervene with our images, using problem-solving skills to make them more powerful. Students create drawings and paintings, iterating on them to work and rework a narrative with the guidance of the instructor. Drawing and painting are the artistic basis of this workshop, and students are invited to work in the painting medium of their choosing.