Watercolour Landscape Painting Tuition
In The UK and Online With Jem Bowden

It is rewarding to help people with their painting and I provide various types of tuition. I teach one-to-one either in my home studio (in Crail, Fife), online (via Teams) or in the great outdoors (‘en plein air’).  I also offer instructional videos, lead residential painting holidays/courses, run shorter-format workshops and give demonstrations or illustrated talks around the UK.  The latter can also be effectively done online (via Zoom) so distance is no object.
Have a look at the sections below for more information about how you can learn watercolour painting with me.  Click through from each section for further details, and if I can help with anything then please get in touch.

 

 ‘PAINT & HECKLE’
Live and interactive Zoom demo evening. (Tickets HERE!)

Thursday February 19th, 7 – 9pm
Price: £15  (places limited to 20 maximum)

Join me for a fun, interactive experience and general chat about all things watercolour, as I attempt at the same time to paint a decent demo, explaining my thinking as I go – as always!
This event will NOT be recorded and will NOT therefore appear on Youtube or anywhere else at a later date.  It is a live event where you don’t need to worry about whatever you might call out, or what you are wearing (well, not much)!
In essence, this is a demo event.  But with me encouraging you to chat with me!  You might ask questions about anything to do with painting, not necessarily pertinent to the moment in the demo.
I will be ‘spotlighted’ but you will be visible to other participants unless you switch camera to ‘off’.  That is fine and entirely up to you.  I will have all participants ‘muted’ when I get started with the demo, but you can unmute yourselves at any point.  (Please remember to mute yourself again to ensure no accidental background noise at any point once you have finished chatting with me.)
We will see how it goes!
Please note, if you are new to Zoom then please ‘check it out’ well in advance and before buying a ticket, so you know the basics of how it works.

Following ticket purchase you will receive the Zoom event link by email.  Please look after that email so that you can find it on the evening of Feb 19th.  There will also be an option in the email to add the event to your calendar, if you do such things.
On the evening please click the link to join the event on time – or preferably a few minutes early – as it will start on time.  I look forward to welcoming you to my studio!  Feel free to bring any questions or irreverence you may have.
EVEN MORE FULL DETAILS CAN BE FOUND ON MY LATEST BLOG POST, CLICK HERE.

Courses & Residential Painting Holidays

 

If you like the idea of spending a good chunk of serious creative time in inspiring surroundings to develop your painting, then please have a look at the courses (or ‘painting holidays’) that I’m teaching.  For non-residential tuition of shorter duration please see Workshops.

Watercolour Landscapes; The 'direct' method.

Raw Umber Studios, 16 Nelson Street, Stroud GL5 2HN
12/03/2026 - 15/03/2026
*THIS IS A FOUR DAY, NON-RESIDENTIAL COURSE.* Over four days we will touch on all fundamental aspects of painting landscape in watercolour, including: Paint mixing and understanding of all materials Brush control & mark-making All traditional ‘techniques’ of the medium (on wet, on dry, ‘edge’ control, etc.) Subject selection and composition Colour and tone/value How to see, interpret, analyse and reflect Planning, strategy, and even the best psychological approaches The course opens with some ‘back to basics’ on materials and paint mixing but will move quickly, continually integrating further concepts. Jem stresses how all aspects of painting are interconnected, relative, and equally important to the ‘whole’. The whole painting, whole approach and a whole understanding. Fundamentals of observation and technique are continually emphasised within this.

Details and booking

Video Tuition For Watercolour Landscape Painting

I have two instructional videos, ‘Plein Air Painting’ and ‘Studio Painting’.   Both videos are over two hours in duration (too long for a DVD) and are available to purchase for download.
For full details on each, and to watch the previews, please click the button below.

Watercolour Painting Workshops

I teach some one and two-day workshops each year at well-known establishments around the country.  These are carefully structured introductions to my approach to painting.  They may include demonstrations, ‘exercises’, guided or step-by-step painting, as well as some important analysis and reflection.
Tackling a challenge without expectation, simply seeing it as an ‘exciting adventure’, is I believe the best way to learn and develop as a painter, so I feel you shouldn’t be taking home a masterpiece, but rather some useful ideas to work with.  See below for upcoming workshops.

Workshops at Art Groups

I also regularly visit art groups and societies around the country.  Please get in touch if you would like to discuss this.

One-To-One Watercolour Painting Tuition In Fife And Online (worldwide, time-zone allowing)

For many people there is no better way of learning than through dedicated one-to-one tuition.  This is based either at my home studio in Crail, Fife (Scotland), in the great outdoors (also known as ‘en plein air’) or online via Teams/Zoom (worldwide)

Watercolour Painting Demonstrations & Talks

Please note I can now also give demonstrations online via Zoom, so distance is no object.
In demonstration I aim to explain the main principles I typically work to, show the range of techniques I use and the energy I put into my painting. I really like these occasions to be as sociable and ‘interactive’ as possible, so no need to hold back on the heckling.  I can even take you outside, with my ‘virtual plein air’ demos.
Presentations/Talks
As well as demonstrations I also have a Teams-based ‘presentation’ all about plein air painting.  This is highly illustrated and wide ranging, covering all aspects and issues associated with the practice of painting outdoors.  It features hundreds of photos, brief sections of video and even a quick look at some ‘apps’ useful in the planning of excursions.  You’ll feel you’re almost literally being taken out on a painting trip.  Or rather,  several, and in the full range of weather, but from the comfort of your home.

Articles & Writing

Since 2014 I’ve been a contributor to ‘The Artist & Leisure Painter’ magazine, always working to ensure my articles are of practical benefit to the reader (see: http://www.painters-online.co.uk/ for more info). In the past I’ve also written for New Artist, Paint & Draw, and Paint (magazine of the SAA; Society for All Artists). In 2016 I wrote/designed the current ‘Watercolour Diploma’ course for London Art College.

Contact Me

If you’d like to contact me to discuss purchasing original watercolour paintings, arranging tuition, attending a painting holiday or for any other reason, then please feel free to email or call me and of course you can also network with me on social media.

E: contact@jembowdenwatercolour.co.uk
T: 0117 9711735