Value is more than just the range of light to dark in your painting; it's a way of thinking and seeing as you create the art that expresses your heart with life and freedom. Through this module, Angela will guide you in exploring value from the heart out, using value as a model for prioritizing what you want your paintings to say, developing your design skills and growing in technique and implementation.
If your paintings don't express the freedom and life you want to see in your work, value is one of the pieces of the puzzle that will help you to paint with more freedom and confidence.
Topics covered in this course:
Value Strengthens Technique: Level up your paintings with tools for bringing depth to flat paintings and life to weak paintings.
Value Informs Process: Develop paintings from start to finish using planning tools and strategies for both representational and abstract art.
Value Expands Ideas: Using value to evaluate and develop more creative paintings.
Value Supports Identity: Expressing your values more freely and authentically in your art.
Starting September 7-28, 2026, you will work through this module in a series of video lessons and live sessions (once weekly, attendance optional), sharing your work in our online classroom as often as you wish. You retain access to the course for a minimum of three years and, once all lessons are released, can move through the course at your own pace, or re-watch lessons as often as you want.
Lessons include demonstrations of watercolour technique and process, application lessons for you to follow and adapt to your personal practice, and thoughtful artist talks designed to help simplify ideas around design and artistic identity.
Every artist eventually finds themselves in a place of transition toward the independent, confident artist they dream of becoming.
There is no linear, step-by-step process in the path to artistic independence, but there are powerful principles you can adopt, ideas that will free you to be the heart-prioritizing artist you long to be and express yourself with more strength and authenticity.
Watercolour Mastery is a series of classes aimed at helping you move to the next level in your watercolour journey, that of becoming a confident, fearless and heart-led master of your craft. Each interactive, multi-week module is aimed at teaching you how to become your own best guide and instructor, as watercolour artist & instructor Angela Fehr guides you through principles used by professional artists to develop their skills and evaluate your work.
Value Informs Process: Multiple ways of using value to plan and execute your paintings from start to finish. Result: Fewer overworked paintings, quick strategies to help you paint more loosely, and the ability to assess your work during the painting process.
Value Expands Ideas: Using value to abstract your subject and work more intuitively to design lively, spontaneous paintings. Result: Develop your ability to see and think with a design prioritization, stronger ability to simplify or abstract your subject.
Value Supports Identity: Strategies for inviting your personal values and your inner artist to come to life boldly in your paintings. Result: More freedom and confidence both during the painting practice and when evaluating your work.
This course is open enrollment. Lessons start September 7-28. You have access to the course for a minimum of three years and can watch the lessons as often as you want.
“I found structure, guidance, reinforcement, examples, demonstrations, techniques, artist friends and more in this course. If you are looking for a college level watercolor art course that offers more than you could expect without the pressure and stress, I suggest you sign up for Angela Fehr’s Watercolor Mastery Course.”
Bari E
“I would definitely recommend this course. I hear from so many artists that they want to loosen up but don't know where to start. There is a psychological aspect to artistic expression and Angela addresses this, helping one to get beyond fear and embrace process and joy”
Pat B
“Every aspect of my painting has changed. I look back at what I did when I was following Angela on YouTube and where I am today. Is it an improvement or just a better understanding of what I now have in my toolbox. The course is one I will continuously revisit. Repetition is the key - keep exploring and experimenting.”
Annamaria T
“I found that there were many times I learned from my own guidance, whether it was a good stroke or the right color, brush, or paper. I could post my work online and receive feedback from other students and Angela at times. I found it helpful to me with other perspectives!”
Krista H
“I would absolutely recommend this class. There is so much value here! And it is highly digestible. It is somehow simple to follow and apply, while being rich and fruitful at the same time… How does she do that?!”
Ann H
“The class was so thoughtful, well planned and executed, and a safe space in which to play and experiment, with many ideas and practices that I will carry forward and work on over time. I gained a real appreciation for value and some success in seeing and implementing low-mid-dark values in paint. I love the way you make permeable the boundary between the technical term "values" and the personal term "values" so that each can shape and reflect the other.”
Laura H
My failed paintings drove me to try again...and again, and again, until I reached a result that said what I wanted it to say.
Frustration pushed me to look for guidance when growth didn’t seem to come on my own. And frustration caused me to look for new paths when the old ones didn’t get me to my destination.
Are you frustrated today? It doesn’t mean you’re failing!
Maybe you’re at your own turning point; one you will look back on as the day you took a step in a new direction and everything changed.
Watercolour Mastery is designed to help you shape your art practice to fit YOU. You get to take the "rules" of art and make or break them. You get to choose the route that leads to the most freedom of expression, and it will help you love your art journey and the art that is made out of your heart-led process.
More about this Watercolor Mastery series
Have you ever heard an art instructor describe a rule or a process for making art and thought, "Well, I could never do that?"
Has the world of painting felt like it's divided into two categories; artists who are naturally gifted and people like you, who have to fight for every bit of growth and worry you're failing most of the time?
I can describe myself as that artist; I felt like the best I could hope to do was to be kind of an average artist who made mediocre work. I wanted to grow, but I couldn't muster the discipline to practice the techniques that the art world insisted were essential. I felt like a failure most of the time as I made painting after painting riddled with mistakes.
I have one thing going for me; I never gave up.
And being too stubborn to quit gave me one huge advantage; time.
Over time I realized, I didn't have to try to squeeze myself into a mold or follow all the rules. Maybe there is a way of painting that can be all mine, where I can make art feed my soul; playful, joyful, free.
I wasted far too much time feeling pressure to be someone I was not. In my painting practice, I get to be the most authentic version of myself; the childlike early joy I found in making art is rediscovered, and I can reject any thinking that limits me or pushes me to perform.
There are turning points in every artist’s journey, pivotal moments that may have felt small or insignificant at the time, but served as markers for change. In my own artistic history, I look back with gratitude on these moments, because they served as pushes to help me find the freedom to create the art I longed to make and to be an artist who can boldly say, “I am my own favorite artist.”
Watercolour Mastery starts Monday September 7th with a release of the first batch of lessons. From thereafter, each week a new block of video lessons will release for you to watch, Mondays at midnight Mountain time (UTC-7).
Each Tuesday during the 3 week duration of the course, I will host a live video session via Zoom where you will have the opportunity to participate in a live lesson, or watch the recording following the live broadcast. Sessions will take place Tuesdays at 2pm Pacific time.
Each week's content will include painting demonstrations that will help you develop skill & technique, an artist talk that will help you apply what you are learning both to your painting and your mindset, and a worksheet for taking notes and journaling during the course.
You will also have access to my Heart-Led Artist Classroom space, where you can post your work and ask questions during the course.
Emails each week will remind you of the new lesson drops, ask questions for thought and prompt you to be consistent in painting and participating in the course. Plan to invest 3-5 hours per week for the best results as you take this course.
This year's course enrollment is now open.
Course Promo/Description
FREE PREVIEWIntroduction to the Course
FREE PREVIEWWorksheet: Exploring Artist Intentions
FREE PREVIEWSupply Overview
FREE PREVIEWMy Story: From Perfectionism to Freedom
FREE PREVIEW3 Powerful Areas of Growth We'll Explore in this Course
Preview: Using Value as Design Strategy
FREE PREVIEWGet into Flow: Warm Up Exercise
Application: Get into Flow Warm Up
Before you move on:
Calendar of Live Sessions
Introduction to this module: Value Strategies
FREE PREVIEWDefining Value: Making the Commitment
Worksheet: Warm Up Action Sheet
Section Introduction & Focus Area
Assignment: Inventory your art
Lesson: Strengthen Weak Paintings with Value
Application: Rescue an Existing Painting
Lesson: Design Abstract Paintings with Value
Application: Design Value-Oriented Abstract Studies
Lesson: Solve "Flat" paintings with Value
Assignment: Create depth through value
Self-Critique (Evaluation) Guide
Artist Talk: Value Informs Everything!
My Artist's Permission Slip
Assignment: Write your Artist Permission Slip
Before You Move On to Module 2
Introduction to Paint by Values method
Artist Talk - Using Value to Develop & Simplify Design
Printable Guide to Working in a Series
Painting by Values - Thumbnails
Application: See Before You Paint
Mind Training: Value Contrast Warm-Up
Application: Train Your Eye for Contrast
Paint by Values - Process Part 1 "Establish the Light"
Application: Establish the Light
Paint by Values - Process Part 2 "Middle Values"
Application: Build With Clarity
Paint by Values - Process Part 3
Application: Finish with Intention
Introduction to an Alternative Way of Painting by Value
Alternative Way of Painting by Values: Andy Evansen Guest Demo
Application: Learn by Observing Varied Process
Paint by Values - Abstract Variation
Application: Let Pattern Lead
Artist Talk: Expressing Personal Values
Download: Write Your Values-Based Permission Slip
Artist Talk: Value Through the Eyes of the Masters
Reflection: Value Through the Eyes of the Masters
What Value Thumbnails Teach You
Abstraction from a Value Thumbnail: Part 1
Application Part 1: From Thumbnail to Foundation
Abstraction from a Value Notan/Thumbnail Part 2
Application Part 2: Developing the Design
Abstraction From a Value Thumbnail/Notan Part 3
Application Part 3: Responding to the Painting
Abstraction From a Value Thumbnail/Notan Part 4
Application Part 4: Finishing with Freedom
Integrating what you've learned in Module 3
Closing Remarks & a Note on Next Steps
Come and create art that expresses your heart with life and freedom.
You can email us at [email protected]