Most artists fight their darks. Richard Thorn gets it right from the first wash
Watch him paint a summer meadow live, decision by decision.
What you'll see and learn: Richard's opening wash isn't the first step — it's the whole plan
Most instructors paint and explain afterward. Richard stops before each decision and tells you what he sees and why, so you can use the same reasoning on your own reference, not just copy his.
Read the light before the first brushstroke — where it's brightest, where shadow takes over, what stays bright and what drops into dark
Lay one bright, intense wash that keeps glowing through every layer painted over it
Build the texture of grass and foliage with stipple and spatter — without painting a single blade
Rework his reference photo on the spot, instead of copying it stroke for stroke
Does this sound like you?
You add layer after layer hoping for depth but each wash is only doing one job when it could be doing three. The problem isn't effort.
Richard's opening-wash method is built to fix exactly this.
The first wash looked clean. Then every layer on top dulled it. You want that brightness to survive to the end and it keeps dying.
Watch how Richard's wash stays luminous through five layers, not one.
You can't tell where one stage stops and the next starts, so you keep pushing until it goes tired. You need a clear point to stop.
Richard paints to a fixed structure — you'll see exactly where each stage ends.
Painting along with an instructor is fine. Then you sit with your own photo and have no idea what to change or leave out.
Richard reworks his reference live, out loud — so you learn the decision, not just the copy.
Your workshop with Richard Thorn
Light. Shadow. Layered washes. Texture. Richard shows each idea live, on one summer meadow scene — from the first bright wash to the final controlled darks.
Expect steady brushwork, plain talk, no scripted demo — and a live Q&A where you can ask Richard directly about light, tone, and texture.
- Signature Member, Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours (RI)
- Two-time RI Best Watercolour Award winner
- Exhibited in the UK, USA, Taiwan & South Korea
- Author of "Light in the Landscape" and "Trees in the Landscape"
"I've been reading light since I was five years old. I grew up near the coast and farmland, with nature on every side — that's where I learned to read light before I ever picked up a brush.
I still paint the same way: brightest tones first, so they glow through everything I paint over them. I'll change my mind on camera, adjust the composition mid-painting, and show you exactly how a professional decides while painting — not from a fixed plan.
Every wash I lay down does three things at once: color, tonal value, texture. Once you see that, you start painting with purpose."
— Richard Thorn
Paintings by Richard Thorn
Choose your plan
- Participation in a live workshop
- Watercolor painting
- Materials list
- 48 hour access to the recording of the workshop
- Participation in a live workshop
- Watercolor painting
- Materials list
- LIFETIME ACCESS to the recording of the workshop
What our students say about painting with Richard Thorn
FAQ
What if I can't make it live?
Do I need experience?
What language is the workshop in?
How does it actually work?
One wash. Three jobs: color, tone, texture.
Most watercolor painters make one wash do one job — then wonder why the painting goes flat.
Richard makes every layer earn its place. You'll watch him do it live, decision by decision, on July 16.
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