learn watercolor painting, drawing, or en plein air painting:
Private lessons: $85/ 1 hour; $150 / 2 hr. Please email hi@giselleharrington.com, or call (603) 369-2928.
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Supplies lists (for students bringing their own supplies):
Outdoor/ En Plein Air Watercolor
upcoming classes
“Drawing for Beginners” at Looky Here, Greenfield, MA
January 5 - January 26, 2026: 4 Mondays, 6pm - 9pm
Location: Looky Here, 28 Chapman Street, Greenfield, MA. Cost: $220. 4 Mondays, 6pm-9pm.
Please note: If class has to be canceled due to snow or ice, please note that there is no make-up date: Students will be reimbursed for the individual canceled class.
Class description: Drawing is the backbone of any work on paper. Learning to draw also means learning to see in a way that applies both to drawing and to working with color. This way of seeing is about looking at objects as two-dimensional, related, abstract shapes rather than real objects. This class will teach you how to master drawing through a series of exercises which you can continue to practice at home to develop your skills. In this class you will also learn basic principles such as how to hold the drawing tool, what tools you can use for drawing, how drawing relates to image-making as a whole, and how perspective works.
Tools: Students bring their own tools. Minimum: paper, board to support the paper and clips to hold it (if paper is not in a hard cover sketchbook), pencil, eraser. Recommended: Newsprint pad not smaller than 9x12 but preferably bigger, a board with clips to support the paper, willow charcoal or graphite pencil, and eraser: kneaded (for charcoal) or hi-polymer such as Mars Plastic or Pentel.
“Painting Landscapes in Watercolor” at Smith Vocational and agricultural high school, Northampton, MA
January 6, 2025 - January 20, 2026: 3 Tuesdays, 5:30pm - 8:30pm (snow date: January 27)
Location: Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School: 80 Locust Street,
Northampton, Ma 01060. Cost: $250/ or $275 for students who wish to rent supplies. 3 Tuesdays, 5:30pm-8:30pm. Participants may choose to bring their own supplies (see supply list above) or rent supplies for use during the class.
Register: Sign up through the Smith Vocational website
Class description: In this class you will learn how to choose a scene to paint from, identify a simplified value and color design to paint, and capture this on paper in a planned-out series of watercolor wash layers. We will be using watercolor paint in this class, though the lessons in color and value composition will be useful across media.
This class is held in a classroom and students will work from photo references provided by the teacher.
Coming soon - “Watercolor for Beginners” at Isle of Palms Rec Center, Isle of Palms, SC
Registration not yet open: Fill in the form on this page to receive an email when registration opens!
February 4 - March 11, 2026: 6 Wednesdays, 10 am - 1pm
Location: Isle of Palms Recreation Center, 24 28th Ave, Isle of Palms, SC. Cost: $325. 6 Wednesdays, 10am-1pm. Participants may choose to bring their own supplies (see supply list above) or rent supplies for use during the class; Supply rental is: $5 per day or $25 for the full session. You can let Giselle know your decision (and bring payment) at the first class. Sign up: call the IOP Recreation Department at (843) 886-8294, or sign up on their website.
Class description: This class teaches you the traditional methods of handling transparent watercolor in representational painting. You will learn how to control watercolor through washes and glazes, creating soft edges, using wet-in-wet techniques and using dry-brush. You will also learn how to work with the time constraints of the medium through a simplification of value shapes: a key to success in watercolor.
Coming Soon - “Intermediate Watercolor Painting” at Isle of Palms Rec Center, Isle of Palms, SC
Registration not yet open: Fill in the form on this page to receive an email when registration opens!
February 4 - March 11, 2026: Wednesdays, 1:30pm - 4:30pm
Location: Isle of Palms Recreation Center, 24 28th Ave, Isle of Palms, SC. Cost: $325. 6 Wednesdays, 1:30pm-4:30pm. Participants may choose to bring their own supplies (see supply list above) or rent supplies for use during the class; Supply rental is: $5 per day or $25 for the full session. You can let Giselle know your decision (and bring payment) at the first class. Sign up: call the IOP Recreation Department at (843) 886-8294, or sign up on their website.
Class description: Take your watercolor painting to the next level. In this class we go beyond flat layered washes and paint mixing and expand skills into complex wash techniques and make choices from complex scenes, with clear value patterns and color compositions.
Coming Soon - “Watercolor Painting for Beginners” at James Island Town Hall, James Island, SC
Registration not yet open: Fill in the form on this page to receive an email when registration opens!
February 5 - March 12, 2025: 6 Thursdays, 10am - 1pm
Location: James Island Town Hall
Price and description: $285. Supply rental is: $5 per day or $25 for the full session. You can let Giselle know your decision (and bring payment) at the first class. Sign up: Fill in the form on this page.
Coming Soon - “Watercolor for Beginners” at Isle of Palms Rec Center, Isle of Palms, SC
Registration not yet open: Fill in the form on this page to receive an email when registration opens!
March 18 - April 22, 2026: 6 Wednesdays, 10am - 1pm
Location: Isle of Palms Recreation Center, 24 28th Ave, Isle of Palms, SC. Cost: $325. 6 Wednesdays, 10am-1pm. Participants may choose to bring their own supplies (see supply list above) or rent supplies for use during the class; Supply rental is: $5 per day or $25 for the full session. You can let Giselle know your decision (and bring payment) at the first class. Sign up: call the IOP Recreation Department at (843) 886-8294, or sign up on their website.
Class description: This class teaches you the traditional methods of handling transparent watercolor in representational painting. You will learn how to control watercolor through washes and glazes, creating soft edges, using wet-in-wet techniques and using dry-brush. You will also learn how to work with the time constraints of the medium through a simplification of value shapes: a key to success in watercolor.
Coming Soon - “Painting En Plein Air” at Isle of Palms Rec Center, Isle of Palms, SC
Registration not yet open: Fill in the form on this page to receive an email when registration opens!
March 18 - April 22, 2026: 6 Wednesdays, 1:30pm - 4:30pm
Location: Isle of Palms Recreation Center, 24 28th Ave, Isle of Palms, SC. Cost: $325. 6 Wednesdays, 1:30pm-4:30pm. Bring your own supplies (see recommended supplies list above). Sign up: call the IOP Recreation Department at (843) 886-8294, or sign up on their website.
En plein air painting means literally “in the open air.” This class will teach you how to set up your easel and paint from life, outside (weather permitting: If it is raining, we will work inside from objects from life). This is not a beginner class: In my beginner classes I teach from photos, which help simplify scenes for students. In this class part of the focus is to get comfortable making your own interpretations of what you see in a scene. *Student should come with a basic knowledge of watercolor painting, particularly the ability to build a painting through a series of washes without using opaque media.
Coming Soon - “Intermediate Watercolor Painting” at James Island Town Hall, James Island, SC
Registration not yet open: Fill in the form on this page to receive an email when registration opens!
March 19 - April 23, 2026: 6 Thursdays, 10am - 1pm
Location: James Island Town Hall
Price and description: TBD
Fill this form for: James Island classes, private lessons, requests for an upcoming class registration alert, and other questions or comments:
QUOTES FROM PAST STUDENTS
“I loved this course. Firstly because of Giselle’s quiet passion to lead us to appreciate, and understand the complexity and logic of water color painting. Secondly because of Giselle’s axiom that appreciation and understanding are nurtured by doing. Thirdly because our doing, with all its flaws, was met by encouragement from Giselle, but never by a diminution in her exacting standards. And finally, because I really appreciated Giselle’s skill as a water colorist and the sense she gave that teaching us was a part of her own process towards greater understanding and mastery of the art.”
“ As a retired art teacher, I appreciated the excellent lesson plans, the clear instructions and helpful demonstrations in Giselle’s watercolor class. She covered many techniques and was flexible in responding to individual queries.”
“Giselle’s Intro to Drawing class was a fantastic opportunity to help myself experience and answer the question that was in my mind “what actually is the foundation for learning how to draw?” Many of us in class and myself included, have never had any or much previous drawing training. Giselle’s guidance and encouragement helped each student tap into that special space within to flex their creative muscles — something I was seeking, and achieved, through this experience. This was also a great way to meet more members in the Western MA community!”
“The watercolor class was very well structured with a clear progression of techniques. Giselle is a very encouraging and thoughtful instructor and conveyed a great depth of understanding of the process. A very enjoyable experience.”
Intermediate Watercolor students at the James Island Town Hall
Watercolor class at the Veterans Affairs in North Charleston
Drawing class at the Isle of Palms Rec Center
A watercolor demo for Intermediate Watercolor students
Giselle, painting en plein air