Online interactive painting sessions

Online, interactive painting sessions

The Watermill’s series of online, interactive painting sessions are very successful in bringing hundreds of people together to paint along with our inspiring Watermill tutors principally Randy Hale and Pamme Turner. We have participants from all over the world, creating a truly international ‘virtual’ community of like-minded people enjoying an inspiring and relaxing time in each other’s company.

Unlike many online painting programmes, our Watermill tutors will not expect you to ‘look over their shoulder’ for a long demonstration, and perhaps be allowed to ask the odd question or two. No, you will be painting along at more or less the same time, trying out the techniques that they have shown you, step-by-step. They will demonstrate a tip or technique for only a few minutes before you start painting the same subject at home. Lydia Breckon (Lois’ and Bill’s daughter) will be on hand to feed your questions. The session will last two-and-a-half hours.

There will be four sessions over the Winter period: November 2025, December 2025, January 2026 and February 2026. We would love you to join us. We will update this page regularly as more details become available.

Our forthcoming online sessions

When you register for an online session we will send you images of the scene and often a practice painting by the tutor to inspire you. We’ll also give you a link to a suggested materials list and colours for your palette.

After the session we will send you a link to an exclusive video that will enable to you revisit the step-by-step teaching. Many of our guests also send us pictures of their own efforts during the sessions and we set up a private gallery for the session so you will be able to see what everyone has achieved and Randy/Pamme will comment on your work (if you post within seven days of the session).

Thursday 6 November 2025, 5pm UK time (GMT) ● Randy Hale ● watercolour
Wicker Demijohns
How to create an impressionistic interpretation of textural wicker, reflective green glass, shadows and more!

Thursday 4 December 2025, 5pm UK time (GMT) ● Pamme Turner ● watercolour/gouache combo
Lovely Sun
Learn how to create gouache “sky-holes”, people, and successful gouache accents.

Thursday 8 January 2026, 5pm UK time (GMT) ● Randy Hale ● watercolour
From the Grape Arbor (or as we Brits would say: From the Vine Verandah)
Strategic use of contrasting warms and cools will have the Watermill jumping off the page!

Thursday 5 February 2026, 5pm UK time (GMT) ● Pamme Turner ● watercolour and waterproof ink pen
Fivizzano Market Day
A walk through the plein air sketching process, and fast figures

Illuminating and inspiring

We would love you to join us and we are sure you will find the online, interactive sessions both illuminating and inspiring – and a very welcome distraction.

Happy painting!

Testimonials

Randy, thank you for a great resource and instruction.

Thank you so much for another fantastic session. I love your use of colour and composition, but particularly your “fast and loose” style! It is a lesson I really struggle with, and every time I fiddle with a painting I lose it. But, hey, I love to keep trying. I so much enjoy painting along with you and endeavouring to keep up. Thank you again.

I have really enjoyed the three on line workshops that I have taken with you. Hope to take a session in person at the Watermill one day.

Although watercolour is not my main medium, I continue to challenge myself with it. It amazes me to see what effect something as simple as water can have from brush to palette to paper. Thank you for sharing your talent. I thoroughly enjoyed this class.

I learned a lot from the two-hour workshop and all the feedback to given to me and other students.

I really enjoyed this workshop. I’m working on a landscape with mountains so this was very helpful. I look forward to more with you.

Thank you so much for this class. I loved the picture and watching you is so stimulating. It encourages me to paint more! Thank you for all your insights and techniques you share and it was especially great to hear all your teachings on color.

A ‘virtual’ week at the mill – Video Box Sets

From the comfort of your own home, and in your own time, you can enjoy the excitement of painting watercolour in the wonderful Tuscan countryside, with Mike Willdridge. As Mike says: “You really only learn to paint by PAINTING,” and these videos help you do just that.

These unique ‘box sets’ comprise the edited online sessions from Mike Willdridge’s ‘virtual’ weeks at the mill, with different scenes for each week. There are seven separate videos for each box set, one for each venue including sketching in Pisa and the Cinque Terre (Lucca in the second week). You paint along with Mike ‘on location’, learning about perspective, mixing colours and drawing figures, all the while deepening your knowledge and experience of painting watercolour. As one student said: “I learnt more in seven days than I had in seven years!”

Buy now

Online interactive painting sessions