Expressions in Watercolor + Ink

Expressions in Watercolor + Ink kicks off at the Carnegie Museum of Art on Sunday, October 25, at 10 AM. It's a guided art class for adults, and it's part of the museum's Art School for Life series — a run of technique-building classes that use the museum's own collection and exhibitions as source material. The whole course runs for six weeks, so this is the first of six sessions.

Over those six weeks, you'll work with water-based media: watercolor, gouache, and ink. The instruction is step-by-step, and it covers the fundamentals that can be a bit tricky to figure out on your own — water control, color mixing, and the different types of paper you need for each effect. If you've ever wondered why your watercolor is bleeding too much or why your gouache isn't sitting right, this is where you'll get a handle on it. The focus is on the expressiveness and versatility of these media, so you'll see how they can work together rather than just treating them as separate tools.

One of the best things about the Art School for Life setup is that it's open to adults of all skill levels and media interests. You don't need to be an experienced painter to sign up; the step-by-step approach is designed to bring everyone along, whether you're picking up a brush for the first time or you've been painting for years. And because the classes draw on the museum's collection, you're not just working from a textbook — you're looking at actual art in the galleries as you build your skills.

The course costs $200, with a reduced rate of $175 for Carnegie Museums members and $150 for seniors. It starts Sunday, October 25, at 10 AM at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.