Watts Atelier of the Arts - Encinitas, California

Hudson S.

Enjoyed the lessons and the feedback I got. I was given a gift card to try these lessons out. I called multiple times during their business hours and did not receive a call back to use the gift card. I also tried reaching out via email. They continued to charge my bank until I had to unfortunately cancel. I'm unsure if I will get the chance to use the gift card or if that $300 is down the drain.

Roy K.

I signed up with Watts Atelier at the end of last year for a beginner's oil painting class and was very happy with it, and signed up for two more oil classes this January. The in-person classes I signed up for start with a demonstration. The following four classes - in a not too busy class - you do your own painting and the teacher helps you out with it, through comments but also hands-on. Not only is the focus on technique but also on color theory, composition, and higher aspects on what makes a painting great.

P W.

I took the online painting subscription, and I will leave my honest experience here.

First, this subscription costs $120 a month. Similar other online painting subscriptions are around $20-$40 making Watts Atelier a more expensive option. The main selling point is the homework feedback/critiques you get...but this feedback is incredibly slow. They advertise that you get 1 feedback every 7 days. I got feedback maybe twice a month, so in the end I had a backlog of homework submissions that I was waiting on. Not worth it.

Second, the lessons. The premise of the lessons is great, there are a lot of fundamentals covered. The main issue with the lessons is the teacher (who I presume is also the owner of this Atelier). The teacher spends the entire video talking about his life, his philosophy, his personal experiences… talks about everything except explain what he’s doing in the video, why it’s important and why he’s doing it (I.e the actual lesson). At the end of every video it’s hard to tell what I’m supposed to take away from it except “do what he’s doing” without much explanation.

So for these reasons, I can’t say I had the best experience with this atelier. Again I don’t know what the in-person lessons are like, this review is purely for the online classes.

Holly H.

Watts Atelier is an amazing school. People from around the world travel to be at this place. It is an atmosphere of intense focus but is also incredibly supportive and fun! Most of the instructors were trained by Jeff Watts, so there is a nice consistency (which I have not seen at other schools). All teachers (and many of the students) are excellent fine artists. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran of the arts, this school will teach you things and challenge your socks off.

They also just released a really stand-out online program. I cannot recommend it enough if you want to be a competitively trained artist in any field.

Sebastian W.

I need to give a shout-out to not only a serious business, but one with heart. I was set to attend the boot camp for January, but due to health-related issues could not attend at this time. Not only did the company and management quickly respond, they also refunded the entirety of the deposit (which frankly, they did not have to) within 48 hours from my email.

I will be continuing to attend the online school ,and will definitely be attending the physical school eventually.

Thank you, Jeff, Krista & others at the team!

Jessica S.

I've only taken the online program, but the instructors are really the best there is. They will push you to be the best artist you can be, and are incredibly compassionate people. Jeff runs a great atelier, and I would recommend for all levels and anyone who has artistic goals and pursuits.

Valerie L.

THE best online art school out there (and I tried them all - Vilppu, New Masters, schoolism, local art academy) - I saw THE fastest progress with Watts online for fraction of the price of other places. I know first-hand how frustrating it is to try drawing something amazing - only being confronted with a crude ugly drawing that does not reflect any of the magnificent vision you had in your head.

I had joined Watts online about 8 months ago. Before that I tried few online programs and then took few semesters of very expensive figure drawing classes at a local art academy. The progress was extremely slow and my charcoal drawings had that "don't quit your day job" kind of pathetic look. With Watts I saw amazingly fast progress. Their online course is really well structured and takes you from one stage to another in clear logical manner.

I love it that the school focuses on traditional media (charcoal & oil) with constructive approach, it is perfect to building up your skills to draw from imagination and creating fantasy illustrations. However they are totally not fanatical about traditional-only approach like some Italian sightsize ateliers. For thumbnails / value studies / color comps teachers encourage the use of digital.

The price point for Watts monthly membership is extremely reasonable especially since all your submissions receive feedback. They also offer more livestreaming classes that have 20 mins of weekly personalized video feedback recorded just for you.

I love learning at Watts. Their teachers art is nothing short of amazing, and they are very adept at explaining how to (eventually, with time and hard work) you can reach that level of mastery. Google the artwork of Jeffrey Watts, Eric Gist, Meadow Gist and see for yourself. Watts community and dedicated forums feel very supportive and offer encourement even if you are super raw beginner. When I see artwork of people who had been studied with Watts for 4+ years I feel so inspired, the level of mastery students achieve with Watts is amazing.

I feel very lucky I had found Watts Atelier school and would had given them 10 stars out of 5 if I could. Try their online program for 1 month and if you do it every day I guarantee you will see so much progress your jaw will drop.

Hisham

Absolutely wonderful school. I spent 2 semesters there and I am currently going through their online mentorship program. Great teachers, wonderful community. Doesn't matter if you are just starting out and can not draw a stick figure to save your life or if you are a seasoned professional - everyone is welcome and you will be immersed in an excellent learning environment.