About
Watts Atelier of the Arts offers structured art instruction that includes fundamentals of drawing and painting, anatomy, figure drawing, portrait drawing and painting, landscape painting, still life painting, figure painting, life drawing and life painting. Students can also study color, composition, illustrating a fantasy scene, essentials of tech and inking, and portfolio building through both in person and online programs.
• Schedule: In person classes are 5 week classes that run in 5 week terms, with 6 different terms running throughout the year.
• Price: In person classes are $375 for a 5 week class. JumpStart classes are single purchase $49 classes with 7 weeks of access. The Full Access Plan online subscription is $79 for the first month and then $99 monthly (regular $99, $79/month). The Mastery Access Plan online subscription is $105 for the first month and then $129 monthly (regular $129, $105/month).
Watts Atelier of the Arts is an art school founded by award-winning artist Jeff Watts and has been in business for over 30 years with a staff of seasoned professional teachers. The leadership team includes Jeffrey Watts (Founder & Lead Instructor), Erik M. Gist (Senior Instructor), Robert Watts (Senior Instructor), Meadow Gist (Senior Instructor), Ben Young (Senior Instructor), Jim Hahn (Senior Instructor), Travis Wilson (Instructor), Kiera Coyle (Instructor), Zach Shev (Instructor), Evan Collene (Instructor), and Tom Babbey (Senior Instructor). The school’s mission statement says that Watts Atelier provides students a structured art education with 35 years of proof in results and specializes in teaching the fundamentals of drawing and painting, taking students to the highest levels of technical ability.
Watts Atelier offers a structured curriculum with 50+ courses in drawing, painting, and portfolio development, with many fundamental classes for total beginners. Any person of any skill level is welcome, and any student can join any class, online or in person, with no applications required, as long as the student is at least 18 years of age. The program has both online and in person options, including subscription-based online programs with courses that build upon each other in complexity, portfolio building classes, and written critiques from a team of graders. The Full Access Plan includes access to drawing, painting, and masterclass programs, 1000+ downloadable reference images, 50+ downloadable PDF workbooks, and written critiques, while the Mastery Access Plan includes everything in the curriculum plus new programs, JumpStart courses, exclusive daily practice courses, and every JumpStart course every term. Watts Atelier teaches the Reilly Method, sometimes referred to as the Watts-Reilly Method, which is a system of drawing based upon muscle and gestural rhythms of the human body.
In person classes revolve around the practice of life drawing and painting to teach fundamentals of art, with specialized in-person classes covering aspects of color, composition, anatomy, and more. Watts Atelier offers a discount to veterans for both online and in person programs and does not provide student housing. All course workbook PDFs and reference images from the reference library can be downloaded, and course videos are streamed, with the exception of one downloadable course, The Watts on Bridgman course, which includes 300 pages of e-book material. Students do not have to use the same materials as demonstrated, though the program will work best if they do, especially for professional goals. One testimonial notes that Jeremy has been a student of the Online Program and In Person school for many years.
Last updated July 8, 2026.
• Schedule: In person classes are 5 week classes that run in 5 week terms, with 6 different terms running throughout the year.
• Price: In person classes are $375 for a 5 week class. JumpStart classes are single purchase $49 classes with 7 weeks of access. The Full Access Plan online subscription is $79 for the first month and then $99 monthly (regular $99, $79/month). The Mastery Access Plan online subscription is $105 for the first month and then $129 monthly (regular $129, $105/month).
Watts Atelier of the Arts is an art school founded by award-winning artist Jeff Watts and has been in business for over 30 years with a staff of seasoned professional teachers. The leadership team includes Jeffrey Watts (Founder & Lead Instructor), Erik M. Gist (Senior Instructor), Robert Watts (Senior Instructor), Meadow Gist (Senior Instructor), Ben Young (Senior Instructor), Jim Hahn (Senior Instructor), Travis Wilson (Instructor), Kiera Coyle (Instructor), Zach Shev (Instructor), Evan Collene (Instructor), and Tom Babbey (Senior Instructor). The school’s mission statement says that Watts Atelier provides students a structured art education with 35 years of proof in results and specializes in teaching the fundamentals of drawing and painting, taking students to the highest levels of technical ability.
Watts Atelier offers a structured curriculum with 50+ courses in drawing, painting, and portfolio development, with many fundamental classes for total beginners. Any person of any skill level is welcome, and any student can join any class, online or in person, with no applications required, as long as the student is at least 18 years of age. The program has both online and in person options, including subscription-based online programs with courses that build upon each other in complexity, portfolio building classes, and written critiques from a team of graders. The Full Access Plan includes access to drawing, painting, and masterclass programs, 1000+ downloadable reference images, 50+ downloadable PDF workbooks, and written critiques, while the Mastery Access Plan includes everything in the curriculum plus new programs, JumpStart courses, exclusive daily practice courses, and every JumpStart course every term. Watts Atelier teaches the Reilly Method, sometimes referred to as the Watts-Reilly Method, which is a system of drawing based upon muscle and gestural rhythms of the human body.
In person classes revolve around the practice of life drawing and painting to teach fundamentals of art, with specialized in-person classes covering aspects of color, composition, anatomy, and more. Watts Atelier offers a discount to veterans for both online and in person programs and does not provide student housing. All course workbook PDFs and reference images from the reference library can be downloaded, and course videos are streamed, with the exception of one downloadable course, The Watts on Bridgman course, which includes 300 pages of e-book material. Students do not have to use the same materials as demonstrated, though the program will work best if they do, especially for professional goals. One testimonial notes that Jeremy has been a student of the Online Program and In Person school for many years.
Last updated July 8, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.