Alpine Atmosphere
mini-course with Katryn Bowe
We'll learn to capture the majestic scale of snow-covered peaks, dramatic storm clouds, and the soft mist rising from an alpine valley. You'll discover how to balance structured topography with loose, expressive techniques, using precise brushwork and controlled randomness to paint realistic textures. The result is a luminous, atmosphere-filled mountain landscape that perfectly captures the untamed spirit of nature!
Material: watercolor
Duration: 3h20m
Access: unlimited
In this mini-course you'll learn to:
- Break down complex mountain topography into simple geometric planes for an accurate sketch
- Master the «lost and found» edge technique to realistically hide and reveal peaks behind moving clouds
- Create a 5-step value study to establish a rock-solid tonal balance before diving into color
- Use shifting brush angles and bamboo brushes to capture organic rock face patterns and snowfall
- Render realistic forest ridges and pine trees using quick, loose strokes and simple lifting techniques
Katryn
BoweWatercolor artist
I am an American watercolor painter specializing in detailed paintings of the natural world, and I paint full-time from my studio in Sydney- My paintings are held by private collectors on six continents and have been shown in juried exhibitions in New York, London and Los Angeles
- My work explores botanical and anatomical structures — organic forms with fractal patterns, intricate topographies and transcendent detail
- In 2025 I showed «Illuminations», a series of 25 paintings, at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute in Boston
- I held my solo show «Where Cloud Meets Stone» in Brooklyn and was juried into the International Open Exhibition of the National Watercolor Society
- I turned to full-time painting in 2017 after a ten-year career in international development; I hold an MA from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania
Artist's paintings
Course materials
1. Workspace & preparation:
- Dark towel & clear tray (to protect your desk and keep tools organized)
- Three water jars (for a multi-stage brush rinsing system)
- Paper towels & misting spray bottle (for quick adjustments and textures)
- Sloped palette & ceramic dishes (for paint mixing and individual pigments)
2. Brushes:
- Large Mop Brush (size 12, for big, water-heavy washes)
- Fine Sable Round Brush (size 2, with a sharp point for fine details)
- Flat Top Brush (half-inch, synthetic)
- Chinese Bamboo Brushes (three sizes, for organic textures and shapes)
3. Paper:
- Arches 140 lb cold-pressed watercolor paper
4. Paints & pigments:
- Indanthrone (Daniel Smith)
- Transparent Yellow (Winsor & Newton)
- Transparent Red Oxide (Daniel Smith)
- Cerulean Blue Chromium (Daniel Smith)
- Blue Apatite Genuine (Daniel Smith — Primatek Series)
Inside the course: guided practice sessions
Before the final painting, Katryn trains every skill separately — real-time, stroke by stroke.
Pine Trees in Perspective · 7 min
Forest edges near and far, plus a paper-towel trick for light breaking through the trees.
Rock Face Topography · 10 min
Why rock bands travel across the slope, and how they make your mountain read in 3D.
Losing Mountain Edges in Cloud & Fog · 12 min
Paint the cloud first, the mountain after — and the peak melts into the fog.
Value Study · 11 min
The whole composition in five values, in a counterintuitive order that keeps contrast clean.
Pricing
Full access
- 3 hours 20 minutes of step-by-step video: theory + real-time practice
- 1 finished painting — «Alpine Atmosphere»
- Machine-translated subtitles: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Polish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Chinese, Indonesian
- Lifetime access to all course materials
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