"Watercolor: Under the Sea; Multicolored Coral Reefs" with Julie Schroeder (December 2026)
WATERCOLOR: UNER THE SEA; MULTICOLORED CORAL REEFS
with Instructor Julie Schroeder
WHEN:
3-HALF-DAYS
Wednesday to Friday (9am to 12pm)
December 2, 3 & 4, 2026
WHERE:
Art League Academy
(106 Cordillo Parkway, Hilton Head Island, SC)
Dive into the vibrant world beneath the waves and discover the magic of watercolor like never before! Join acclaimed Minnesota-based artist Julie Schroeder for an immersive three-session workshop that will transform the way you approach watercolor painting.
Working on half sheets of Arches 140lb cold press paper, you'll explore exciting mixed media techniques to create a stunning undersea coral reef scene bursting with life and color. This isn't your traditional watercolor class—prepare to splash, fling, drip, and splatter paint in gloriously loose, wet-into-wet applications that capture the fluid beauty of ocean life.
What You'll Learn:
- Dynamic wet-into-wet watercolor techniques for spontaneous, flowing effects
- Creating unique textures using unconventional materials like cotton gauze and salt
- Building dimensional coral reefs and tropical fish using your favorite colors
- Intuitive, fluid painting methods that encourage creative freedom
- Layering techniques that add depth and an unrehearsed, fresh quality to your work
Through step-by-step demonstrations and personalized instruction, Julie will guide you in developing a more spontaneous and confident painting style. You'll combine watercolor, salt, and cotton gauze to achieve stunning textural effects that bring your underwater world to life.
This workshop is all about releasing your inner artist and embracing the joyful, playful side of watercolor. Whether you're looking to loosen up your technique or simply want to have fun experimenting with color and texture, this class offers the perfect opportunity to energize your creativity and watch the magic unfold on paper.
Come prepared to let loose, get messy, and rediscover the pure joy of painting!
NOTE:
For a $30 supply fee, Julie will provide all essential materials, including high-quality watercolor paper, carbon paper, fresh watercolor paints, masking fluid, plastic wrap, cotton gauze, salt, a variety of reference photos, ink pens, textural tools, watercolor pencils, plastic palette knives, and wood boards. Students are asked to bring a few personal items listed below.
SKILL LEVEL:
This workshop was designed for artists of all levels, beginner to advanced.
REFUND POLICY:
Ticket purchases to Art League of Hilton Head events are final. Credits or Refunds will not be given for missed or classes/workshops.
If a class or workshop is canceled by Art League of Hilton Head a full refund will be given.
| Materials Included: | Students Should Bring the Supplies Listed Below |
| Requirements: |
PLEASE BRING: For a $30 cash supply fee, Julie will provide all essential materials, including high-quality watercolor paper, carbon paper, fresh watercolor paints, masking fluid, plastic wrap, cotton gauze, salt, a variety of reference photos, ink pens, textural tools, watercolor pencils, plastic palette knives, and wood boards. Students are asked to bring a few personal items listed below. In addition to your $30 cash supply fee, please bring the following materials: A paint palette with dry watercolor paint in the wells (colors of your choice) Watercolor brushes Masking Tape A Pencil & kneaded eraser Paper Towels or Pop-up Tissue Optional Items: If you have paint in tubes, bring your favorites! A SPECIAL NOTE: If you're new to watercolor & don't want to spend a lot on supplies, please call me at 651-352-5695 or email Brushcolour@yahoo.com. I can either bring all the supplies with me for a use fee, or recommend a more economical way to give it a try. QUESTIONS? Email: Academy@artleaguehhi.org. |
| Instructor: | Julie Schroeder |
| Instructor Bio: |  Born and raised on the outskirts of Montreal, JULIE SCHROEDER had the opportunity to explore nature. The delicious beauty of a wild strawberry, the song of a redwing blackbird, and melting spring snow in the mountains still inspire her. As a teenager in Canada, she did sketches, colored pencil drawings, and using a candle to melt crayons, combined them with leaves, moss, and other natural objects. I've always had a passion for observing life and living things. When I was young I spent my days exploring all the nearby fields, ponds, and streams for the secret life and treasures that lay hidden there. I would come home with a desire to express what I had seen. Using the tools I had available to me I dabbled in mixed media before I understood the term. I was drawn to watercolor in my late teens and discovered how amazing it is to watch what this medium can do. Spending summers trekking through the meadows and peaks of the alpine country of the Canadian Rockies, her love for nature turned into a passion for the wild places. This is still expressed in her art today. As a scuba diver, exploring the ocean with sea turtles, stingrays, sharks, and giant manta rays has also been one of her favorite pastimes. After getting her degree at McGill University in teaching, she spent 5 years with the Inuit in Arctic Canada. That time of living with the people of the far north, became one of the most profound experiences in her life. Julie says she can still hear the Canadian geese as they return in the spring to nest on the tundra, the wind as it howls across the treeless land, the echoing sound of walking across the frozen snow & the laughter of the Inuit children. The taste of wild arctic char & bannok while we ice-fished in spring is unforgettable. The blue Hudson Bay ice reflecting into frozen sundogs, the haunting sight of thousands of caribou in the fading arctic light & of course the mystifying dance of the multicolored northern lights overhead are memory treasures always carried in my heart. When I create art, I do it in celebration of the joy and beauty in humanity and nature. I enjoy merging the patterns of nature with aspects of feeling, impression, passion, and fantasy. Art for Julie is expressing the diversity, grace, and wonder of our humanness in relationship to the living world. She is motivated to continually reach new levels of expression through her art, drawing the viewer into a greater awareness of their own connectedness with the living world around them. It's important to me to create art that speaks about people and nature in an intimate way. My hope is that when people experience my art it takes them on a journey of inner healing and deeper discovery. Through my art, I strive to uplift and encourage people to experience greater joy and love for others and for the living world that surrounds them. It's a privilege to be able to share my passion and awe for the incredible beauty and complexity of creation. Julie has read extensively, experimented with, and taken many workshops in a variety of mediums. She's studied under nationally & internationally known artists. Julie's art has moved through different seasons in the 30 years since she bought her 1st set of real paints. Her painting approach has developed to a loose and freestyle, interpreting nature sometimes using collage along with paint. Julie is teaching classes & workshops & is a member of the Northstar Watercolor Society & the Minnesota Watercolor Society. Her main body of work is shown at Kelley Gallery in Woodbury. She also shows her work at the Deadwood/Lead Center for the Arts in South Dakota as well as other galleries in the U.S. & Canada. View Julie Schroeder's Website |
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