“A lake is a landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” – Henry David Thoreau
Why ponds and lakes? Because they are the perfect vehicle for studying color, light, and composition. There are also many fascinating interactions created by the nature of water. The reflections, the color of the water itself, the partially visible surface below, the highlights, and the ripples. It makes for a wonderfully complex and dynamic subject for us artists to study. Claude Monet himself painted them over 250 times.
Introducing the Ponds and Lakes Workshop
The idea of the workshop is simple. We will create a pond or lake painting together, step by step, from coming up with an idea, all the way through to reflecting on your finished painting. By the end, you’ll have a painting you can be proud of. I'm sure you'll also have a few 'a-ha' moments along the way.
We will then feature everyone’s work in the student gallery (unless you want to keep your work private, which is fine!). It will be a showcase of ponds and lakes from all over the world, in all kinds of styles and mediums. I would love for you to take part in it.
Hi, I’m Dan Scott
I’m the artist behind Draw Paint Academy, which I run with my wife Chontele. We have dedicated our lives to helping aspiring artists like you. The world could always use more artists!
I don't want you to paint like me, unless you want to. Rather, I want to give you the tools and knowledge so that you can develop your own style and say what you want to say about the subject.
Ponds and lakes have featured in many of my paintings over the years. They provide an endless source of inspiration for me. I want to share some of what I've learned with you in this workshop.
Workshop Format
The workshop is set out as follows:
- Introduction and What You'll Need
- Resource Hub: Includes master paintings, my best reference photos, a cheat sheet for painting ponds and lakes, and helpful links.
- Part 1: Subject and Idea
- Part 2: Planning and Strategy
- Part 3: The Painting Process (This is where you'll get an over-the-shoulder look at me creating my painting.)
- Part 4: Reflection
- Student Gallery: A showcase of ponds and lakes from all over the world, in all kinds of styles and mediums.
You'll also receive emails with additional information and to guide you through the workshop.
Workshop Highlights
Here are some of the things you'll learn in this workshop:
- What it takes to find good subjects to paint.
- Why painting is so much more than just placing colors on a flat surface.
- How to use color studies to capture your ideas and impressions of the subject.
- How to combine color studies and reference photos to get the best of both worlds.
- How to narrow down on a big idea that you can build your painting around.
- How to identify interesting aspects and features of the subject that you can highlight in your painting.
- How to crop the subject to make the focal point stronger.
- How to analyze the subject.
- How to inject a sense of movement and life into the painting.
- How to get the most out of just a few brushes and palette knives.
- How to use broken color and multicolored strokes effectively.
- How to combine wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques.
- When to use a brush and when to use a palette knife.
- How to combine brushwork and palette knife strokes in a harmonious way.
- How to change the color of an area without changing the fundamental structure.
- How to paint background areas in a way that they appear realistic without commanding too much attention.
- How to use your finger to soften edges.
- How to reflect on your work so that your next painting is just a little bit better.
Get Insight Into the Raw Creaton Process
One of the reasons I created this workshop is to give you insight into the raw creation process, faults and all, including what happens before and after you pick up a brush. Most teachers will only show you the actual painting process with a focus on technique, but that is really only a small part of it. A lot of work goes into coming up with an idea, finding a subject worth painting, analyzing that subject, coming up with a painting plan, and reflecting on your finished work so that your next painting is just a little bit better. The process that I'm going to show you in the workshop is what I go through for almost all of my paintings.
Stop Getting Stuck in the Tiny Details and Learn How to Simplify!
Most artists get overwhelmed trying to paint every ripple or change in color. In this workshop, you'll learn how to simplify the subject and paint the illusion of detail. This will allow you to create paintings that are stronger and more concise. Remember, less is often more in painting.
A Reliable and Repeatable Framework You Can Use for All Your Paintings
I don't usually like frameworks and recipes. They tend to restrict and limit our thinking. However, they can be helpful, particularly for beginners. This workshop will give you a reliable and repeatable framework that you can use for all your paintings, not just those of ponds and lakes.
Gain a Deeper Appreciation of Nature and Your Surroundings
By the end of this workshop, you’ll start to look at ponds and lakes in a different light. They will no longer be just ponds or lakes, but rather beautiful and dynamic displays of color, light, and movement. This will give you a deeper appreciation of nature, and you'll become a better artist because of it.
What to Expect Once You Enroll
Once you enroll, you’ll get an email welcoming you to the workshop and providing you with the next steps. If you’re new here, we will set you up with an account and provide you with login details.
You’ll be able to access the workshop from your student dashboard. This is an online portal that you can access from any device, as long as you have an internet connection.
You’ll have immediate and lifetime access to all the workshop content. We will also use email to guide you through the workshop and provide additional information as needed.
If at any point you have questions or need help, we will be happy to help.
Suitable for All Traditional Mediums and Representational Styles
I use oils and paint in an impressionistic and realistic style, but the workshop is suitable for all mediums and representational styles. We have artists of all kinds go through our workshops and courses.
I don't want you to paint like me. Rather, I want you to find your "voice" as an artist. One of the key ideas behind this workshop is to go through the painting process together with a similar subject, and see what we all come up with. By the end, we will display a vast range of ponds and lakes from around the world, in all kinds of styles and mediums.
"I work in watercolor, and am very much a newbie. The technique used in the demonstration videos was so very different from what I'm working with, yet I found things that I could apply to what I was doing." - C Wilson
Lifetime Access for a One-Time Payment of $97 $67 USD
Is This Beginner Friendly?
You'll be fine to join if you're new to painting. However, I also recommend you go through the fundamentals course on the side.
"As I am fairly new to painting, and have no formal training, I am not the best at talking about specifics. But I can say that, without a doubt, this class helped me. Your classes are affordable, and you share your expertise in a clear, easy to understand manner. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone." - M Cooper
Your Questions Answered
All lessons have a comment section where you can leave any questions or thoughts. Chontele and I will be available to answer these questions. Other students might also lend a hand. You can also email us directly.
Testimonials
We had over 190 students go through the opening round of this Workshop at the start of 2026. Here's what some of them had to say:
"Your workshop was really well laid out and I found the videos especially helpful. I would never have tackled such a subject without the workshop so thankyou for all the time you put into it!" - Anne
"Your classes were the first I took when I started back to painting years ago. I have completed other artist trainings both in person and virtually but always return to your sessions. Your thoughtfully developed lists of tips presented clearly and provided generously have been so helpful to me. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!" - Cynthia
"First, I will talk about this course from the big picture aspect. As always, I so appreciate the manner in which you tackle a subject. You manage not to discourage the self taught beginners, while still keeping things fairly challenging for those who have the benefit of years of painting experience, often with artistic training thrown in. The resource hub that you provide is such a gift! The easy to read and comprehend manner in which you explain things makes the material you cover easy to digest. You write for us, the students. I never feel like you are trying to use your workshops as a vehicle to further your own career. What comes across is that you do truly care about helping your students to learn, at the pace that works for them, with whatever medium they may prefer, and no matter their experience level.
My favorite part of this workshop was you doing the final project that you assigned to us, and detailing your process by providing step by step videos along with written explanations to support them. From how you chose what and where to paint, to then each step along the way; right up to your finished painting. For me, it was so helpful to not only read, but to be able to also be able to see, via videos, the methods and procedures you used to create your painting for the 'Ponds and Lakes' workshop. It was a great addition, and added a whole new level of understanding for me.
Thank you (and Chontele) for another great learning experience. This grandma in Oregon, who didn't pick up a paintbrush until I was close to 70, certainly appreciates the effort that went into the 'Ponds and Lakes' workshop." - Marci
"Watching how you did your pond really helped me have a process to start my own painting. Whenever I felt lost, I just trusted the process of following your strategies, and that really helped me persevere.
The questions/exercises were also very helpful on guiding me through my own painting. Coming back to the questions helped me re-focus and get back on track.
The videos are always very helpful, being able to watch you as you paint, with explanations throughout. What I would want to see more during the videos would have been permanent little screens of your palette and the reference photo, as you did in a recent newsletter video (not sure if this is practical in a workshop, but I really liked that format with the 3 simultaneous screens).
You are an amazing teacher and your workshops are a true gift! Not only you have a beautiful purpose in your life with your art and family, but you give other people purpose and meaning too. That's a true blessing!" - Mariela
"I really want to thank you for all the detailed analysis of the process, I'm very impressed by your generosity to share your knowledge and thoughts; you obviously go through a lot of mental work before you start a project, this is something I should learn to do.
I felt your photo choosing is interesting, I probably would never have chosen that photo with two thick tree trunks, to me it's a bit hard and gloomy; but after going through your lessons, I understood that the photo has a strong contrast between dark and light.
This course is very informational, it taught me one thing or two on how to approach a project, I really appreciate it!" - Cindy
"I always enjoy your logical, sequential presentation. It all makes sense and gives one a sense of beginning, middle and end. You always give great examples of other artists (which I love) Thank you for this course. I have been wanting it for a long time." - Leslie
"I appreciated the early emphasis put on choosing the reference and taking time to design the composition. It was very helpful and the example of the time you take to compose, decide what to communicate about the scene and explore the values and colors helped me slow down and really pay attention to the work of preparation. Separating the tutorials into 10 to 11 minute segments was wonderful because I played each of them over and over again and could easily tell (because they were labeled) which one I wanted to focus on.
As I find my ability to be out in nature diminishing with age I am painting more from photographs. This was a valuable class regarding painting from photographs." - Cynthia
"I liked how it was very step by step and logical. It helped me to not get lost in the process.
The videos and your verbal explanations were excellent and a good length.You're very honest and humble and talk about the difficulties you have. A lot of online content is too optimistic and makes it look too easy, which doesn't help when you are struggling. But you also say what you are happy with. The workshops motivate me to keep going and finish things I start." - Anne
"This workshop was easy to follow and as always Dan provides step by step instructions from the planning stage through reflecting on the finished painting. I enjoyed watching the videos and listening to him explain his thought process while he's painting and his vision for the finished product. I've taken many of Dan's workshops and have enjoyed them all." - Robin
Frequently Asked Questions
My 100% Guarantee
Your satisfaction is my number one priority. If for any reason you do not enjoy the workshop, just send me an email within 60 days of purchase and I will refund you in full.
Lifetime Access for a One-Time Payment of $97 $67 USD
If you have any questions, you can email me at admin@drawpaintacademy.com. Hope to see you in the workshop!