Alchemy of Paint
Learn to speak in color, memory, and meaning.
Painting can feel a little like magic. It’s a tactile act of transformation, taking pigment, water, and binder and allowing them to become memories, stories, and reflections of the world around you.
Paint moves, spreads, resists, and surprises, inviting moments of both intention and surrender. Since its beginnings, painting has been used to document life, tell stories, express emotion, and create connection. At its core, it’s an intimate and deeply human practice, one that asks you to stay present, respond to what unfolds, and trust what your hands discover along the way.
A beginner friendly, 8-session painting journey in watercolor and gouache.
No previous painting experience is necessary, and there’s plenty of room to experiment, follow your curiosity, and build confidence in your materials and your way of seeing.
Now enrolling for Spring 2026
“Alchemy of Paint” with Ray Hwang
4 installments of $230
(or $890 upfront)
(originally a $1,400 value)
Sessions take place every Saturday (9:30am-12:30pm) in our Midtown location from April 11 to June 6 (skipping Memorial Day weekend). See exact dates and times below.
Only 16 spots available and we don’t know when this intensive will be back. Reserve your spot before it’s gone!
Sessions in this Intensive
Session 1: Sat, Apr 11 from 9:30am-12:30pm
“Gathering the Ingredients”
We’ll start by getting to know watercolor through hands-on time with the materials. You’ll try out different brushes, paints, and papers, and see how watercolor moves, spreads, and does its own thing. This session is about getting comfortable, loosening up, and setting the tone for the weeks ahead by balancing intention with a willingness to let the paint surprise you.
Session 2: Sat, Apr 18 from 9:30am-12:30pm
“Layering the Elements”
This session focuses on building depth in watercolor by layering paint and working in washes. You’ll try glazing, flat washes, and gradients while painting from a still life, paying attention to timing, movement, and how transparent layers build color and dimension.
Session 3: Sat, Apr 25 from 9:30am-12:30pm
“Surface & Reaction”
This session is all about playing with removal, texture, and surprise. You’ll try subtractive and resist techniques using salt, masking fluid, and other tools that interrupt the paint and create unexpected marks. Working between abstraction and still life, we’ll experiment with loosening control and letting the material have a say in how the image takes shape.
Session 4: Sat, May 2 from 9:30am-12:30pm
“The Painted Figure”
This session is about painting the figure and getting comfortable making clear, confident marks. Working from a live model, you’ll focus on silhouettes, value, and seeing the whole form, moving between quick studies and longer poses. We’ll use glazing to build depth along the way, with an emphasis on trusting your eye and letting confidence guide the painting.
Session 5: Sat, May 9 from 9:30am-12:30pm
“Working with Time”
This session is about timing and responsiveness in watercolor. Working outside, you’ll paint in real time and pay attention to when to move quickly, when to pause, and how the pace of your marks affects the image. It’s a chance to practice staying present with the painting as it dries, building intuition and confidence through doing.
We’re going on a trip!
Session 6: Sat, May 16 from 9:30am-12:30pm
“Mixing the Elements”
This session introduces gouache alongside watercolor, giving you a chance to play with color mixing and opacity. You’ll work with the same subject using different color palettes and see how opaque and transparent paint behave in different ways. Through hands on color exercises, you’ll experiment with how palette choices can shift the mood and feel of a painting.
Session 7: Sat, May 30 from 9:30am-12:30pm
(skipping Memorial Day weekend)
“The Painting in Progress”
This session kicks off your final painting. You’ll bring in a reference image and begin a more sustained piece, drawing on the techniques and approaches you’ve been trying throughout the intensive. The focus is on taking your time, finding a steady pace, and setting yourself up for a painting you can keep building on.
Session 8: Sat, June 6 from 9:30am-12:30pm
“The Painting Complete”
This session is about wrapping things up and sharing what you’ve made. You’ll spend time finishing your final painting, then come together to look at each other’s work and talk about what emerged along the way. We’ll end with snacks, frame our pieces, and take a moment to reflect on the work, the process, and the time spent painting together.
Snacks & beverages provided; its a party! (allergen-free options available)
What makes up an Intensive?
Dive deeper and build confidence
Much of Drawing Room programming is about exploration and trying new things.
While Intensives are still open-level and beginner-friendly, we dig deeper and push ourselves to gain confidence, practice, and see improvement.
Intensives are great for when you know you’re really interested in pushing yourself in a particular area.
Beyond making: a creative life
Drawing Room is all about a commitment to living a creative life. We use Intensives as an opportunity to not only actively create, but also discuss the philosophy of creativity—exploring how we can weave the practices into our daily lives with intention and purpose.
Unique program design at a great value
Each Intensive was designed by a collaborating team of practicing artists, specifically for the Drawing Room community and ethos. We not only focus on learning new skills but about connecting with the group over food, drink, and conversation.
You get a great value by committing to a recurring program, but there is truly nothing else quite like them, either!!
Recurring schedule and accountability
Each Intensive spans 8 weeks and is made up of a group of up to 16 people.
Build connections with the same group over the entire Intensive program, see each other grow, and hold yourself accountable to your commitments.
Drawing Room as your campus
Intensive enrollment includes the Creative Flow Membership, which includes Art Library access. Show your digital membership card to pop by during any Open Hours. Use the space to continue practicing what you learned, meet up your group, or co-work!
Get 15% off everything else with the membership, too.
Workshop supplies
All materials and supplies needed for your workshops are provided on-site. Take home the pieces you create.
Your Instructor
Ray (he him) is an artist whose work draws from memory, family, and home. Through painting and drawing, he layers personal history to explore belonging and cultural contradiction, while approaching both art and teaching with curiosity, experimentation, and care.
FAQs
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Yes, of course!
If you are already a member with a payment method on file, please use the same exact email we have on file for your membership.
Since the Creative Flow Membership is included for all Journey participants, you’ll be prorated for any days not covered by the journey, and these days will be added back at the end of the journey. This means you will not be charged again until you’ve used all the days you’ve paid for last, before signing up for a journey. (Don’t worry, we do the math for you).
Please reach out to our team at info@nycdrawingroom.com with any questions, or for help enrolling
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If you aren’t able to make one of the dates, we will be able to share the lesson plan for the day with you and encourage you to complete the assignment so that you will be prepared for the discussions in the subsequent session.
Unlike the Cohort Program, each session builds on the last, so it’s important to try to make each one! There are currently no make-up days available due to the nature of our programming availability.
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Yes! We offer interest-free payment plans via Klarna. Simply select that option on the payment page.
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Intensive workshops are not open to the public and are exclusive to your group.
You can expect to see the familiar faces of your Intensive members in each of these classes, and you'll get first dibs and get to sign up for any future journeys at Drawing Room.
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All enrollments are final. Please double check your calendar.
However, if you find you are unable to join us for the program for whatever reason after booking, you can let us know at least 7 days before the first session to get credits for a future program date. The credits cannot be individually transferred to events, they must be used in one go for the same program at a future date.
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Absolutely!
There’s so much to learn each time you participate in an Intensive, and they’re open level, so you are encouraged to work with the instructors to push yourself.
Plus, each Intensive is a new opportunity to make new friends and share an experience with a tight knit group of people!
If after an Intensive (or two) you find you’re ready to explore other mediums or want to dive deep into another medium, you can explore our other journeys – you’ll get first dibs!
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We’d recommend you take them one at a time! Each of our journeys are designed to be a comprehensive experience. While participating in multiple (Cohort Program AND an Intensive, for example) is not impossible, you may find yourself at Drawing Room a LOT!! Which, we’d love, but may be intense!
For context, through the Cohort Program you can expect to be at Drawing Room and average of 1-2 times per week, and the Intensive is an average of once per week.