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Our mission is to improve mental wellbeing through our workshops and experiences. We curate our teachers and hosts carefully to ensure that they are of high quality.
That's why we provide a money-back guarantee*: If you're unsatisfied with this experience, just leave it at least 20 minutes before it ends, and tell us (the ClassBento team) the reason for your dissatisfaction within 4 hours of that time, and we'll provide you with a refund.
* We may choose to limit our refund per customer at £500. In some rare cases, we may also require you to show us your photo ID before we process the refund.
Get 15% off gift cards, using the code GIFTING15 in the checkout.
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Unleash your creativity with our Beginners Botanical Watercolours Class taught by the esteemed Ann Mackowski, an award-winning artist and regular exhibitor with the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours. Known for her stunning contributions to the Sky Landscape Artist of the Year, Ann brings her expertise and passion for nature into every lesson. Whether you're an absolute beginner or looking to sharpen your skills, this class is designed to inspire and empower you to create beautiful botanical artwork that you'll be proud to display or gift to loved ones.During this engaging course, you will explore various watercolour techniques while learning to capture the intricate beauty of plants and flowers. We'll start with the absolute basics - how to use your watercolours, and how simple brush strokes can convey a wealth of natural features. We'll then cover blending, conveying light and shade, and using simple shapes to express features. With all supplies included, you won't need to worry about a thing - just bring your enthusiasm and readiness to learn!Ann will guide you through each step of the process, offering personalised feedback and encouragement as you craft your own unique pieces. Enjoy a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, where you'll connect with fellow art lovers while immersing yourself in the world of botanical art.This is the perfect opportunity to create wall-worthy masterpieces just in time for the holidays! Imagine gifting your very own artwork or adorning your home with your creations - it’s an experience that combines skill-building and self-expression. Don't miss out on this chance to learn from a master artist. Sign up today and embark on a delightful journey into the enchanting world of botanical watercolours!The event will be held in the Rustin Room at 8 Hop Gardens - just bring yourself and we'll provide the rest! Again, absolutely no experience is required - we'll be starting with the basics and building up!Please note, for instant bookings of 2 people you can request any watercolour or acrylic topic provided by SLD--portraiture, landscape, London landscapes, pet portraiture, etc...simply book into the botanical date for 2 people and message us with your lesson of choice
"Fry Room", 8 Hop Gardens, WC2N 4EH and "Rustin Room", 8 Hop Gardens, WC2N 4EH
(varies by date; click the date selector to see details)
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Our reviewers receive the same incentives regardless of the ratings or comments provided
Recent reviews of Absolute Beginners' Botanical Watercolour Class
5/5 from Jane Love, attended Oct 2026: Teacher was great, very friendly and helpful teaching us different watercolour techniques.
5/5 from Sarah Kwok, attended Sep 2026: Love it! Great location, beautiful results, Ann is an amazing teacher.
5/5 from Emma Ritcey, attended Sep 2026: Ann was so kind and helpful! I learned a lot in our lesson and cannot recommend her course enough!
5/5 from Paul Woodley, attended Sep 2026: I entered the room with an embarrassingly poor level of skill and by the end of the session with Ann I was so much more confident, she was patient and knowledgable and truly was a huge help to both my skill and confidence. I would thoroughly recommend a class or session with Ann! I’ll be getting some practice in and hopefully attending another session to further progress my development.
5/5 from Emily Sims, attended Jun 2026: It's so great to have a 1 on 1 lesson. Ann is lovely and gives really helpful advice, showing you exactly what to do and offering tips where necessary. This has made me feel more confident in techniques to use in my paintings for the best effect. I think Ann would be able to tailor her instruction to whatever your level :)
5/5 from Neha Govila, attended Jun 2026: Great session! Ann was amazing - very knowledgeable and she made the class easy and fun! Definitely recommend!
5/5 from Laura Bedford, attended May 2026: Amy makes watercolor painting accessible and fun for everyone! She is an adaptable, enthusiastic teacher with lots of clever tips to share. The time flew by too fast!
5/5 from Annabel Reed, attended Apr 2026: Anne was incredibly clear, knowledgeable and encouraging. I really enjoyed the class
5/5 from Karen Jean-Francois, attended Apr 2026: As a total beginner, I never thought I would come out of there with a painting that actually looked like flowers, but I did. Great class. I highly recommend.
5/5 from Sarah Smit, attended Apr 2026: Ann provided a welcoming space to learn and experiment with watercolour. She shared techniques and information on supplies as well as guiding us through our own pieces. We really enjoyed the class and learning how to play around with the brushes and colours.
5/5 from Sarah Palmer, attended Apr 2026: The teacher was very kind and encouraging. A super cute space to do the lesson.
5/5 from Lauren Harris, attended Feb 2026: Ann was wonderful. So very welcoming and kind. Taught me a whole range of techniques and fun tricks for creating interesting pieces of work. A lot of fun. Ann was clear with her instruction, kind with her feedback and very encouraging. I enjoyed being able to walk away feeling much more confident with working with watercolours. Ann has inspired me to continue with the medium and prepared me with some great skills that I'm keen to put to good use. Thank you, Ann! It was a pleasure.
5/5 from Yuvraj Pabla, attended Feb 2026: Ann was amaaaaazing! Patient, knowledgable and just fun! We went into this as absolute beginners and left with a genuine enthusiasm for watercolour and intrigue to do more. Bravo, Ann!
5/5 from Maria Ranson, attended Feb 2026: Anne was brilliant. From start to finish, she warm, friendly, supportive, helpful, engaging and amazing - everything (and more) you want from this kind of class. She welcomed me so nicely, had all the equipment ready, took me through different techniques, giving detailed advice throughout, was never condescending, so giving, patient and encouraging in her teaching. To my untrained eye, her ability as an Artist is incredible. Overall, I had the most joyous experience and would recommend Anne to anyone.
5/5 from Lynn Macdonald, attended Dec 2025: I didn't realise when I booked my class that I had booked a private lesson, so it was a surprise to find that I was the only one there! Initially I was worried that this might be too intense, but Ann was lovely and very reassuring and I really enjoyed my lesson with her. Ann showed me a few different techniques and then we painted a pear in more detail. It was a great introduction to watercolour painting and I would recommend it to anyone on their watercolour journey.
5/5 from Anna Nguyen, attended Nov 2025: Ann was really attentive and nice during the class. Her art is amazing and I really enjoyed the experience.
5/5 from Hadas Kabik, attended Nov 2025: so so so lovely!!!!!
5/5 from Roshni, attended Nov 2025: Ann (Teacher) was so lovely and patient with us. It was a small class of two but she made us feel comfortable instantly so it felt like a therapeutic session. Thank you!
5/5 from Martha, attended Oct 2025: Great class — focused, interesting and clearly designed around the needs of the students. The teacher guided us through a series of watercolour techniques, giving helpful individual feedback as we progressed and demonstrating every step on an easel in front. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon that left us feeling inspired and motivated to try out all the things we learned.
5/5 from Imani Mokal Russell, attended Sep 2025: Our teacher Anne was fantastic and the class is great value
5/5 from Miriam Schroder, attended Sep 2025: Lovely class, really enjoyable and left feeling inspired! It was just me and my friend with the teacher and we learnt alot. Teacher was super friendly and offered us tea and water during the class. Would recommend!
5/5 from Isabelle Spellissy, attended May 2025: This was an excellent class! I enjoy doing watercolours at home but now I have a much better understanding of how they work and feel much more confident in my ability to paint with them. I did a painting after I completed this class and it came out so much better than previous attempts. Highly recommend this class!
5/5 from Margaret Woodley, attended May 2025: Great teacher! Zen ambiance, supportive group.
I started Soho Life Drawing in 2018 after working professionally as an artist for several years when I realised that there was a lack of accessible and affordable creative outlets for non-artist adults in London. Since then I've run hundreds of classes both at my weekly drop-in class in Leicester Square; for corporations and animation studios including Buzzfeed, Liberty London, and Sharkmob; and universities such as the University of the Arts London. Privately, I teach professional artists who come to me for technical training. As an artist, I've been exhibited internationally in both solo and group shows and have won several residencies--the most recent being Espronceda's 2020 Open Call. I was a shortlisted contestant on 2016's Sky Landscape Artist of the Year. I exhibit regularly with the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours on Pall Mall, as well as with the Society of Women Artists. While I've focussed on teaching in recent years, I still do some commissioned work and exhibit with galleries representing me. I have a Masters in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art and Design. I love teaching art because I believe anyone can do it with the right training! In particular, I'm passionate about breaking down the internal barriers people not trained in art have about being creative. Creativity is important for so many reasons, beyond the finished product, and it's my goal to make my classes both extremely accessible and very affordable so that people from all walks of life have a chance to join.
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ClassBento donates 50p to Mental Health UK with every paid booking
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