Is Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion - Making it Rain worth it if you’re shopping in Drawing & Painting?
Quick answer
| Best for | Watercolorists who feel stuck in “representational” mode and want a structured exercise to practice painting emotion over literal detail. |
| Skip if | You are a complete beginner still learning basic brush control, or you are looking for a full-course curriculum with multiple weeks of distinct topics. |
| Price | $25 |
| Format | Digital immersion lesson (video/demo + notes) focused on a specific atmospheric technique. |
| One-line take | A focused deep-dive into “Visioneering” that teaches you how to fake rain and manipulate weather to convey feeling. |
What you’re actually buying
If you’ve ever stared at a landscape and felt your painting looked flat, the problem might not be your technique—it might be your intent. Gary Tucker’s Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion - Making it Rain is a $25 digital lesson that tackles one of the hardest things in watercolor: moving from “painting what is there” to “painting how it feels.” The core concept here is Visioneering, a term borrowed from Robert Wade, which pushes you to interpret a scene rather than just copy it. This isn’t a generic “how to hold a brush” tutorial; it’s a specific artistic exercise in manipulating atmosphere.
The lesson focuses on a rainy day scene, which is a brilliant vehicle for this because rain is invisible in reality but massive in feeling. You’ll learn how to bring the sensation of falling water into a dry canvas, using color and composition to evoke the mood of a stormy afternoon. It’s about creating a vocabulary for the feelings that surface when you look at a scene, rather than just documenting the objects within it. (Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion)
One buyer captures the practical joy of this approach perfectly, noting, “I love how we learn to manipulate the weather am make beautiful reflections!” That specific skill—creating convincing wet surfaces and atmospheric haze—is a game-changer for anyone whose work feels too “dry” or illustrative. You’re buying a focused method to add depth and mood to your palette. (Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion)
Why it’s on our radar
This product stands out because it solves a specific creative bottleneck: the tendency to paint literally. Many watercolor resources teach you how to mix colors or wet-on-wet techniques, but few teach you why to make certain choices to convey emotion. By framing the lesson around “Visioneering,” it gives you a mental framework that applies to any subject, not just rain. (Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion)
The specificity of the “Making it Rain” theme is also a strong hook. Rain is a difficult subject to paint realistically, so using it as the vehicle for an emotional exercise ensures you’re learning high-impact techniques. It’s a low-commitment, high-value entry point for artists who want to push their work from competent to expressive. (Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion)
What actually matters
Before you buy, consider your current stage in watercolor. This is an advancing lesson, meaning it assumes you are comfortable with basic watercolor mechanics. If you are still struggling with keeping your brush loaded or preventing blooms, this might be a step too far. However, if you can paint a decent landscape but it lacks soul, this is exactly the kind of targeted exercise you need. (Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion)
Also, pay attention to the format. It is a single immersion lesson, not a multi-week course. You get a deep dive into one specific atmospheric effect. If you are looking for a comprehensive library of 50 lessons, this won’t cover that breadth. But if you want to master the art of painting weather and mood, the depth of this single topic is worth the $25. (Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion)
Mid-check
If you’re still on the fence, open Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion - …, skim two reviews (if any), and ask: would I use this this week?
FAQ
Is this lesson suitable for beginners? It is labeled “Advancing,” so it is best for intermediate artists. If you are brand new to watercolor, you might find the conceptual leap to “Visioneering” difficult without a stronger technical foundation. (Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion)
What exactly is “Visioneering”? It is a term coined by Robert Wade that describes the process of interpreting a subject to convey feeling rather than just visual accuracy. It’s about painting your reaction to the scene, not just the scene itself. (Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion)
Do I need special materials for this lesson? No, you can use standard watercolor supplies. The focus is on technique and mindset—how to manipulate water and color to create the illusion of rain and wet surfaces. (Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion)
Bottom line
If you’re ready to stop painting postcards and start painting experiences, Making it Rain is a sharp, focused tool to get you there. It gives you a concrete method for adding atmosphere and emotion to your work, which is the difference between a pretty picture and a piece of art. (Advancing with Watercolor: Immersion)