Is Advancing with Watercolor : 'The Rivers Edge' Composing with Notan worth it if you’re shopping in Drawing & Painting?
Quick answer
| Best for | Watercolorists stuck in the “flat light” trap who need a structural method to simplify complex shoreline scenes. |
| Skip if | You are looking for a full landscape course, a beginner’s intro to brushes, or a product that focuses on color mixing rather than value composition. |
| Price | $25 |
| Format | Video course + Notan study breakdowns |
| One-line take | A focused masterclass on using Japanese Notan to turn muddy, over-detailed river scenes into compelling, high-contrast paintings. |
What you’re actually buying
If you have ever stood at the edge of a river, looked at a tangle of sticks, mud, and green reflections, and thought, “That looks like a mess, not a painting,” this course is built specifically for you. The core frustration here is perception: our eyes treat a blade of grass and a distant mountain with the same visual weight, which leads to paintings where the background competes with the subject. Gary Tucker’s Advancing with Watercolor: “The Rivers Edge” doesn’t just show you how to paint a river; it teaches you how to see one by stripping away the noise.
The heart of the product is the application of Notan, the Japanese concept of “light-dark harmony.” Instead of getting lost in the abundance of green and flat light, you learn to use 2-value or 3-value Notan studies to isolate the essential shapes of the subject. You get a step-by-step walkthrough of how to look for simple shapes and groups of shapes that capture the main subject—like the hanging tree and its reflection—and paint them in black on white paper before you ever touch a color brush. This is a rare focus in watercolor education; most courses rush to color, but this one forces you to solve the composition problem first. (Advancing with Watercolor :)
The course uses a specific, intimate shoreline scene as its canvas, which is perfect for learning because it is deceptively complex. You will see how to use a grid to align elements and how to extract the “essence” of a scene that isn’t immediately inspiring. It is a practical toolkit for making a compelling image from a source that feels “not so great” at first glance. For $25, you are getting a targeted lesson in visual hierarchy and value structure, not just a paint-along. (Advancing with Watercolor :)
Why it’s on our radar
This offer stands out because it addresses a specific, high-level compositional problem rather than a general skill gap. Many watercolor resources tell you what to paint, but this one tells you how to decide what to keep and what to discard when the scene is visually chaotic. The use of Notan as the primary teaching vehicle is a sophisticated approach that elevates the work from “pretty watercolor” to “structured art.” (Advancing with Watercolor :)
It is also a great value for the depth of the lesson. You aren’t buying a 20-hour library; you are buying a concentrated deep-dive into one powerful technique applied to one challenging subject. If you are stuck in a rut where your backgrounds are too busy or your subjects get lost in the details, the Notan composition method is exactly the kind of structural thinking that breaks that cycle.
What actually matters
Before you commit, check if you are ready to work in values before color. This course is about thinking in light and dark, not just applying pigment. If you prefer to jump straight into color mixing, the initial Notan studies might feel like a detour. However, if you have ever painted a scene that looked “flat” or “muddy” despite good color choices, the value structure is likely the missing piece. (Advancing with Watercolor :)
Look closely at the specific deliverables. The course includes both 2-value and 3-value Notan studies, which is a nice range for beginners and intermediates. The 2-value study is often all you need to see the core shape, but the 3-value study adds nuance. Make sure you have the time to do the studies yourself; the value is in the practice of simplifying the image, not just watching the video. (Advancing with Watercolor :)
Finally, consider your subject matter preference. This is a nature/landscape focused lesson. If you paint primarily portraits or still lifes, the specific compositional tools here (like aligning a hanging tree with a grid) may need to be adapted, though the underlying Notan principle is universal. (Advancing with Watercolor :)
Mid-check
If you are ready to tackle that messy shoreline scene with a clearer eye, the full course and Notan breakdowns are waiting for you.
FAQ
What is Notan in watercolor? Notan is a Japanese term meaning “light-dark harmony.” In this course, it refers to creating simplified black-and-white studies (2 or 3 values) to balance the light and dark elements of your composition before painting in color. It helps you see the shape of your subject clearly. (Advancing with Watercolor :)
Is this course for beginners? It is best for those who can already handle a brush but struggle with composition. If you are brand new to watercolor, you might want to master basic washes first. However, the visual thinking taught here is valuable at any level, especially if your paintings feel cluttered. (Advancing with Watercolor :)
What specific subject is painted? The course focuses on an intimate view of a river’s edge, featuring elements like sticks, stones, mud, and reflections. It is a complex natural scene used to demonstrate how to simplify a “not so inspiring” photo into a compelling painting. (Advancing with Watercolor :)
Bottom line
If your watercolor paintings suffer from “busy” backgrounds or a lack of visual impact, Advancing with Watercolor: “The Rivers Edge” is a sharp, focused tool to fix that. It doesn’t just teach you how to paint a river; it teaches you how to see the river through the lens of Notan, turning a chaotic shoreline into a structured, compelling image. For $25, it is a worthwhile investment in your compositional eye.