CourseVerdict

Organic Expressive Florals With Watercolor and Ink vs The Ultimate Drawing Course - Beginner to Advanced

Same Bayesian formula, same rubric — so the difference in scores reflects the difference in the courses, not the difference in how we evaluated them.

Skillshare · Creative Arts

Organic Expressive Florals With Watercolor and Ink

4.2/ 5 · 23 opinions
19 positive3 neutral1 negative/ 23 total

Udemy · Creative Arts

The Ultimate Drawing Course - Beginner to Advanced

4.1/ 5 · 41 opinions
28 positive9 neutral4 negative/ 41 total

Per-criterion

Content quality4.1 / 5

The class spans nearly 3.5 hours across four warm-up exercises and three full-length floral demonstrations (Delphinium, Buddleia, Queen Anne's Lace) plus a bonus layering segment. Content is intelligently sequenced — shape studies and value exercises before full demonstrations — and covers watercolor-with-ink layering as an integrated technique rather than two separate skills. The expressive, intuitive approach is a genuine stylistic choice but is also a scope limitation: learners who want precise botanical drawing fundamentals, detailed petal anatomy, or colour theory depth will find the class deliberately imprecise and will need supplementary material.

Instructor4.8 / 5

Ohn Mar Win is the most consistently praised element across every source in our sample. Described as "nurturing and full of ideas, inspiration and information" by one learner, and as having "a warm, positive approach and deep expertise" by a workshop participant, her ability to make the creative process feel accessible and joyful is cited repeatedly. Her teaching philosophy — encouraging experimentation over imitation of her style, and embracing imperfection as part of the work — is what distinguishes her from purely technique-focused instructors. With 160,000-plus students, a published book ("Go With The Flow Painting") reviewed by Library Journal as "an essential book," and over a decade of professional illustration experience, her credentials match her reputation.

Value for money4.3 / 5

On Skillshare, the class is included in the subscription (approximately $14/month or $168/year after a free trial), which also unlocks all 27 other Ohn Mar Win classes on the platform — sketchbook practice, masking fluid, toned paper, food illustration, mixed media landscapes and more. A standalone version on her own platform costs $35 USD. One learner who invested in the masking fluid class called the techniques "invaluable" and incorporated them into her ongoing practice; the same value calculus applies here for creative learners who plan to explore her full catalogue. The Skillshare subscription model makes the per-class cost very low for active learners.

Portfolio output3.6 / 5

Skillshare's platform does not provide instructor critique on submitted class projects; feedback is peer-to-peer through the projects tab. Ohn Mar Win is active on Instagram and Patreon, where she shares work, engages with her community, and runs live collaborative sessions — but these are separate from the Skillshare class itself. Workshop and retreat participants consistently describe receiving meaningful individual feedback, but that context does not transfer to the self-paced Skillshare class. Learners who need structured critique on their floral paintings have no formal route to get it within the class itself.

Real-world use4.4 / 5

The practical impact of Ohn Mar Win's teaching is documented directly by learners. One student set a goal to paint one flower daily throughout February after completing the class, ultimately producing 36 finished floral paintings and then turning them into commercial products — notecards and framed prints for her art business. Multiple retreat participants describe overcoming creative blocks and developing ongoing daily art practices. The expressive, sketchbook-friendly approach transfers immediately to real-world practice with minimal materials, and learners report that the mindset shift — from needing to replicate to being free to express — is the skill that outlasts any specific technique.

Content quality4.0 / 5

Eleven hours across twelve sections takes learners from basic line quality and geometric forms through value, one-, two- and three-point perspective, still life, textures, eyes, the human face, figure drawing and a bonus animation-character module. The logical progression and breadth are genuine strengths for a beginner. The limit is depth: no single topic receives enough coverage to produce confident, independent work on that topic — the course teaches a foundation across many areas, not mastery of any one.

Instructor4.6 / 5

Jaysen Batchelor is consistently described as clear, friendly and easy to follow — the most cited positive across every source category. His demonstrating style is conversational and encouraging; he slows down for difficult concepts and moves briskly through ones that are visually obvious. Reddit users in r/ArtFundamentals and r/learnart recommend him specifically for learners who found more technical instructors (like DrawABox's uncomfortable rigor) discouraging.

Value for money4.8 / 5

At the standard Udemy sale price of $10.99–$14.99, eleven hours of video, 50-plus projects, downloadable worksheets and lifetime access represent very strong value. The course comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Even at the non-sale listed price of ~$85, learners on Udemy's frequent sale cycles rarely pay more than $15.

Portfolio output3.8 / 5

Fifty-plus individual drawing projects throughout the course give learners constant practice opportunities — from basic line exercises to realistic eyes, geometric still lifes and face studies. The projects are well-paced and genuinely build on each other. The ceiling is the platform model: no instructor reviews learner work, and the Q&A section is the only feedback channel. The "advanced" in the title describes the course's final sections, not the level of mastery a learner exits with.

Real-world use3.7 / 5

The fundamentals of line, form, value, perspective and proportion are the bedrock of all drawing disciplines — from illustration to concept art to portrait. Learners who complete the full course have a genuine foundation. The gap is specificity: this course teaches you to draw fundamentals, not to draw in any specific style or for any specific professional output. A learner who wants to draw anime, do architectural sketching or pursue portrait commissions will need subject-specific follow-up courses.

Scoring methodology applies identically to every course on the site — see the formula.