An Imaginary Trip To New Orleans!

Come and sketch the Crescent City!

Add together one genteel, old dame of a city along with a healthy dose of grit and moxie, layer over that mystery, history and a large dollop of southern charm and you'll have yourself a city called New Orleans!

From courtyards and balconies to insectariums and garden districts, vampires and crypts to masks and parades, beignets to universities, New Orleans is quite complex with many, many facets to discover.

Our Imaginary Trip To New Orleans will be fantastically fun and on this extraordinary trip, you'll learn how to:

• simplify complex scenes

• eliminate unnecessary details

• working directly with pen and wash

• mix intriguing greens

• capture the essence of a scene in a limited amount of time

• exaggerate and embellish colors and values

• and best of all, you'll "come home" with an extraordinary sketchbook full of all the wonderful places we will visit!

The skills learned in this class help to prepare you for going out on your own to sketch at a location of your choosing. The primary focus of the class is to help you to eliminate the details and overwhelm of trying to capture the essence of a place while focusing in on what really attracts you and to get it down on the page quickly.

Class Format

There are six assignments with video demos and pdf handouts provided so that you can see the techniques used. You have complete flexibility as to when you watch the videos as well as how many times once you've enrolled. All class materials are available immediately upon enrollment.

Some "travelers" find it helpful to paint along with the video, pausing it as needed to learn the techniques Laure is demonstrating. Others watch the video and then apply to a photo reference of their choosing.


Your Instructor


Laure Ferlita
Laure Ferlita

Laure Ferlita is an accomplished watercolorist residing in sunny Florida. Watercolors, nature, travel, painting on location, sketching for the joy of it, and most especially, color, are her passions!

Vibrant color can be found in almost any subject and its shadows. It is her joy to bring those colors to life on paper with some paint and a little water. For many years, Laure worked as a graphic designer, so you will most likely see a strong graphic element in her work.

She started sharing her joy and love of sketching on location over at ImaginaryTrips.com in 2009 and has helped many "travelers" to find their artistic voice since then.

“Watercolor, for me, is the perfect sketching medium." Laure says. “It provides ease of use, quick color saturation, and clean up is a snap and really, you don't need much equipment. After you move past the hype of how difficult watercolor can be, you find out how much fun it is to get out there and actually create on location. It's way too much fun!"

To see more of Laure's work, please visit her blog, Painted Thoughts or her Instagram account at @laure.ferlita.


Course Curriculum


  1 - Getting Around Town
Available in days
days after you enroll
  2 - Shutters And Other Curiosities
Available in days
days after you enroll
  3 - Greens And Black Lace
Available in days
days after you enroll
  4 - You Gotta Try This!
Available in days
days after you enroll
  5 - Masperos
Available in days
days after you enroll
  6 - Hidden Gems
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Bonus! Street Performers
Available in days
days after you enroll

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts as soon as you enrollment fee is paid and all materials are available immediately. There are 6 assignments for you to complete at your own pace. The class ends 365 days from the day of enrollment. The course is completely self-paced—you decide when you start and when you finish. You can watch the video demonstrations as many times as you'd like and on your schedule
How long do I have access to the course?
After enrolling, you have unlimited access to all class materials for 365 days — across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us within the first 14 days of your purchase and we will give you a full refund.

I have taken MANY online art classes from many different teachers. Laure Ferlita is one of the very best teachers I've taken from and her classes are among the most enjoyable of any I've taken. Her classes are filled with lots of valuable information and it is presented in an organized way. She provides pdfs that you can print out and keep, and there's nothing like actually watching her paint. So if you want to learn to watercolor or you just want to take an imaginary trip somewhere, I HIGHLY recommend Laure's classes!

— Cheryl, G., Oklahoma

Get started now!