Module 1- Painting

Lesson 1: Ready, Set, Paint!

In this lesson we’ll discuss the wonderful medium of painting and why people love it so much! I’ll show you the basic tools and techniques you’ll need for this course as well as how to create a small-scale painting using those skills. Finally, we’ll get inspired by looking at the different styles and genres of painting.

Lesson 2: Walk & Talk Like an Artist

In this lesson you will learn what visual literacy is and why it is an essential skill for any artist to have. We will then analyze different still life compositions, practice blocking-in and discuss a wider range of painting tools. 

Lesson 3: Introduction to Still Life

In this lesson you will start your still life artwork! We will do this by using a gridded reference and creating an underdrawing on canvas. We will also look at the history of still life painting and discover why this genre is essential for learning how to paint in naturalistic style. 

Lesson 4: Tone is Your Friend

In this lesson you will learn how shadow and lighting is essential to a still life painting. We will then add tone to your artwork to unify and dramatize your still life 

Lesson 5: Creating Colour 101

In this lesson you will learn how to add different colours to your still life and how to choose colours that go well together. In order to do this we will discuss the essentials of colour theory. You will also learn how to mix colour using a limited amount of paint tubes. 

Lesson 6: Blending, Building & Finishing

In this lesson you will learn how give your still life a believable and smooth look by blending different areas of colours. You will also learn how to paint more confidently as you build layers from thin to thick, as well as how to add the finishing details to your artwork. 

Lesson 7: Still Life Re-imagined

In this lesson you have a chance to rethink the genre of still life and try a brand new approach. This will be achieved by applying the concepts of complexity, creativity and elegance. We will end by creating a shadow box and shooting new photo reference for your final project. 

Lesson 8: Risk & Reward

In this lesson you will learn how to develop and execute your idea for a complex still life! Some of the skills you will learn include basic photo editing, how to draw irregular and organic forms, and how to build up and finish a complex still life. 

Module 2- Painting

Lesson 1: Lovely Landscapes

Welcome to the genre of landscape painting! In this lesson we will contextualise the genre of landscape painting, look at a brief history of landscape painting, consider compositional guidelines and learn how to create your own landscape compositional sketch. 

Lesson 2: Into the Plein Air!

Let’s get outdoors with plein air watercolour painting! This lesson I will show you how to prepare and pack for outdoor painting, as well as the tools, materials and techniques you will need to create your own artwork. 

Lesson 3: Landscape Photography

Let’s get outdoors again and explore different locations for shooting photographic reference! We will look at how to use dynamics of lighting, atmosphere and weather to your advantage as well as how to do edit RAW photos on Photoshop. 

Lesson 4: Large-scale Landscape Part 1

Let’s go big! In this lesson we will explore the advantages are working on a large scale and also what techniques and tools work best when painting at this size. 

Lesson 5: Large-scale Landscape Part 2

While it might seem easy to start a big painting, it requires perseverance and planning when it comes to finishing it. Join me as we take on this challenge together. 

Lesson 6: Cloudy with a Chance of Paint Tubes

In this lesson we will focus on the genre of cloudscapes, how to use atmospheric painting techniques such as scumbling and how to create your own cloudscape painting! 

Lesson 7: Contemporary Craziness

This lesson is all about thinking outside of the box! Contemporary art offers a wide variety of approaches to landscape painting, giving you the opportunity to experiment with a new unique style. 

Lesson 8: Get Your Style On

In this lesson I will you take you through the process of executing a contemporary-style landscape painting. 

Module 3- Painting

Lesson 1: The Power of Portraits

From the beginning of time people have created images of themselves! In this lesson we will look at the characteristics of portraiture as well as analysing some of the most famous portraits in history. 

Lesson 2: Face Time

They say you never forget a face! Remember that every face has a unique personality and variety of shapes that requires careful observation. Starting with an accurate underdrawing, we will paint and finish our own close-up portrait. 

Lesson 3: Dress for Success

They say ‘you are what you wear’. Clothes give character to a sitter and create interest through tonal variety, texture and subtlety. Join me this lesson as we look at how to paint clothes in a naturalistic style. 

Lesson 4: Lights, Camera, Action

It’s time to get out your camera, find a model and start shooting! This lesson will cover how to setup a basic photo shoot and how to create a stunning and atmospheric portrait photo. This will be used for your painting next lesson. 

Lesson 5: Chasing Shadows Part 1

Let’s get back onto the canvas! In this lesson, we will learn about using dramatic shadow & lighting as we start a head & shoulders portrait. 

Lesson 6: Chasing Shadows Part 2

In this lesson we will complete our naturalistic head & shoulders portrait! We will also look at some celebrity portraits that went wrong as well a few danger areas to avoid when it comes to naturalistic portraiture. 

Lesson 7: Fauvist Fever

This lesson we will explore the extremities of colour by looking at the movement of Fauvism and how to create your own expressive portrait.  

Lesson 8: Crazy Colour

Let’s finish with a bang as we look at advanced colour theory and complete a full-size Fauvist-inspired portrait painting! 

Module 4- Painting

Lesson 1: Bring out the Straight Jacket

This lesson is all about simplicity, hard edges and exact lines, the belief that ‘less is more’. This seems opposite to the idea of personal expression, but I’ll show you how to make this style creative and meaningful! 

Lesson 2: Abstracting Emotions

Let’s dive into the world of Abstract Expressionism, which is full of swirling emotion and expressive mark making! This lesson we will explore the technique behind this spontaneous style. 

Lesson 3: Carving It up With Cubism

Get ready for some serious fragmentation! Cubism is about playing with space and breaking the rules of perspective. The result is off-beat but extremely interesting. 

Lesson 4: Strangely Surreal Part 1

There are few things as strange as the style of Surrealism. Don’t let its dream-like playfulness fool you, this is a technically precise and exact style! This lesson you will learn how to create your own Surrealist composition. 

Lesson 5: Strangely Surreal Part 2

This lesson we will complete our own Surrealist painting. We will also look at the work of Dali and Magritte as a way of sparking our creativity and thought process.