The Complete Painter: Lessons from the Masters

Description
Learn timeless painting skills by studying the techniques of great masters. This course guides you through materials, composition, value, and color theory while also exploring safety, studio setup, and step-by-step projects inspired by legendary artworks. From foundational exercises to ambitious studies, you’ll gain confidence to create expressive and lasting works of art.

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Lessons

01: The Grand Tradition of Painting
Discover the origins of painting, create your own pigments, and learn why masters began by copying others. (33 min)

02: Health and Safety in the Studio
Understand how to safely work with oils, pigments, and solvents by following essential precautions. (33 min)

03: Basic Painting Materials
Explore must-have supplies like brushes, mahl sticks, and the six paint tubes for your starter palette. (25 min)

04: Studio Setup and Brush Care
Optimize lighting, organize your palette, and master brush cleaning techniques. (24 min)

05: First Exercises: Line and Mark
Experiment with brush placement, strokes, and marks inspired by Sargent, Van Gogh, and Cézanne. (26 min)

06: First Exercises: Value, Edges, and Texture
Practice opacity, hatching, stippling, and layering techniques for lasting results. (31 min)

07: Creating Basic Forms: Lines, Shapes, and Solids
Learn how painters build three-dimensional solids from simple shapes. (21 min)

08: Value: Making a Value Scale
Create gray and brown scales while practicing paint mixing and correcting mistakes. (15 min)

09: Value: A Simple Still Life
Paint a still life inspired by Norman Lundin using value charts for guidance. (25 min)

10: Value: Mood, Palette, and Light
Explore how values affect mood, pattern, and spatial illusion. (35 min)

11: Value: Block and Sphere in Grisaille
Paint geometric solids in chiaroscuro using 17 value steps. (20 min)

12: The Figure and a Portrait in Brunaille
Work with planar structure, value, and edges to create lifelike portraits. (20 min)

13: Working with the Earth Tone Palette
Master the timeless earth tone palette with a systematic mixing chart. (33 min)

14: Ensuring Accurate Proportions
Use grids, dividers, and classical tools for precise measurements. (21 min)

15: Composition: Shape, Ground, and Format
Understand composition through shape organization and background strategies. (40 min)

16: Composition: Leonardo and the Armature
Develop armatures to guide eye movement and strengthen visual structure. (39 min)

17: Composition: Balance, Focus, and Space
Learn how balance, focal hierarchy, and space direct the viewer’s attention. (33 min)

18: Degas, Hammershøi, and Other Projects
Apply your skills with practical assignments inspired by masters. (19 min)

19: Materials: Oil Paint Brands and Quality
Compare paint brands, quality, and learn to read labels effectively. (31 min)

20: Materials: Oil Paint Characteristics
Examine opacity, permanence, and tinting strength in paints. (28 min)

21: Color: Theory and Exercises
Practice mixing with additive and subtractive methods and build your own chart. (32 min)

22: Color: Painting with Limited Palettes
Study historical palettes and experiment with mood-driven color strategies. (39 min)

23: Materials: All about Medium
Experiment with mediums from linseed oil to damar varnish and wax. (45 min)

24: Materials: All about Brushes
Understand brush types, care, and why bristles matter. (42 min)

25: Materials: Flexible Supports
Learn to stretch linen, prime supports, and prepare surfaces. (44 min)

26: Materials: Rigid Supports
Work with wood, panels, and gesso for durable painting bases. (28 min)

27: Materials: Carpentry for the Studio
Build your own studio supports, tables, and stretchers. (28 min)

28: Project: A Modigliani Portrait
Paint Modigliani’s unique proportions using complementary colors. (25 min)

29: Project: A Degas Ballerina
Emulate Degas with washes, hatching, and a red-green palette. (13 min)

30: Project: A Corot Landscape
Create depth and atmosphere inspired by Corot’s landscapes. (18 min)

31: Project: Derain’s Portrait of Matisse
Explore saturated colors and expressive brushwork. (15 min)

32: Project: A Porter Self-Portrait
Practice opacity and abstract shape relationships in portraiture. (17 min)

33: Painting’s Evolution: Indirect Painting
Contrast indirect glazing methods with modern direct painting. (39 min)

34: Nighthawks, The Scream, and Other Projects
Study Hopper and Munch to refine pre-planning and process. (39 min)