Course Description

There is a lost art of studying the works of others to find your own style. All of the masters were first apprentices. The apprentice sat beside the “masters”, listening to their process, paintbrush in hand, mixing paint, creating strokes that told a story, and stirred their creative spirit.

Have you ever taken an online course, gone to a retreat, purchased an art technique book and were taught an artist’s techniques and mediums? Have you ever been worried about what is your style and what is “their” style? Have you ever been afraid to create art that was inspired by another artist? This course is for you!

An integral part of the artistic process was to “copy” the master artist. In this course, you will watch as Gillian Lee Smith studies the work of Max Beckmann. She will share what techniques she learned and what she learned about her own creative process. Gillian will then take what she has learned by copying the work of Beckmann and create a piece in her own style.

You will leave this course with freedom in your creativity. Freedom to pull from everything around you that inspires you and how to incorporate it into your art. The confidence to realize that nothing is new under the sun and how to build upon others that have come before you.

This course was originally part of The Studying Under the Masters Portraits course that is no longer available. This course has been remastered and is now being made available for the first time in years and also being made available as a standalone course.
 

Techniques Taught

• Brief history of Max Beckmann
• How to charcoal sketch your portrait and self-portrait
• Variation in line from subtle to heavy
• Composition and use of space
• Studies in charcoal and oil stick
• How to layer oil sticks to create texture and blended palettes
• Exaggerate lines and perspective
• Working with oil bar sticks
• How to use soft pastels for added texture, layering and color