Oil Painting Course | Monet-Lisa

Beginner's Oil Painting - The Still Life Masterpiece

Welcome to our Beginner's Oil Painting course, where we demystify the art of still life painting and guide you through every step of creating your masterpiece using oil paints. Whether you're a complete beginner or have some experience, this course is designed to equip you with the fundamentals of oil painting and instill confidence in your artistic abilities.

Course Overview:

In this comprehensive course, you will embark on a journey from setting up your work area to the finishing touches of varnishing. Guided step by step, you'll learn the traditional process of creating a still life painting. From colour mixing to brushstroke techniques, we cover it all, ensuring that you gain a solid foundation in the art of oil painting. Start at any time and work through the course at your own pace—no fixed start and stop dates, and it's included in the standard art class fee.

What You'll Learn:

1. Process and Structure:

Master a step-by-step process for creating two still life paintings, making it accessible for everyone.

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2. Drawing for Painting:

Learn an easy system for drawing specifically tailored for painting, ensuring accuracy every time.

3. Greyscale Underpainting:

Following the exploration of colour properties, you'll dive into painting two realistic still life paintings using a monochrome (black and white) approach. This exercise focuses on utilizing a value scale to create depth and realism in your artwork. By working solely with shades of black and white, you'll develop a keen eye for identifying and applying correct values, essential for capturing the true essence of your subjects. You'll find that this value scale becomes an invaluable tool, aiding in determining the accurate values within your painting.

4. Layered Approach to Painting:

Building upon your monochrome underpainting, the course progresses to a crucial phase—layered painting. You'll transition by adding colour to your black and white underpainting, mastering the art of painting in layers. This technique allows for a more nuanced and realistic depiction in your artwork. As you gradually add layers of colour, you'll discover how each layer contributes to depth and richness, culminating in the final layer where intricate details bring your painting to life.

Finished Painting

5. Understanding the Choice of Oils for the Beginners Painting Course:

The Beginners Painting Course utilizes oil paints for several reasons. Oils offer distinct advantages for beginners owing to their ease of blending. Typically, achieving desired results with oils requires a three-layer approach, whereas similar outcomes with acrylics often demand around five layers due to their rapid drying nature. This can result in a harsher appearance compared to the seamless blending achievable with oils.

6. Freedom to Explore:

Upon completing your oil painting, you are open to explore further. You'll have the freedom to choose any painting of your liking, in any medium that inspires you, using your reference pictures. This stage encourages personal expression and experimentation, empowering you to apply the skills acquired throughout the course to your unique artistic endeavours.

Required Painting Materials:

For those who may not have their own paints yet, I offer the convenience of using studio paints and oil paint medium at a nominal fee of R50 per lesson. The available paints include traditional oil paints and water-soluble oil paints. Terms and conditions apply, and this option allows you to explore oil paint as a medium before making a purchase.

If opting for personal paints, make sure to have Titanium White, Black, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Allizarin Crimson, Cobalt Violet, Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Orange and Viridian Green. Moreover, if not using studio paints, you'll require oil paint medium. Don't forget to get two synthetic brush sets: one round for detailed work and another with angular brushes.

Cost of Course:

The regular class fee covers the tuition for the course. Additional material costs, excluding paints and brushes, amount to R250. This covers 3 x triple-primed Illustration boards you'll use for painting, tracing paper, and a printed copy of the still lives you'll create, and lastly all the materials you will need to create your own colour wheel, intensity wheel, grey-scale wheel & blending exercise. You can choose to use studio paints at an extra cost of R50 per lesson or buy your own.

Class Schedule:

Beginner's course: start and stop at your own pace—no fixed dates, and it's included in the standard art class fee.

- Saturdays (9 AM - 12 PM): Feb 24, Mar 9 & 16, Apr 13 & 20 & 27, May 4 & 11 & 18, Jun 8& 15 & 22. Further dates to be confirmed closer to the time.

- Thursdays (9 AM - 12 PM)

Fees:

- Pay-as-You-Go

- 2-hour: R225/lesson

- 3-hour: R300/lesson

- Four 3-hour lesson pack: R1000 (Terms and Conditions Apply)

Note: Tuesday evening class to open once Thursdays are full.

About your tutor

My name is Lizelle van Niekerk

Welcome to Monet Lisa Art Studio, a sanctuary for unleashing your inner artist. Led by Lizelle van Niekerk, our studio offers more than just classes – it's a haven for self-discovery and expression. Art isn't just about colors and shapes; it's a gateway to personal growth and well-being, accessible to all. Join us in Klippoortje, Germiston, where you'll tap into your limitless potential and explore the transformative magic of art.