Art Studio in Rome - Oil Painting and Drawing Classes

The Fundamentals
Tuesday Evenings, 17:00 to 19:00
Description: working with graphite on paper, the course focuses on the fundamentals of drawing: scale, composition, proportion, measuring and light and shade.
Level: Beginner
Figure Drawing
Thursday Evenings, 17:00 to 19:00
Description: working in charcoal on paper 60 x 80 cm, the course focuses on three stages of drawing the figure: the gesture, “boxing”, and light and shade. One pose for 2 hours.
Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Advanced Painting: the Nude Figure
Saturday Mornings, 11:00 to 14:00
Description: make a painting of a full figure from drawing to canvas. See course description for details.
Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Painting the Portrait in Oil
Saturday Afternoons, 15:00 to 17:30
Description: Develop a portrait in oil using an indirect method, from the underpainting to the overpainting, using the style of Caravaggio as a point of reference. See course description for further details.
Level: Beginner and Intermediate
Figure Drawing
Thursday Evenings, 17:00 to 19:00
Description: working in charcoal on paper 60 x 80 cm, the course focuses on three stages of drawing the figure: the gesture, “boxing”, and light and shade. One pose for 2 hours.
Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
The Fundamentals
Tuesday Evenings, 17:00 to 19:00
Description: working with graphite on paper, the course focuses on the fundamentals of drawing: scale, composition, proportion, measuring and light and shade.
Level: Beginner
Advanced Painting: the Nude Figure
Saturday Mornings, 11:00 to 14:00
Description: make a painting of a full figure from drawing to canvas. See course description for details.
Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Painting the Portrait in Oil
Saturday Afternoons, 15:00 to 17:30
Description: Develop a portrait in oil using an indirect method, from the underpainting to the overpainting, using the style of Caravaggio as a point of reference. See course description for further details.
Level: Beginner and Intermediate

Group Art Classes in Drawing and Oil Painting in Trastevere:
January 21st to May 21st, 2020

Details include time, cost and materials list

Reserve your place at the easel online

Special Events, Workshops and Masterclasses

Renaissance Retreats in 2020

Paint with Tim in a Castle in Tuscany:
May 24th to May 31st, 2020
at Castello di Potentino
October 18th to October 25th, 2020
at Castello di Meleto

Masterclass in Drawing with Charles Weed in 2020

Charles Weed will return to Rome in May of 2020. Exact dates and cost, TBA. To receive notifications, please sign up to our mailing list.

“Caravaggio and Cabinet Making” – Watch the video below for an explanation of the idea and an illustration of the process

Choose your Caravaggio:
Copy one of these eight details

Tuesday Evenings

The Fundamentals

Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Time: Tuesdays from 17:00 – 19:00. First lesson starts January 21st, 2020.

Maximum Number of Participants: 6

Schedule:

Session I – 6 lessons: January 21st to February 25th
Session II – 5 lessons: March 3rd to April 7th (no lesson on March 17th)
Session III – 5 lessons: April 14th to May 19th (no lesson on May 5th)

Cost:

Session I (6 consecutive lessons): €180 + Iva (€219,60).
Session II (5 consecutive lessons): €150 + Iva (€183).
Session III (5 consecutive lessons): €150 + Iva (€183).

To register, a non-refundable fee of €80 + Iva (€97.60) is due. The remaining amount is due on the day of the first lesson. Materials not included.

There is no reimbursement for absences, nor make-up lessons.

Next steps:

Read the Course Program, or
Register

Thursday Evenings

Figure Drawing: 1 Pose, 2 Hours

Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Time: Thursdays from 17:00 – 19:15. First lesson starts January 23rd, 2020.

Maximum Number of Participants: 7

Cost:

Take a Lesson: with instruction, the cost is €31.50 per lesson. Model fee included / Materials not included: materials may be provided for an additional €5.
Draw on Your Own: if you are not interested in instruction but only wish to work from the model, you may do so for €16.50 for the two hours. Model fee included / Materials not included: materials may be provided for an additional €5.

Next step:

Saturday Mornings

Advanced Painting: the Nude Figure

Level: Intermediate, Advanced

Time: Saturdays from 11:00 – 14:00. First lesson starts Saturday, January 25th, 2020.

Maximum Number of Participants: 6

Schedule:

One Session Only – 12 Lessons: January 25th to April 18th, 2020 (no lesson on April 11th for Easter holiday).

Cost:

€575 + Iva (€701,50) total, model fee included and high resolution print of a Caravaggio detail (see below for more information. Materials not included.

A non-refundable registration fee of €175 + Iva (€213.50) is due at the time of registration.

€200 + Iva is due on the day of the first lesson; €200 + Iva is due on the day of the 7th lesson (March 7th).

All oil paints can be provided for a one-time additional fee of €30.00.

There is no reimbursement for absences, nor make-up lessons.

Next steps:

Read the Course Program and Lesson Plan, or
Register

Saturday Afternoons

Painting the Portrait in Oil

Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Time: Saturdays from 15:00 – 17:30. First lesson starts January 25th, 2020.

Maximum Number of Participants: 5

Schedule:

One Session Only – 12 Lessons: January 25th to April 18th, 2020 (no lesson on April 11th for Easter holiday).

Cost:

€480 + Iva (€585.60) total, model fee included and high resolution print of a Caravaggio detail (see below for more information). Materials not included.

A non-refundable registration fee of €180 + Iva (€219.60) is due at the time of registration.

€150 + Iva is due on the day of the first lesson; €150 + Iva is due on the day of the 7th lesson.

All oil paints can be provided for a one-time additional fee of €30.00.

There is no reimbursement for absences, nor make-up lessons.

Next steps:

Read the Course Program and Lesson Plan, or
Register

Program for The Fundamentals on Tuesdays

I started teaching this course about two years ago, and, since that time, I’ve found myself referring to it on several occasions as the ‘Karate Kid’ of drawing and painting: there is a lot of ‘sanding the floor’ and ‘painting the fence’, but it is all necessary prior to tackling more challenging subjects like the portrait or the figure.

There are four basic projects, executed in sequence, that will take you from drawing to oil painting:

A pencil drawing of a still-life with a sphere and another object that is principally geometric
A pencil drawing of a still-life with more organic forms, like a shell or a skull
A pencil drawing of a cast
An oil painting of a still-life with a limited palette that begins with a preparatory drawing in pencil

Students are invited to work at his or her own pace. Once these four projects are complete, students may choose to continue the lessons working on either another still-life painting, a painting of a cast, a copy of an Old Master painting, or even a self-portrait.

Video Highlights: The Fundamentals on Tuesday Evenings

Video Highlights: Figure Drawing on Thursday Evenings

Program for Portrait Painting and Figure Painting on Saturdays

The Short Explanation

We will use Caravaggio as a reference, make a copy of a detail of his painting, and apply what we have learned from the copy to either the figure or the portrait.

On the day of the first lesson you will choose which high resolution Caravaggio detail you wish to use as reference (see above) and I will have that professionally printed for you. It is yours to keep and is included in the cost.

In addition, both the classes will join me for a group visit to Palazzo Barberini to examine Caravaggio in person, in addition to numerous other painters that followed in Caravaggio’s style. The entrance ticket to the museum is not included in the cost.

Caravaggio & Cabinet Making - the Long Explanation

The theme of this Fall is Caravaggio and Cabinet Making and asks the following questions:

To what extent did Caravaggio’s image-making rely on a specific process?
How much does that process contribute to a predictable outcome?
By what means might we make those determinations?
How much of this process requires a shift away from observational fidelity toward conceptual intent?

Allow me to explain:

By ‘cabinet making’ I literally mean the process by which a carpenter sets out to make a set of cabinets. Presumably, the carpenter is able to make as many sets of cabinets as needed and, if required, can make numerous sets nearly the same. This means that the process has an inherent framework that helps to guide the craftsman’s artistry in order to achieve a predictable outcome.

Could this be true for painters? I believe so.

The question then becomes, what kind of cabinet are we trying to make? And the question I want to ask this Fall is: can we make a ‘cabinet’ the way Caravaggio would?

To answer this, I think we need to tackle the series of questions I asked at the beginning, most importantly, the last one:

How much of this process requires a shift away from observational fidelity toward conceptual intent?

By ‘observational fidelity’ I mean a process by which we base our decisions solely on what we see. It could be that a problem painting from life invites is being too faithful and not having the courage to establish a relative reality that allows for conceptual decision making.

By ‘conceptual intent’ I mean knowing how to manually manipulate elements like light, space and volume to create a three-dimensional illusion on a two-dimensional surface based on conceptual knowledge (and not observational fidelity) and applying that knowledge to arrive at a finished image.

Join me on this journey!

Choose your Caravaggio:
Copy one of these eight details

Lesson Plan – Portrait Painting and Figure Painting

Note: if you are doing the Figure Painting, we will work from a nude model, one pose, for the duration of the session of 12 consecutive lessons; if you are doing Portrait Painting, we will work from a clothed model, one pose, for the duration of the session of 12 consecutive lessons. In both courses there will be days when we do not work from the model.

Lesson 1: Introduction to course, selection of Caravaggio detail, begin drawing from the model, begin preparation of the canvas for the copy.

Lesson 2: Continue drawing from the model, continue preparation of the canvas for the copy and for the original painting.

Lesson 3: Final day working on the drawing. Transfer Caravaggio copy drawing to canvas. Continue preparation of the canvas for the original painting.

Lesson 4: Start work on Caravaggio Copy, continue preparation of the canvas for the original painting.

Lesson 5: Continue work on Caravaggio Copy, transfer drawing to canvas for original painting.

Lesson 6: Last day on Caravaggio Copy in class; work should be continued as homework and brought back for each subsequent lesson.

Lesson 7: Begin painting of portrait.

Lesson 8: Continue working on the portrait.

Lesson 9: Visit to Palazzo Barberini.

Lesson 10 to 12: Work from the model while following the same process and conceptual ideas developed while making the copy. If necessary, development of the copy should continue as homework.

Final note: I reserve the right to modify the Lesson Plan as needed.

View List of Materials

Below are two lists: a ‘starter kit’ of the essential materials (palette, brushes, etc.) and a paint list, plus an accompanying image of the starter kit.

The starter kit now costs around €70, which you can buy at La Bottega dell’Artista. Reminder: all group courses are run in the basement of La Bottega dell’Artista, so it is very easy for you to buy what you need the first day of the course.

The core set of Michael Harding oil paints cost €90.

In order to provide an affordable alternative to those not wanting to buy all of the paint, you can, instead, choose to pay me an additional, one-time fee of €30 per Session during the registration process and I will provide you with all of the oil paints you need.

: Michael Harding Oil Paints

Register Online and Reserve Your Place at the Easel

Click the title of the course that interests you in the list below. Once you see the course and session that interests you, click “Book Now”. Registration is then a three-step process:

Click “Register” at the bottom of the registration page, then accept the “Terms and Conditions”.
Provide your name and email address, phone and country, then click “Submit”.
Confirm your information, then click “Pay Now” to pay with a credit card.

NB: The credit card must be a Visa, Mastercard or American Express.

The Fundamentals on Tuesdays: 17:00 - 19:00

Open Seats 5

The Fundamentals - Session I - Jan 21 to Feb 25

21 Jan 2020 - 25 Feb 2020 17:00

The Fundamentals I Fondamentali The Fundamentals - Session I - Jan 21 to Feb 25, 2020 The first session of this course lasts 6 Tuesdays...

Book Now

Open Seats 6

The Fundamentals - Session II - Mar 3 to Apr 7

3 Mar 2020 - 7 Apr 2020 17:00

The Fundamentals I Fondamentali The Fundamentals - Session II - Mar 03 to Apr 7, 2020 The first session of this course lasts 5 Tuesdays...

Book Now

Open Seats 6

The Fundamentals - Session III - Apr 14 to May 19

14 Apr 2020 - 19 May 2020 17:00

The Fundamentals I Fondamentali The Fundamentals - Session III - Apr 14 to May 19, 2020 The first session of this course lasts 5 Tuesdays...

Book Now

Figure Drawing on Thursdays: 17:00 - 19:15

Open Seats 2