This is an online streaming workshop. You will have access to the course materials for a year.
A 10 week deep dive into studying master landscape paintings.
Course Description:
In this class, we will learn from the great masters of landscape painting. You will be amazed at how quickly your skills will improve if you dedicate a few hours each week to studying the masters. Making master copies may sound daunting but my approach is straightforward. I work on a small scale and focus on copying the fundamental value and color relationships, while ignoring the details. I will demonstrate this approach through user-friendly, step-by-step paint-along videos. Each week, I will break-down the reference for you to understand the simplified value shape design at the core of each painting.
What is included?
1. One paint-along video per week, showcasing my process of copying a master painting. Each video runs for 1-1.5 hours, providing a real-time view of the painting process, complete with the palette view. During this session, I explain in detail the “how” and “why” of the colors I mix, allowing you to replicate the exact colors found in the master painting. The pace is perfect for painting along with me.
2. One instructional video per week, that summarizes the key lessons acquired from our exploration of the master painting.
3. You will also receive additional hand picked reference images to help your study.
Course Outline:
Here is the list of masters we will cover in this workshop.
Week 1 – Edgar Payne.
Week 2 – Edward Compton.
Week 3 – Edward Seago.
Week 4 – Arthur Streeton.
Week 5 – Penleigh Boyd.
Week 6 – Isaac Levitan.
Week 7 – Ivan Shishkin.
Week 8 – Frederick Judd Waugh.
Week 9 – John Singer Sargent.
Week 10 – Maynard Dixon.
Who will benefit from this workshop?
This workshop is suitable for beginners and advanced students alike. In conventional workshops where we explore color theory or compositional principles, it’s common to apply these concepts briefly and then return to our usual methods. However, in this workshop, each master copy exercise will provide us with practical insights into these theoretical concepts, making them more comprehensible. By engaging in a weekly copy exercise over the span of 10 weeks, there is an enhanced likelihood that these newly acquired skills will become a n integral part of our creative intuition.
What if I don’t have time right now?
The workshop recordings will remain accessible for a full year. The pace of the workshop is self-guided to accommodate your schedule. You can start the workshop at your convenience and you only need to spend 1-2 hours per week on the lessons in this workshop.
Workshop Materials List:
Here are the materials I use for my master copies. All the paint-along videos will be in oil but feel free to use any medium for your copies.
Colors: My palette consists of warm and cool of each primary and white. I use Utrecht Colors.
You can use any brand of pigments. I recommend artist-grade colors.
I use the following pigments:
- Titanium white
- Cad yellow lemon
- Cad yellow med
- Yellow ochre
- Cad red light
- Quin rose
- Ult blue
- Paynes grey
- Indian Yellow
- Phthalo Blue
Brushes
Bristle Brushes – I like Blick masterstroke bristle brushes size 8, size 6, size 4. or Robert Simmons Signet bristle brushes but any brand of bristle brush is fine. I like to use filberts in sizes 4,6,8,10 but feel free to use what you have and are comfortable with.
Palette knife to clean your palette (wooden or glass palette recommended). I love this palette knife from Blick.
Solvent – Gamsol.
Medium – Solvent Free Gel by Gamblin.
Surface – For my artwork, I like to use hardboard panels and prime them myself with 4-5 coats of Liquitex acrylic gesso.
I like to use small to med sizes for copies like 6×8 in, 8×10 in, or 9×12 in.
Alternatively I recommend Canson Canva-paper for studies. You can buy either the loose paper pad or the paper mounted on foamcore artboard.
https://www.dickblick.com/products/canson-plein-air-canva-artboards
https://www.dickblick.com/products/canson-foundation-canva-paper-pads
Another option I have recently started using is the Yes all medis Canvas Panels
https://www.jerrysartarama.com/yes-all-media-cotton-canvas-panels
Georgina Watson –
Studying the masters is fantastic on so many levels. Each landscape artist Bhavani has chosen for the course has such a distinct style and approach that she deconstructs for us brilliantly. I love listening to her describe her thought process as she paints the master copies and my own takeaways are a better understanding of composition and colour temperature now.
I highly recommend this wonderful tutor. Thankyou Bhavani
JULIE BRADBURYBENNETT –
I really enjoyed “Studying with the Masters” course, especially painting homework projects. I am still reading Edgar Paine’s “Composition of Outdoor Painting” as a follow-up project.
I am hoping to see a Part II in this series.
Cathleen Rehfeld –
I also highly recommend this class, along with others who have taken this class. I have painted for years and participated in many workshops. There is no other lesson that can teach what “copying a Master Work” will teach you. I wouldn’t have kept going without Bhavani to talk me through it. It is an invaluable experience. This workshop compliments with any other classes and workshops you have taken. It just deepens the understanding of painting.
Ramya –
Great teaching couple with techniques and demo videos , explanations made this Masters class so much fun and interesting.I loved her depth of knowledge and attention to detail.Her teaching of values coupled with brush works helped me a lot.I would love to recommend this course to anyone who wants to improve their painting skill.
Many thanks Bhavani.
Peggy Swenson –
I enjoyed Bhavani’s class immensely! The format was perfect in that the 10 lessons were pre-recorded and can be viewed at any time during the year.
I watched Bhavani’s entire class each week, then went back to do the painting demonstration along with her, stopping whenever I needed to mix colors or tone my canvas, or take a break. Bhavani is a wonderful teacher and clearly explains her process for mixing colors, adjusting color temperature or values along the way. I have one class to finish and then I plan to go back through them again.
Thank you again Bhavani! I hope you will continue to offer classes in this format. It was great to fit the lessons in wherever time allowed. I also enjoyed seeing the completed work of other students.
Karen Gillespie –
Such a beneficial class! I’ve done nine of the ten master studies (plus one extra on Payne) so far. Doing an extensive study on ten masters has upped my understanding of simplifying value groups and shapes, color harmony, and more. I’m looking forward to apply these new skills to my paintings!
Bhavani gives an interesting forward on each painter. In her demonstration paintings, Bhavani explains her thinking process in an understandable way. A bonus is to watch Bhavani paint in her lovely sweeping brushstrokes. Truly a must class for painters.
corinne dieterle –
IMO Bhavani offers truly excellent instruction. What was mist helpful for me was her ability to talk and describe her painting process while she demoed each if the 10 Studies. Bhavani modeled the dynamic process of getting paint down and then making adjustments as color and shape relationships changed. So much of painting is problem solving and working towards a pleading wholeness and resolution. Bhavani models this exceptionally well. I very much appreciated appreciated an introduction to several painters i had never heard of and the ability to replay lessons. Thank you Bhavani!
Julie Bradbury-Bennett –
This is a wonderful class. Bhavani is a great instructor… many useful topics covered with each of the 10 masters and some basics that we learned were common to all.
I recommend this course. Both beginners or experienced artists will find subject matter to help in their growth.
Kurtis Ulrich –
I completed the course and learned a lot from Bhavani and the studies of the selected master’s works. The process she taught gave me confidence in my artwork. It was fun to learn how to create landscapes and I am anxious to start working on my original pieces after the lessons learned in this course. Thanks Bhavani! Time well spent and an excellent experience.
Kurt
Gayle Pedemonte –
I highly recommend this class, It is time well spent. I have painted for years and taken lots of classes, and this was by far one of most helpful. I have previously resisted “copying” a painting. But it is a really good lesson. The short lecture and takeaways are helpful. Your demos have really good info, and I appreciate your description of your method and choices. Thank you, I’ll be back.
David Kingman –
I highly recommend this online class. Bhavani was very explicit in how and why she mixed colors – constantly paying attention to temperature, saturation, and value. Following along and doing my own studies greatly improved my understanding of those color principles. Of all the workshops I have done, Bhavani’s has had the most direct impact on my painting skill. Thank you!
Kelly Pennington –
This has been eye-opening! It was a great online class that pushed me to slowly observe the breakdown of well designed paintings. I enjoyed listening to the info about the atists, some that I’ve never heard of before. Watching Bhavani’s demos have given me the confidence to try copying paintings as a practice or study. Basically just looking and copying with my brush without the stress of creating a replica! It’s made me think a little differently when creating my personal art. Thanks Bhavani!! Looking forward to another online workshop with you;)
Alayn Waldorf –
Thank you Bhavani for a really informative class and allowing us to see you organize your pallet, mix colors, make value and temperature shifts, and explain what you are doing and why. I have gotten so much from the class and have appreciated the format, the short lectures and the follow along demos. Also, working at my own schedule has worked well for me. I am hoping you will do another series, perhaps on color mixing, in this same format? Thanks!
LYNN REINI –
This was a masterfully conducted class. I learned so much from each artist as highlighted by Bhavani. She conducted the lectures clearly and her demo painting was easy to follow along with. Bhavani shared many tips and tricks throughout the course about color mixing, color shifting, organizing ones palette. She was able to simplify each master into 3 or 4 value groupings for the block in. Color shifts and midtones came easily based on palette organization. I wasn’t too excited about the pre recorded sessions in the beginning but found them to be really fun and well done. I learned so much and improved dramatically. Bravo Bhavani
Mary E. Taylor –
The parts of the course I completed were fantastic and I immediately saw an improvement in my painting skills. I learned many new skills and artistic insights that I am now incorporating into my painting. Being able to back up and see your painting painting process, hear your thought processes while painting during the demos highly useful. Especially, when you explained how you created color mixes in response to the visual was of significant benefit to me. I plan to continue with the course until I have finished all the sessions. I like the self guided aspect of the series too. Taking this course has made me want to take a course from you, Bhavani in person.
Debra Sheffer –
I have not finished the course due to illness, but I have long admired the artists selected for study and hope to learn much by copying the works chosen. I find that, despite painting for years, there are concepts worth revisiting and this course highlights essential ones. I think this workshop was an incredible value for the cost and I would recommend further offerings by Bhavani.