My name is Tayabah, and I am someone who is discovering the world of art through drawing and painting. I did not grow up as a trained artist, but over time I realised that creating art gives me a sense of peace, focus, and purpose. It allows me to express emotions and experiences that are difficult to explain with words alone.
While looking at the ghastly night sky, you will see witches going to their sabbath. Behold the insanity of the witch grabbing the goat’s horn as the other yells to command; their eyes are lit with madness. Everyone is on top of each other to catch up. Young beautiful witches are doing their ritualistic dance. The motion never stops. With the sensuality and ecstasy of the painting, you feel your blood rush. This is “Witches Going to Their Sabbath,” which was painted in 1878 by an artist you probably have not heard much about. His name is Luis Ricardo Falero, who was completely unknown in his own country, but Paris and London recognized Falero’s depiction of elegance in each and every one of his paintings. Let us figure out who this artist is and his life story.
I found myself compelled to begin a new chapter of my life at an age when many have already found stability. Professionally, I am far removed from the world of art—the power of a simple pencil allowed me to draft, not to draw—yet my heart has always belonged to classical aesthetics. During this transitional period, I turned to art to find a sense of home within myself.
The Roses of Heliogabalus is a painting done by Sir Lawerence Alma-Tadema in 1888. It was commissioned by Sir John Aird, 1st baronet and is now held in the private collection of Spanish Mexican billionaire Juan Antonio Pérez Simón. This painting might look romantic and colorful at first glance. However, once you know the story behind the cruel party of Elagabalus, you will see the hedonistic indulgence and petty indifference of the hosts towards the guests.
I have been on the road most of my life, having lived in 6 different places, including Germany, and Washington DC, in 16 years. Growing up I had to learn how to adjust to my surroundings and I needed a coping mechanism. For me that was art.
I am a self-taught beginner artist who started this journey in January 2023. Since then, I have focused exclusively on graphite drawing. For me, art is about the challenge of capturing reality with just a pencil and paper. It has become a daily commitment—a way to test my patience and my ability to see the world clearly. Even though learning on my own is difficult, I haven’t given up because I am determined to master the fundamentals of drawing.
I joined the Drawing Academy course to learn the fundamentals of academic drawing, so I could start from a solid foundation and truly understand it. Thanks to this academy, I learned important principles that I was not familiar with before, such as shading, perspective, and how to draw portraits correctly. This course was very beneficial in developing and refining my talent. It helped me build a strong foundation in drawing and gave me the confidence to start drawing without fear, even though I do not practice as often as I would like.
My name is Andrew Marcus and this is the story of my passion in my golden years. I had worked in health care and with my retirement I needed something to occupy my mind. After taking some local art classes I fell in love with art both viewing it and creating original art.
As the central pillar of the Drawing Academy is the promotion and teaching of the traditions and values of Classical Fine Arts and Old Masters, it would not be absurd to dedicate some time to the meaning of classicism and its various representations in the history of art. I will try to do so in the present article.
Big thanks to all Drawing Academy Art Competition – Winter 2025 participants. We are also grateful to all supporters, who voted for the winners.
In nominating a winner, we considered how many votes the participants’ pages received from other people.
