DrawingAcademy

Artwork by Kathleen James

July 8, 2016September 28, 2018
21 Comments

Wanting to Draw Portraits!

My name is Kathleen James and when I’m not taking care of all the beautiful people in my life as a wife, mom and nana, I love to draw and paint.

When I was a child, I lived to draw. I was a night owl and though I had to have my light off at bedtime, I would open my curtains and draw by the moonlight just about every night. It was when I was my most creative. That love of drawing carried on until I took an art class as a teen and felt my teacher disliked every thing I created. Unbeknownst to me, she advised my mom to send me to art school…

Painting by Barbara, Drawing Academy student

July 1, 2016September 26, 2018

Romantic Memorable Setting

We had a romantic, memorable experience together staying in these beautiful surroundings. I included us both in the painting…

Drawing Academy review by Frans Kamp

July 1, 2016September 26, 2018
1 Comment

Here’s what Frans, Drawing Academy graduate says:

“Before enrolling in the Drawing Academy, I took the Web Art Academy course.

Then I decided to take the drawing course to improve my drawing skills, knowledge in human anatomy, learn proficient tonal rendering techniques, etc.

The quality of the Drawing Academy lessons exceeded my expectations. Numerous videos and books on how to draw portraits and figures, drawing in perspective, silver-point drawing techniques and so on were very helpful…

Master Copies of Great Artists

June 29, 2016September 26, 2018

Copies by Dan S., Drawing Academy student

Along with original work, I like to do copies of the work of artists that I admire. I don’t necessarily do this to make perfect copies but to learn a bit about how they do what they do so that I can apply their techniques to original compositions…

Congratulations to Dennis, our guest writer!

June 26, 2016September 25, 2018
3 Comments

Thank you, Dennis!

We would like to congratulate our guest writer, Dennis Jarsdel, who has been awarded with the first month of the Drawing Academy course for publishing the following five articles about art: …

The Lost Form of Art: Manuscript Illuminations

June 26, 2016September 26, 2018

Article by Dennis Jarsdel

Manuscript illuminations, also know as miniatures, are a form of art, the decoration of books and texts and especially margins and initials.

Although the popularity of this ancient art form has deceased, the earliest surviving examples date back to 400 AD. The popularity of this art form flourished in the 12th century.

The word illumination comes from the usage of gold and silver leaf in these decorations and the Latin word illuminare, meaning ‘light up’…

Painting by Ramesh Rai

June 26, 2016September 28, 2018

Nepali Musician

I am a self taught artist with keen passion to learn art since my childhood, but never have a formal lesson due to financial issue & lack of art school close to the village back in Nepal and currently busy schedule in British army.

Most of time I used to fall in love with landscape painting with strange imaginations, but nowadays I am keen to learn anatomy & portrait work. When I see art lesson videos I feel like I am born for this skill but I cannot quit my job. I have to earn to survive and my dream falls apart.

Some of my amateur paintings were generously purchased and I spent on charity work to support school in remote village. If I can have formal lessons, I can develop my skills and it will help to raise some more for good cause as well…

Leonardo da Vinci’s pupil – Salai

June 25, 2016September 26, 2018

Article from Dennis Jarsdel

Born in 1480 Vimercate Italy, Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, better known as Salai was a pupil of the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci. The nickname Salai meant ‘The Devil’ or ‘The little unclean one’. Although not many people know about him, Salai was an important part of Leonardo da Vincis personal and artistic life.

The son of Pietro di Giovanni, the tenant of Leonardo da Vinci’s vineyard near Milan, he joined Leonardo’s household and became his assistant at the young age of 10. Although he was taken in as a youth he stayed with Leonardo for the rest of his life, almost 30 years. At some point it’s safe to say that they became more than pupil and teacher…

So, What is the Deal with The Mona Lisa?

June 25, 2016September 26, 2018

Article by Dennis Jarsdel

Arguably the most famous painting the modern world has ever known, yet it’s not how it’s always been. Let alone the possible price of the painting itself, its valued so much that the room in the Louvre that houses and protects this painting costed over $7.5 million.

The Mona Lisa is a portrait of an Italian woman painted by the famous artist and engineer Leonardo da Vinci. The thing that makes this painting so famous is the mystery that comes with it. Who is the woman? Where is the painting set? What is the figure trying to convey? How long did this take Leonardo da Vinci to complete? Why did he decide to paint this mysterious lady?

Common Symbolism in Art

June 24, 2016September 26, 2018

Article by Dennis Jarsdel

Commonly in religious story-tellings, or in more modern pieces challenging contemporary ideologies, symbolism has been a tool many artist have used yet little perfected to a level of mastery. Symbolism can range from the pinching of female nipples to indicate a pregnancy, such as in the painting Gabrielle d’Estrées et une de ses soeurs (Gabrielle d’Estrées and one of her sister) to the use of the color blue in Picasso’s paintings to show the society’s poor and outcast members and highlight themes of loneliness…