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What are the best online Painting Courses?
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Message
Posted
Dear Forum Artists,
I'm doing a little bit of research into what artists think are the best online or "remote learning" or "distance learning" painting courses in the UK and further afield. I'm really looking for good examples that teach "contemporary painting" rather than a skills only based course - such as "pet portraits" etc.
I'd be interested to hear about everyone's experiences.
Best
Al
Posted
Whilst it's possible to learn a lot online - especially using YouTube - you cannot get the same results as you get from being in the same room as your tutor. The online tutor cannot see where you're going wrong and correct it and there's no option to ask questions in the middle of a lesson; sooner or later you have to spend some time with a real live tutor
Posted
There are various episodic postings on YouTube which offer bits of varyingly useful information: the best of these are more or less entirely skills-based, although while I'm sure there are various pet portrait displays, the majority go beyond that, or try to. There are also rather disconnected series which compare paint brands, information, theories - almost always of application rather than concept.
I haven't found an online structured course I'd suggest any student spend money on, because I've not found any structured courses at all - other than the Open University's various courses, which might take things rather too far in the academic direction and will be suitable only for the seriously committed (and solvent...): and aren't entirely online, either.
I've just Googled online painting courses - I'm afraid my conclusion is, 'for goodness' sake, avoid online painting courses' - and one or two of the semi-online ones, as well. There was one from the London Art College; and I presume the Norfolk Painting School is still going, but that was at least part-residential, I think. (Of the ones that seemed worth a look, that is, not the ones I'd suggest avoiding.)
Edited
by RobertJones
Posted
http://www.ianscottmassie.com/online-courses.html
Just saw this online - Ian S-M is a good watercolour artist, so perhaps worth a look.
Posted
I am predominantly self-taught, though I have done classes when I decided to try oil painting. I have also used ArtTutor online videos, that tend to have a 'no nonsense' approach to teaching art, drawing and painting in various media. One of the things I found was that you can learn many of the principles (and rules) from YouTube, books or sites such as ArtTutor, but in some areas it wasn't really instruction I was looking for - more coaching/mentoring, if anything, which can be done remotely. Sometimes you just don't want to be lectured about the same things over and over (unless you're not listening in the first place). However, I haven't seen many ads for coaching. One artist I have been watching on YouTube is Stefan Baumann, a US plein air painter, who has a lot of great snippets in his videos but he does do remote coaching to help people improve their painting. I believe it is done through assignments and a pre-planned half-hour call each week, for a monthly fee.
It may be better to understand what topics you are interested in and whether instruction or coaching is what you're looking for if you can expand on your interests.
