Winter Semester Acrylic Class: Intro/Intermediate Level Still Life Painting

Want to improve your skills in composition, colour theory, and blending for still life painting? Join us this Winter! #acrylicpaintingclass Prerequisites for This Class This class is designed for students at the introductory to intermediate level who have some prior drawing or painting experience. While the course introduces foundational concepts and techniques, some lessons may be challenging for complete beginners who are unfamiliar with the basics of drawing or painting. This is not a beginner-friendly class for those with no prior experience. Students are encouraged to review the course description carefully before registering to ensure the class is a good fit for their current skill level. If you have any questions or are unsure whether this class is right for you, please contact us at [email protected]. Intro/Intermediate Still Life Painting Class (Acrylics) In this Intro/Intermediate Still Life Painting Class, you’ll develop your skills in composition, proportion, perspective, colour theory, and blending through guided still life painting exercises. Whether you’re looking to strengthen your existing skills or build a stronger foundation in acrylic painting, this class will help you better understand how to observe, mix colours, and create depth in your artwork. You’ll begin with monochrome studies to explore greyscale values, basic composition, and smooth blending techniques. As the course progresses, you’ll experiment with a variety of colour schemes, including analogous, direct complementary, triadic, and tetradic combinations, applying what you learn through live still life painting exercises. For your final project, you’ll create a self-directed still life painting based on your own arrangement or a photographic reference. With the instructor’s guidance, you’ll work through each stage of the painting process, from underpainting and shadows to midtones, highlights, and final details. By the end of the course, you’ll have strengthened your technical skills and completed a finished still life painting that demonstrates your understanding of composition, colour harmony, and acrylic painting techniques. Duration: January 16 – April 4, 2027 No classes on February 13, February 20, and March 27. Class Time: 10:45 AM – 1:45 PM (3 hours per session, including a 15-minute break) Course Breakdown: 10-Week Intro/Intermediate Still Life Painting Plan (Acrylics) Weeks 1–2: Monochrome Painting Study & Basic Composition Learn how to create a balanced composition while developing your understanding of proportion, basic perspective, and blending. Through monochrome still life studies, you’ll practise mixing a full range of greyscale values, from deep shadows to bright highlights, while learning how to use light and shadow to create depth and form. Weeks 3–6: Colour Theory & Live Still Life Painting Explore four colour schemes and learn how to apply them to still life painting: • Analogous Colour Scheme: Create harmony using colours that sit next to one another on the colour wheel. • Direct Complementary Colour Scheme: Explore contrast and visual impact using colours opposite one another on the colour wheel. • Triadic Colour Scheme: Create balanced, colourful compositions using three evenly spaced colours. • Tetradic Colour Scheme: Experiment with four-colour combinations to develop more complex colour relationships and visual interest. Through live still life painting exercises, you’ll practise mixing colours, controlling colour temperature, blending transitions, and applying colour theory to real objects. Weeks 7–10: Final Still Life Painting Project Bring your skills together in a self-directed still life painting. You may bring your own objects to arrange as a still life setup or use a printed photograph of your chosen reference. With the instructor’s assistance and guidance, you’ll develop your painting through the following stages: • Underpainting: Establish the initial structure, composition, and foundational values. • Shadows & Midtones: Build form, depth, and tonal relationships. • Highlights: Introduce light and contrast to emphasize the shape and material of each object. • Final Details: Refine edges, textures, colour relationships, and finishing touches to complete your artwork. Throughout the final project, you’ll receive guidance tailored to your individual work and skill level. INSTRUCTOR INFO Patricia Claro is a passionate Filipino Canadian artist with over nine years of experience in illustration and eight years of experience as an art educator. Currently based in Ottawa, she specializes in traditional and digital mediums, specifically character design, environmental art, and both 2D/3D digital painting. Patricia holds an honours diploma in Illustration from Seneca Polytechnic, has a background in Interior Design, as well as Layout for Animation. Currently a freelance book illustrator with FriesenPress working on children's books, young adult books and adult books, she’s excited to share her expertise in a hands-on, engaging workshop experience for aspiring artists of all levels. Instructor Highly Recommends to Bring YOUR OWN Materials Brush and Paint Recommendations Brushes: Students are encouraged to use Princeton brand brushes for this class, as they offer reliable quality and performance for acrylic painting. Lower-quality brushes, such as some budget student-grade options, may not provide the control, blending, and precision needed to achieve the best results. Using quality brushes can make a noticeable difference in your painting experience and help you develop your technique more effectively. Paints: Please refer to the recommended paint brands listed above: Amsterdam, Holbein, Liquitex, Golden, or Wallack’s. Using quality paints with good pigment coverage and consistency will help you achieve better colour mixing, blending, and overall results. Note: Each color is essential for mixing accurate secondary and tertiary colours. Please try to use the exact shades listed, or choose colors that are as close as possible to those specified. Please avoid using paint and brushes from dollar stores whenever possible, as the quality and color mixing accuracy can be difficult to achieve. Wallack’s in-house brand paints are an affordable option that still provide reliable quality and consistency for your work. • Cadmium Yellow Medium (OR Any Warm Tone Yellow) • Yellow Hansa Light or Cadmium Yellow Light (OR Any Cool Tone Yellow) • Cadmium Red Light or Vermilion (OR Any Warm Tone Red) • Alizarin Crimson or Quinacridone Red (OR Any Cool Tone Red) • Ultramarine Blue Red Shade or Ultramarine Blue Deep (OR Any Warm Tone Blue) • Prussian Blue or Pthalo Blue(OR Any Cool Tone Blue) • Lamp Black • Titanium White • Acrylic Retarder • Sharpener • White Plastic Eraser • Kneaded Eraser • 2H Pencil • Painter’s Tape • Brushes: Filbert #2, 4, 8, Flat #2, 4, 8, and Round #2, 6 (or a Set that has a Filbert, Flat and Round) • 9 x 12 Tape-Bound Mixed Media or Acrylic Pad • Palette or Palette Paper (Any Size No Larger Than 9 x 12) • 2 Small Tubs of Water (one for cleaning, one for diluting the paint) • Paper Towel • For Final Project: Any Size Canvas OR Wood Panel (ONE) (No Smaller Than 11 x 14, no Bigger than 20 x 20) • Additional Materials: Please Bring Your Own Object References (Objects you will be using for the final project. Example: Wood, Shoes, Clay, etc.)