Upcoming Workshops
3-Day Flower Painting Workshop (sold out)
August 2, 3, 4, 2024. 9:30am-4:30pm
In-Person Only - Open to All Levels - Medium: Oil Paint
Over the course of 3 days we will study different flowers from life, learning dependable techniques on how to paint delicate and realistic flowers. This is a demo-paint-critique format in which Christina will demonstrate how to do a certain technique followed by the participants then painting their own set ups. Gentle critiques are an essential part of this workshop, so each student may work at their own pace and be helped to achieve greater results at their individual level.
We'll begin with a wash drawing/wipe-out technique to establish shape relationships. Once this drawing is established, we move into a color mixing/matching lecture and learn how to pre-mix our palette with accuracy. As Christina shows different painting techniques, she'll be speaking of the important thought-process behind creating convincing volume, and how we paint what we see with what we know conceptually is true. Come learn, paint flowers, and be surrounded by beauty in this enjoyable multiple day workshop!
The Academy of Realist Art, Boston
112 South Street, Boston, MA 02111
Registration information is here.
Email the academyofrealistartboston@gmail.com or call (617) 426-3006 with questions.
3-Day Painting Portrait Features of a Mastercopy
October 18, 19, 20, 2024 - 10am-5pm
In-Person Only - Open to All Levels - Medium: Oil Paint
Instead of trying to paint an entire portrait, this workshop will focus on painting the eye, nose, and mouth after a master painter. We will paint one feature per canvas, to end up with a tiny trilogy of studied anatomy. This three-day workshop is pivotal for portrait artists and those wishing to explore the elements of painting that define the work of master painters. A guided examination of the master’s work will reveal much about palette choices and value structures and enable correct identification of colors and values as they relate to accuracy in color mixing. Students will examine the structure and anatomy of the eyes, nose, and mouth as portrayed by a master painter. Most importantly, students will learn to observe the subtle value shifts and edge variety that allow master portraits to look so powerfully realistic.
First Coast Cultural Center, 6000B Sawgrass Village Cir., Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Registration Info
Email contact: Silvia at sromero@firstcoastculturalcenter.org
2-Day Realistic Flower Painting Workshop
November 23 & 24, 2024. 10am-4pm
In-Person Only - Open to All Levels - Medium: Oil Paint
Learn traditional and dependable techniques for painting realistic flowers. We start with a foundational wash drawing, then learn accurate color mixing principles that we then use while delicately painting each lovely flower. We will work from a photographic reference (supplied by the teacher) that includes a variety of flowers in the bouquet, so after the class you can continue to practice what you learned, and finish your piece. This workshop is suitable for all levels, and we may sit while we paint.
Vero Beach Museum of Art, 3001 Riverside Park Dr, Vero Beach, FL 32963
Registration Coming Soon
2-Day Finish That Project Workshop
December 7 &8, 2024. 9:30am-4:30pm
In-Person Only - Open to All Levels - Medium: Oil Paint/Graphite/Charcoal
Reserving two days to focus and work while having personal access to individualized critiques! The goal is to finish s project you have going. Bring in that painting or drawing that is giving you trouble- it can be a project you started on your own, a project from another workshop, or an unfinished piece from one of my workshops. Get helpful critiques and demos that show you how to finish your work to the best it can be. Please make sure to bring your reference (if you are working from one), and all the materials you would normally use when painting or drawing.
The Mill Studio of Fine Arts, 199 Forest Street, Manchester, CT
Contact is Trudy millstudiofinearts@gmail.com
Registration Info Here
Still Life Workshop Reviews:
Images above are all student work from the in-person still life painting workshop.
"You will be amazed by what you can accomplish in this class, even if you have never painted before. Christina is an excellent teacher, she not only explains the concepts of classical painting with clarity, but also teaches you to apply them confidently and independently. I can't recommend this class highly enough!"
- Eliza M.
"It completely changed my level of confidence on what I could accomplish with a paint brush and canvas. Very highly recommended. This class completely opened a new door for me and over the past 18 months I have had the confidence to complete 6 oil paintings and enter/display them in shows. Christina is an excellent teacher."
- Walt D.
"Christina is a very organized and thorough teacher. She supplies detailed handouts insuring that students can review the principles and techniques during and after her class. She is patient while expecting the very best of each student and giving you the tools to accomplish your best. The 10 day workshop is worth every penny!"
- Maryanne I.
Online Still Life Workshop Reviews:
"I was nervous about taking the class online, but it wasn't hard to get use to the Zoom platform. I could see the critiques and save them. The lectures are saved (and up close) so I can review them whenever I need to. After 10 days in person, the set up normally would have to be taken down but being in my own home I can keep it up as long as I need it. Plus, I didn't have to drive anywhere. I would definitely recommend the online format."
"The online experience was very seamless. I especially benefited from the feedback delivered via the critiques when images I sent to Christina could be imported into Photoshop by her and she could then mark up the image and send it back to me for reference. I was able to print those out and so I gained a personal file of my progression through the stages. It was also helpful to receive recordings of portions of the day via email. I really enjoy the online workshop format. Christina has it down to a science."
"Amazing workshop! Christina was a constant source of encouragement and she has the amazing ability to critique forcefully without it ever feeling like I messed up, even when I had to change a whole lot! She pushed me way farther than I would have gone on my own and she explained WHY the changes would make the painting look better as she gave suggestions, instead of just telling me to fix things, which is already helping me take my other paintings to the next level."
"Christina is knowledgeable, articulate, and included all of the elements in the content one needs to know to paint realistically. She is a natural teacher. The demos and handouts she provided were excellent. Her calm patience while troubleshooting anything and everything from our painting conundrums to computer glitches was impressive. Her dedication to her work is evident in all she does. Although I did not finish my painting I feel equipped to do so and I am sure I will be employing what I learned going forward. Overall a great learning experience."
"I was so pleasantly surprised at how great it was to take the workshop from my own home - now I'm completely set up to do more still life paintings (something I never was confident doing having only done still live paintings in a classroom setting where the teacher provides everything) and I can take all the extra time I needed to really get all the detail I wanted in my painting after the workshop ended - no rushing to finish it by the last day or else! There is so much value in having this workshop online. I went through the struggle to find items that were interesting and make it into a good composition, and in doing so I became really passionate about the still life I would paint. And now I'm more confident I can find more interesting objects in my home! Lastly, because of how Christina has us set up the still life and canvas, when you take a photo for a critique, Christina can draw on top of it and literally show you exactly how your painting is off. It's magical."
All images above are student work from the ONLINE still-life painting workshops.
Join My Classical Realism Resource Library
I'm using Patreon as a Resource Library, where I've compiled tons of information about Classical Realism.
There are currently over 300 videos, exercises, podcasts, and blog posts. It's one of the best resources out there, all in one place.
Here is an example video from my Patreon library.
This one prepares a palette for painting a master copy portrait by John William Godward. Learn by watching or advance your skills by painting along.
