Course Description

“What is that thing they do, and how do they do it? IN PAINT!”

Are you wondering if the GCA approach to painting is right for you? Are you ready to try your hand at oil painting? This class serves as an overview of the Grand Central Atelier’s sculptural approach to painting from life and as a friendly introduction to the intimidating medium of oil paint.

This class has been specifically developed to require as few materials as possible in order to allow you to dip your toe into the practice of painting without a major cost commitment. 

For the first time we are offering a painting class dedicated to a survey of the concepts that are specific to the theoretical thinking employed in executing that GCA ‘look’. This will help you decide if you want to continue learning our methods, how our methodology is dissected into digestible parts and how to construct a comprehensive plan for which classes to take next.

Presenting some of the most fundamental aspects of painting from life through an emphasis on lecture, example and demonstration, this class will illustrate the concepts universally applied to any curriculum offered at the Grand Central Atelier. 

Strict practitioners of academic art would tell you that you need to hear the same concept multiple times in order to incorporate it into your thinking. One of the most compelling reasons to study at the GCA is the continuity of instruction across the entire curriculum. This class aims to familiarize you with our core concepts, as you will hear the same concepts again and again in any class you take, online or in person. Thus, building a solid understanding of the ideas and applicable vocabulary will help you get more out of future instruction. 

Each class will consist of an hour of lecture and demo, followed by critique. There will be homework for each class (including an assignment to be completed in advance of Week 1) and students will be expected to devote some time outside of class to mastering the principles through exercises. 

The breakdown of the class is as follows:

Week 1: “Form thinking” vs. the optical approach. How we organize our thinking to capture a three dimensional representation of an object in black and white. We will discuss a conceptual approach to rendering gradients in paint with the aim of constructing solid feeling forms in paint. Brush strokes, paint application, common mistakes and safety precautions will all be discussed.

Week 2: Understanding the properties of color. We will prioritize an understanding of value as one of three aspects of color. Developing an intuition for a color’s specific lightness or darkness is essential for the realist painter. We will begin to tackle the complex ideas of placing an object in an environment without using our eyes to make lighter/darker decisions. Palette organization and the concept of ‘studies’ will be emphasized.

Week 3: Baby steps towards color through fruit. We will apply our understanding of value as an aspect of color by rendering an object in an environment without color. The use of a grisaille is an excellent way to approach learning how to paint. We will tackle the concepts of resolution, composition and the properties of oil paint.

Week 4: The Fruit. We will paint our grisailles in color. Our grayscale paintings of a chosen fruit in an environment will come to life with the deliberate and accurate application of colored paint. At the end of week four our understanding of how realist painting in the GCA method will start to take shape, ensuring you get the most out of any future instruction at the GCA.