Shawn Dell Joyce

Learn the same way the Old Masters learned, and how they taught their apprentices. Students will start with basic composition skills by working from direct observation. Draw your subject, then paint it. Learn traditional skills like sight-size drawing, color mixing and color theory, color temperatures and values, and study how light falls on objects and people. This class is progressive, starting with basics like shape and form, then brush skills and exercises to learn the purpose of different brushes, and working from limited palette, and grisaille (painting in shades of gray). Practice tonality by painting shapes and blocks then translating that to complex shapes like seashells and still life. Work from Caravaggio’s values and chiaroscuro painting, Rembrandt’s edges and forms, Sorolla’s color temperature, and DaVinci’s proportions. Perfect class for a motivated beginner who wants to learn the skills to paint and develop their own style. Students will be working on easels in this class.
Ages 17 and up.

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Want to be a plein air artist and capture that beautiful light? This class covers the basics of plein air painting starting with thumbnail sketches for composition and value, using a viewfinder, sketching in 5 values, and transferring that sketch to paper. Then working up a painting from dark to light, and evaluating for correct value, perspective and proportion.
Learn how to meet the challenges of working in plein air, changing light and quick, alla prima painting by working with a plein air pro. In each class, you will make a few studies (color and value) and a finished painting. This class meets at various offsite locations in Pinellas County. The instructor will contact students in regards to meeting locations. Class includes one additional optional nocturne painting class happening at night in downtown Dunedin.

You may work in the medium of your choice.

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Ready to take your painting to the next level? Want to learn how to paint portraits, still life, and interpret a photo reference? This is the perfect class for someone who has had a beginning painting class and isn’t sure what to do next. Each class in this 6 week session will focus on a different technique and theme. Bring your favorite medium like oil, acrylic, watercolor, or pastel and choose your favorite subject to paint. Each class will start with a demonstration of a new technique, like how to paint a portrait in pastel or oil, or interpreting a photo to make an Impressionistic painting, or creating the illusion of perspective using color, value, and line. Your challenge will be to incorporate the new technique into your own work. Choose from still life (or model) provided, your own reference photos, or provided photos. Make sure you have a beginner’s class in your medium before taking this one. Class will be on easels in a studio with controlled lighting and still life. You can choose to stand or sit during painting.

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Have you been yearning to paint bigger than 24x36? Now is your chance to learn the process. Start with an idea, and gather reference materials, make preliminary sketches, choose the Best composition with class help, the do the studies. Make a “maquette” then a large scale painting over the course of 6 weeks. Shawn demonstrates and uses pastel, but you are welcome to paint in any medium. Finished projects will be 5 small studies, a maquette and finished large piece.

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Learn to paint beautiful bouquets of flowers from direct observation. Flowers will be set up in still lifes with controlled lighting. Each class will be a different bouquet(s) and will be based on making a value sketch and finished painting from direct observation. Concepts like High key, lost and found edges, and color theory will be explored in this class. Challenging class to hone your skills of direct observation and flood your home with brilliant color! Instructor demonstrates in pastel, class is open to all media.

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Learn to add a bird to landscape! We will be focusing on indigenous birds like egrets, herons, cranes, spoonbills, seagulls, and sand pipers and painting them into beautiful scenes of bayous, sunsets, and beaches. Learn techniques for scaling the bird proportionate to the landscape, creating texture of feathers, changing the light to fit the scene, and making the birds relate to each other. Fun class where you get to choose your own subjects and make a new painting each class. Instructor demonstrates in pastel, but class is open to any medium.

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Learn the same way the Old Masters learned, and taught apprentices. Start with basic composition skills by working from direct observation. Draw your subject then paint it. Learn traditional skills like sight-size drawing, color mixing and color theory, color temperatures and values, and study how light falls on objects and people. Class is progressive, starting with basics like shape and form, then brush skills and exercises to learn the purpose of different brushes, and working from limited palette, and grisaille. Practice tonality by painting shapes and blocks then translating that to complex shapes like hands and still life. See works by artists Durer, Michaelangelo, Van Gogh, O'Keefe, Matisse, Monet.

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Learn the basics of drawing including starting with simple forms, seeing and capturing 5 values to shade accurately and create the illusion of realism. Learn how to "sight" to get proper perspective and the illusion of depth. Get your own copies of proportion charts and learn how portrait painters to Renaissance kings and queens were able to get accurate likenesses. Draw from direct observation and create beautiful, dimensional sketches! All materials supplied. Ages 17 and up.

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Learn to use pastels to make beautiful and realistic paintings from direct observation. Learn about pastel hardnesses, paper tooth, and substrates. Layer pastel to create your own color wheel from primaries, and how to use a complementary palette. All materials supplied! Ages 17 and up.

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Make your own colorful pet portrait! Really fun and simple method-similar to paint-by-numbers. Bring a printed b&w photo 8x10 or larger and learn how to transfer it easily to canvas. Work from dark to light using acrylic paint on canvas. All materials supplied.

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Have you been yearning to paint bigger than 24x36? Now is your chance to learn the process. This 4 hour workshop will show you the process of planning a large scale painting that you will sketch out on paper first then transfer and paint when you get home. Learn the process of taking your reference materials, make preliminary sketches, choose the best composition with class help, the do the studies. Make a “maquette” and learn how Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel using this same technique.

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Learn to paint beautiful bouquets of flowers from direct observation. Flowers will be set up in still lifes with controlled lighting. Each class will be a different bouquet(s) and will be based on making a value sketch and finished painting from direct observation. Concepts like High key, lost and found edges, and color theory will be explored in this class. Challenging class to hone your skills of direct observation and flood your home with brilliant color! Instructor demonstrates in pastel, class is open to all media.

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Follow along step-by-step in painting this beautiful white egret with a teal background. You don't need supplies or skills, all materials provided. Painting is 11x14 acrylic on canvas. Image is presketched on the canvas. All you do is follow along with easy painting and brushwork techniques. Leave with a new work of art for your beach house.

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