It’d be hard for me not to recommend New Masters Academy. They’ve also added coaching plans where you receive a personalized learning plan and feedback from an instructor among other things. I think this is a good start and I hope NMA continues to add more content like this Update: Many of the lessons that have been released on NMA since I originally wrote this review now have assignments.
#New masters academy series#
Recent additions, such as Steve Huston’s series of head drawing lessons, have added drawing assignments, which are followed by videos of Huston’s approach. Drawing and painting demonstrations are nice and watching them can lead to fresh ideas and inspiration, but without having any sort of structured practical application their efficacy is greatly diminished. This is my complaint with a lot of online art videos as a matter of fact. My only complaint with the video lessons is that they don’t come with any type of assignments. There’s also a subscription option that will give you access to additional 3D reference models. They provide an extensive catalog of video lessons, reference photos, timed figure drawing videos and access to their community via the forum, social media and online chat. It starts with drawing materials and setup, basic drawing principles, and then begins moving into subjects such as cast and landscape drawing.įor those artists who are intermediate to advanced, the New Masters Academy is an excellent resource. Update: NMA is now offering a new Beginner Program which teaches the fundamentals in a guided series. If you’re fresh off of reading Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain I’d suggest looking elsewhere. If you have a solid foundation in the fundamentals seeing how different artists work will be helpful and inspirational. If you’re starting from scratch it helps to have some guidance on what to study and how best to study, and NMA isn’t in the business of doing that.įor this reason I think those who will most benefit from a subscription to the site are intermediate to advanced artists who want to improve specific skills. Frazetta didn’t paint like Rockwell, who didn’t paint like Gérôme, who didn’t paint like Sargent, who didn’t paint like Rembrandt and so on. In any art form there are multiple ways to achieve similar results and not all of those ways will be compatible with one another. On the other hand if you jump between instructors and lessons you’ll get contradictory solutions to the same problems and ultimately end up confused, especially if you’re a beginner. On the one hand you have access to tons of high quality content taught by first class artists on a multitude of different subjects. This format is the cause of both the site’s strengths and weaknesses. NMA is essentially an online collection of art workshops with subjects ranging from composition, drawing, painting, anatomy, and sculpture. Glenn Vilppu, Steve Huston, Bill Perkins, Joe Weatherly, Gary Meyer and several others have contributed and the list continues to grow. What initially convinced me to sign up for a subscription to New Masters Academy was the impressive roster of artistic talent they have. The focus of NMA is on art fundamentals, particularly drawing and painting, with an emphasis on the figure. Sketching can be a fun and soothing way to develop your art practice, no matter where you are in your artistic journey.New Masters Academy is an online art education platform that aims to provide high quality content at a low monthly cost. Along the way, Catherine will provide critiques and helpful advice as you progress through the class. Reference images will be provided throughout the class, but students are also encouraged to draw from direct observation. Developing a sketching habit will encourage you to find inspiration everywhere and draw more consistently. Each week of class will focus on skill-building exercises and a new sketching prompt. Fine artist and teacher Catherine Bobkoski will guide you through sketching techniques using a ballpoint pen, water-soluble pencil, watercolor paint, and gouache. Expand your horizons by playing with your materials, embracing “mistakes” and layering different mediums. Join instructor Catherine Bobkoski for an 8-week interactive Live Class, where you will discover a relaxed approach to sketching that will help you grow as an artist, discover new techniques, and hone your observation skills.