Foundations of Drawing & Painting 

Create a portfolio for art school applications that highlights advanced technical abilities and a refined style, giving you a competitive edge.

  • Level
    Beginner

  • Length
    30+ Lessons

  • Medium
    Traditional or digital*

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Course overview
A great portfolio showcases an artist's talent, creativity, and technical skills, providing art colleges with a tangible representation of artistic abilities and potential. It reflects dedication, passion, and aptitude, often serving as a deciding factor in admissions decisions.
Created by
John English, award-winning illustrator and gallery painter.
Lecture series 

Packed with information

This workshop includes 10 comprehensive presentations on the art of great picture-making. This is a deep dive into topics that are critical skills for any artist.
 Topics including...

Drawing

Painting

Composition

Using Reference

Form Principles

Color Theory

Perspective

Portfolio

LEARN-BY-DOING TUTORIALS

Access to masterclass demonstrations

This hit-the-ground-running course empowers your skills with hands-on tutorials, providing guidance every step of the way.
Head Drawing
Learn what it takes to capture likeness in your portraits
Figure Drawing
Control shape and design in your artwork to create powerful images
Landscape Painting
Explore and apply mix media techniques to create a multi-textured image.
Online learning

Interactive content

Interact with our content like you’ve never interacted with content before. You can read articles, watch videos, and work with professionals in a variety of different ways.
Theory & practice

Leading training

We’ve put together an extensive library of programs to help you reach your professional goals. Our courses are written by expert instructors in their field .
Our instructors

Expert instructors

Choose from hundreds of courses and expert articles, and have one of our expert instructors monitor your progress and offer guidance as you work towards your goals.
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Topics Covered

  • Process
  • Making compelling images with shape
  • working with mixed media
  • Composition
  • Controlling values
  • Sketching and drawing exercises
  • Qualities of an advanced portfolio
  • and more!
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Build a strong foundation

This is a masterclass for beginner to novice artists, providing detailed lectures and tutorials on the most important skills an artist can have in their tool belt. 

Demonstrations that get to the point

John English is an accomplished gallery painter, who will provide hands-on, step-by-step advice on how to complete a number of unique projects. This includes a head drawing, mixed-media landscape painting, and multiple figure drawings.

Learn at your own pace

Students gain access to this immersive, broadly encompassing workshop forever. 

Course Overview

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Created by

John English

Gallery Painter & Visual Arts Passage Co-founder
John English was raised in the company of New York’s most talented illustrators. He is the co-founder and program director of Visual Arts Passage. He is also the founder and director of The Illustration Academy.

He has received numerous awards from organizations including New York Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, Graphis and Print Magazine. John’s work has graced the cover of Newsweek, the pages of Esquire, Money, and Essence, and the publications of Penguin Books, Bantam Books, Hitachi, 7-Up, NCAA, Sprint Corporation, and the Knoll Furniture Group.

Write your awesome label here.

Write your awesome label here.

Write your awesome label here.

Write your awesome label here.

Write your awesome label here.

Write your awesome label here.
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*This course instructs universal illustration and design practices. While it is taught using traditional mediums, every lesson is dually applicable to digital mediums. 

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