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Questions about the Course:
What is the Old Masters Academy™?
Old Masters Academy is an online platform where you can learn how to paint like the Old Masters using modern materials. Here, you can also rely on personal support and tutoring by the Academy tutors and receive constructive critique of your artworks, feedback on your learning progress, and advice on how to improve your art skills.
There are two art courses:
- Old Masters Academy Online Course
- Old Masters Academy Correspondence Course
The Old Masters Academy Online Course is a self-study course where you will get:
- Unlimited access to 61 oil painting and drawing video lessons—more than 30 hours of playing time
- Lifetime membership—you can study at your own pace
- Personal unlimited support from the course tutor, Natalie Richy
- Constructive critique of your artworks when you need it
- Personal advice on how to improve your art skills
- A place in the online Student Gallery to exhibit your artworks
- Access to the art community of fellow students and visitors
- The Old Masters Academy™ Diploma of Excellence upon completion
The Old Masters Academy Correspondence Course is a personal one-to-one tutoring experience where you will learn traditional oil painting skills under the guidance of dedicated art teachers.
Studying by correspondence means that you will get all necessary instructions, explanations, tutoring, critique and guidance in writing.
The Correspondence Course consists of:
- Everything that is provided in the Old Masters Academy Online Course
- Personal Tutoring by the Academy tutors
Personal Tutoring consists of:
- Assessment of member’s level of art skills upon enrollment
- Creation of an individual curriculum of up to 50 art tasks, which is tailored to member’s level of skills and needs
- Detailed instructions for every task
- Assessment of every task report, critique of student’s artworks and suggestions for improvement per task
- Assessment of student’s progress on ongoing basis and curriculum adjustment if necessary
These art courses are provided in form of the Old Masters Academy membership (“Product”).
As an Old Masters Academy member, you will have a lifetime access to the Old Masters Academy product. The Online Course students can rely on unlimited Personal Support from the Academy tutors, and the Correspondence Course students can rely on Personal Tutoring from the Academy tutors for the duration of these courses. The term “lifetime” refers to the lifespan of the product.
What will I learn in the Old Masters Academy Online Course?
In the Old Masters Academy Online Course course, you will discover how to paint like the Old Masters using modern materials.
- In this course, you will receive in-depth information on art materials used by the Old Masters — their oil paint palette and what contemporary paints and mediums can replace no-longer-produced materials to achieve the same effects in painting.
- You will learn how to select and use the best paints, brushes, supports, mediums, varnishes, and other tools for oil painting.
- You will learn the color theory for oil painters and how to mix and apply oil paints. You will discover various methods of oil painting used by the Old Masters – application of warm and cool colors, harmony and contrast in painting, mechanical and optical mixing of colors, and painting with various textural effects.
- You will discover nine different ways of painting in oil that have been used and perfected by the Old Masters over centuries. You will learn the step-by-step process of various painting methods, including direct and indirect painting, alla prima, use of under-drawing, imprimatura, grisaille, underpainting in dead colors, working-up in layers, and application of transparent glazes and varnishing.
- You will receive the in-depth analysis of painting techniques used by Titian and Rembrandt, together with description of their genres, working methods, pigments and mediums, and how they painted figures and portraits, landscapes, still lifes, and draperies.
- You will learn step by step how to paint like the Old Masters by watching the course tutor, Natalie Richy, creating oil paintings in front of your eyes, from blank canvases to finished artworks. This includes a portrait painted in Flemish technique in Rembrandt’s style, paintings created using the indirect multi-layer method with glazing, paintings with dead-color underpainting, as well as paintings in impressionistic style, and an alla prima method demonstration.
- You will also discover the creative drawing techniques in graphite and sanguine by watching Natalie Richy create portrait and figure drawings.
What will I learn in the Old Masters Academy Correspondence Course?
You will learn how to paint in oil like the Old Masters using modern materials. Depending on your current level of skills and knowledge, a custom-tailored curriculum will be developed for you. This curriculum will include many different topics with up to 50 art tasks that will help you to achieve a greater level of oil painting skills.
What topics will this course cover?
The course topics will aim to bridge your skills and knowledge gaps and may include such topics as:
- Knowledge of art materials
- Color theory
- How to mix pigments
- How to prepare support for oil painting
- How to transfer drawings
- How to paint in monochrome and with limited color palette
- How to use different painting techniques such as alla prima, multi-layer, Flemish and the Italian ways of painting used during Renaissance and Baroque
- How to paint realistic portraits and figures in oil, and much more
What if I want to learn something special?
We will include additional topics into your curriculum based on your art goals, so you can achieve them.
What art tasks will I get?
This depends on your personal curriculum which will be tailored to your current level of skill. Such tasks may include color theory exercises, how to mix and apply pigment, how to paint in oil layer by layer, how to make realistic portraits and figures, and so on.
What instructions will I get?
For every task, you will get fully explained and illustrated instructions that you can follow step by step. Every task will be described point by point so it will be very clear to you what to do and how.
Is it possible for me to learn oil painting by correspondence?
Studying by correspondence will give you a great advantage over some face-to-face teaching. First of all, your schedule will be much more flexible so you can study at your own pace. But above all, you will receive all feedback and tutoring in writing. This means it will be available for you at any time so you can re-read instructions and explanations, re-check our critique, refresh rules and advice given, and refer to educational materials provided for previous tasks.
How will I communicate with tutors?
All communication will be via email. Verbal instructions and critique could be forgotten the next day, but written guidance will be available for as long as you choose to keep it.
Can I talk over a phone or Skype with tutors?
For the reason explained above, we will not waste your time with video calls. You will need to keep the written instructions for future reference. Believe us, there will be a lot of information to take in and there is no way you could remember it the first time, if you hear it over a phone.
How my skills and progress will be evaluated?
Before creating a custom-tailored curriculum for you, your art skills will be evaluated and your art tutors will provide you with a full comprehensive critique of your current level of abilities and advise what needs to be improved. Your skills also will be assessed as you go task by task. You will know precisely what you have to work on at every step of the curriculum.
How does the Correspondence Course compare to an art college?
The Old Masters’ painting techniques are the core of the Correspondence Course. Such techniques are simply not taught at contemporary art colleges.
In a college, you will not get a custom-tailored curriculum developed just for you. In the Correspondence Course, all your educational topics and tasks will be based on such a curriculum so you can learn what you need to improve your personal oil painting skills.
As the Old Masters Academy student, you will have lifetime access to 60 video lessons. It is as good as sitting next to the tutor and watching her painting and drawing in front of your eyes. No teacher at a contemporary art college will ever show you by his own example how to create different masterpieces, giving a step-by-step explanation.
To study at an art college, you would have to relocate, your schedule would be strict, and you would have deadlines to meet. At Old Masters Academy, you can study in the comfort of your home, you will have your own flexible schedule, and no deadlines.
At a college, your tutoring would be limited. At Old Masters Academy, you will have a lifetime membership for a one-time fee.
At a college, you would get limited support. At Old Masters Academy such support is unlimited, available for a lifetime, includes your artworks critiqued, and comes at no extra cost.
A contemporary art college would take up to 4 years of your time and may cost up to $100,000 including relocation, accommodation, tuition, and other fees. This comes with no guarantee that you will actually learn the necessary skills of the trade.
What makes the Old Masters Academy™ unique?
The Old Masters Academy™ is the only oil painting course where, for a one-time payment, you will enjoy lifetime membership and unlimited personal support from the course tutor at no extra cost.
Natalie Richy spent many years researching and studying the Old Masters’ painting materials, methods, know-how, and techniques. This extensive knowledge is unique to the Old Masters Academy™ and is presented in a way that is easy to understand and follow, so you will readily benefit from it.
Unlike lectures in contemporary art colleges, the course tutor will paint and draw in front of your eyes while explaining all you need to know about traditional oil painting and creative drawing techniques.
The course comes with a series of practical exercises that are easy to follow and greatly beneficial for understanding oil painting methods and that aim to improve your art skills fast.
This course is suitable for both beginners and advanced students.
Who is the course tutor?
The Old Masters Academy™ is led by Natalie Richy, professional fine artist and art teacher. She is also a tutor at the Drawing Academy.
In the Old Masters Academy Correspondence course, you will have a dedicated team of art tutors. Natalie Richy and Vladimir London will provide you with personal tutoring, teaching you all you need to know to become a better artist.
What personal support and tutoring will I get?
You will enjoy personal unlimited support from the course tutor, Natalie Richy, who will be happy to answer all your art-related questions, advise you on your creative development, and critique your artworks. This feedback is provided via email for the lifetime of the course and comes at no extra cost. You are welcome to send your artworks for critique via email or submit online.
What art materials will I need for the Old Masters Academy™ course?
If you already paint in oils, you probably already have all the materials required. We will teach you how to make masterpieces with art supplies that are available at any art shop.
The full list of required art materials is available here »
Can I learn how to draw in the Old Masters Academy™ course?
The Old Masters Academy™ focuses on traditional oil painting, but in the course there are also several video lessons on drawing, which present creative drawing techniques that are not taught anywhere else.
If you want to learn the fundamental principles of drawing, such as constructive drawing, perspective, proportions, tonal rendering techniques, rules of composition, and so on, you can enroll in the Drawing Academy »
If you are interested in making figure and portrait artworks, then you must know human anatomy for artists. You can learn it in a fast and easy way in the Anatomy Master Class »
Are these art course suitable for complete beginners?
Yes, even someone totally new to oil painting can learn and apply the painting techniques taught in the Old Masters Academy™. The speed of learning, of course, will depend on the individual and time he or she dedicates to the practical exercises.
Advanced artists also will find this course immensely useful, as it covers many years of research on the Old Masters’ painting methods, materials, and know-how.
Do I have to paint and draw what I see in the video lessons?
You can, but you don’t have to copy the paintings and drawings created in front of your eyes. This course is not about how to copy someone else’s design and style; it is about learning traditional, time-honored painting methods and applying them in your own creative works of art.
In the Old Masters Academy™, you will find several very useful exercises that will help you to learn about oil painting materials and how to use them in the ways the Old Masters did.
How long are the video lessons?
There are 60 video lessons on oil painting and drawing. The length of each video depends on how many parts it has, which varies from one to 27. There are 274 video parts in total, with various playing times depending on their contents. The total combined length of all video lessons is more than 30 hours.
What languages video lessons are available in?
The video lessons are only available in English. If English is not your first language, no worries—you will still be able to follow the course, as all essential information will be available for you in writing, including video lessons subtitles.
Can I download the video lessons to my computer?
The Old Masters Academy™ video lessons are only available for streaming online. You cannot download the videos to your computer. This policy protects our copyrighted products’ distribution. Any violation of this policy will be prosecuted in accordance with international laws.
How long will I be able to access the course?
You will have lifetime access to all video lessons and educational materials. There is no expiration or deadline.
Where can I see artworks and feedback by the Old Masters Academy™ students?
You may check what our students say here »
Are any workshops available in the Old Masters Academy™?
This online art course is available to art students around the world. This way, all our students will receive the same high-quality art education and can benefit from our personal support wherever they are.
Questions about the Free Demo:
What will I get in the Old Masters Academy™ Free Demo subscription?
To get a good understanding of what the Old Masters Academy™ course is, you can subscribe for a demo free of charge. You will receive access to several selected video lessons from the course. In addition, you will also become a subscriber to our newsletter and receive news about the course, additional free video lessons, bonuses, art articles, and valuable offers from time to time. We send only art-related news, and you can unsubscribe in one click at any time.
How do I access the free video lessons and bonuses?
A free account will be automatically created for you when you subscribe on this page and confirm your subscription. Your Free Demo username and password will be emailed to you automatically.
Questions about the price, payments, and refunds:
How much does the Old Masters Academy course cost?
The current prices are available on the Pricing page.
Can I purchase the course as gift for my children, partner, or friends?
Yes, you can. The best investment is in education, which makes the Old Masters Academy™ a perfect gift for your loved one.
Will there be any additional payments in a future?
The price you pay today is the only fee for your lifetime membership and unlimited personal support by the course tutor. This is unique to the Old Masters Academy – you can rely on the tutor’s support for as long as you need it at no extra charge. Do you know of any art colleges or academies where you can get a teacher for a lifetime on the same basis?
What is the refund policy?
According to the Sales and Refund Policy you agree to when purchasing the course, there are no refunds once you’ve received the full access to the art course. You are welcome to contact us and describe your circumstances if you think that your case is exceptional. If you want to try the Old Masters Academy™ course before purchasing it, you can sign up for the Free Demo.
Questions about the Cash Back Offer:
What is the Cash Back Offer?
In the Old Masters Academy™, you can get $200 cash back in return for your video feedback about this course. It is paid as a partial refund.
How can I get the cash back?
If you like the Old Masters Academy™ course, make a video of your feedback about your experience. Send your video to us, together with samples of your artworks from before and after the course. If your video is published on our website, we will send you a partial refund of $200.
Is there any time limit for the cash-back offer?
Yes, you have three months from the time you enroll in the Old Masters Academy™ to send your video feedback and artworks.
Questions about the Old Masters Academy™ Diploma of Excellence:
What is the Diploma of Excellence?
After the course, you will be entitled to receive the Old Masters Academy™ Diploma of Excellence. This is to commemorate your achievement of completing the course and putting your new knowledge into practice.
When will I receive the Diploma?
You can apply for the Old Masters Academy™ Diploma of Excellence after three months from the date you enroll. There is no deadline or expiration. You can take as much time as you need to go through the course, and you will be able to obtain this Diploma over the entire lifetime of the product.
Are there any exams?
Relax! There are no exams. However, the Old Masters Academy™ Diploma of Excellence is not awarded automatically. We want to make sure you benefited from the course and would like to see your results.
To receive the Diploma, you need to provide your feedback about the course together with at least two artworks—one from before you took the course or right when you started, and another from after you completed it.
When your written feedback and artworks are reviewed, you will receive the Diploma of Excellence in your name. Your story and artwork may be published in the Old Masters Academy™ Students Gallery.
Questions about login and technical support:
How do I set up my personal Old Masters Academy™ account?
After payment, you will be automatically redirected to the account setup page. If you have any troubles with account setup, please contact us, and we will be happy to do it for you.
Is this course compatible with tablets and smartphones?
Yes, you can watch the video lessons on any Internet-connected device, including iPads and Smartphones. Please make sure you have Flash installed and enabled on your device’s web browser. The simplest way is to use the Puffin browser that comes with the latest Flash Player by default.
I can’t login. What do I do?
Please write down and save your username and password in a text file and store it securely. Your login details are CASE-SENSITIVE. When you login, copy and paste your username and password instead of guessing and mistyping them; do not enter accidental spaces before or after words, and make sure your Caps Lock is not on. After several failed login attempts, your IP address can be blocked for up to 30 minutes. If this happens, do not reset your password; it won’t help. Simply wait for half an hour before entering the correct login values or resetting your password. Do not send an email to Support—we can’t unblock your account manually; it will happen automatically after 30 minutes.
The video lesson won’t play. What do I do?
The video lessons are streamed from Amazon’s very fast and reliable cloud server. If you cannot play the videos smoothly, it might be due to a slow broadband connection at your end.
Please make sure you have an up-to-date browser with Flash installed and enabled. You can check the information about your web browser here: https://www.whatismybrowser.com/
You can also check your firewall and device settings; they might prevent the video from playing. If you still have any troubles, you can contact technical support here »
I have a question that is not answered here
Please send us a message. We will be happy to help.
