Old Masters Academy – New Video Course for Fine Artists
Date: 27 July 2017
By Natalie Richy
Old Masters Academy™, a brand new video course for fine artists, has been launched today.
This educational website is different from the many online courses available for artists on the Internet. It is based on the rich heritage of the Old Masters’ oil painting techniques that are no longer taught in contemporary art colleges.
The course tutor, Natalie Richy, spent many years researching and practicing almost forgotten methods of oil painting that were developed in Europe in the 16th – 17th centuries. She has now made this information available for art students who want to learn the secrets of the Old Masters.
The in-depth information is presented in 60 multi-part video lessons comprising over 30 hours of playing time. In these videos, Academy students will discover all they need to know about art materials for oil painting, color theory and rules of mixing paints, the know-how of the indirect method of painting, when color nuances are achieved by multiple transparent and semi-transparent layers of paint, the step-by-step sequence of creating a painting in the way the Old Masters did—starting with priming a canvas, imprimatura, under-drawing and grisaille dead-color underpainting, followed by working up forms in color layers, and finishing with multiple velaturas and transparent glazing.
In video lessons, Natalie Richy creates a figurative oil painting in front of the students’ eyes. She explains the full progression from the blank canvas to a finished artwork. Being a student of the Old Masters Academy™ is the next best thing to sitting with the Master while a masterpiece is being painted in oils.
This online course is structured so that simply by watching each video lesson in sequential order, the art student will discover the time-honored traditional oil painting techniques and will be able to apply this knowledge and know-how immediately in creative projects.
In addition to oil painting, the Old Masters Academy™ also includes video lessons on classical drawing of portraits in graphite pencil, as well as drawing in sanguine on toned paper and canvas. The tutor, Natalie Richy, shows her creative methods of rendering tonal values and applying artistic pencil strokes, so finished artworks are highly picturesque and realistic.
Here is what Natalie Richy says about the Old Masters Academy™:
“I graduated from the Academy of Arts with an MA degree, but sadly, during all those years in the Academy, we were not taught the secrets of how the Old Masters painted in oil. So I spent many more years researching everything I could find on this topic, reading specialized books, reports, and bulletins from restorers and museums around the world. I went to galleries in Europe to see the Old Masters’ artworks and experimented with pigments, mediums, and paints to find what makes the art of the great masters so beautiful and why their skills have never been surpassed. I also examined notes and books by contemporaries of the Old Masters to dig out any clues on how oil paintings were created at that period.
As an art teacher, I’m often asked how to paint proficiently in oil. Many contemporary artists struggle when it comes to painting human figures and portraits. There are many modern ways of painting practiced today, including direct painting and alla prima, but these techniques don’t provide the same richness and depth of colors as methods that use an optical mixing effect in indirect painting method. This is the main “secret” of the Old Masters. At the same time, there are many other rules and techniques of painting that a fine artist must know and follow to achieve the same effects as seen in Italian and Northern Renaissance and Baroque paintings.
To answer those questions, I shared the knowledge gathered from my extensive research in the Old Masters Academy™ video lessons. These lessons are packed with useful information and tips on How to paint like the Old Masters using modern materials™.”
In the Old Masters Academy™, video lessons are presented in such a way that even a beginner will find it easy to understand the material and will be able to apply it in practice. At the same time, the information provided in this course is far beyond what any contemporary art colleges or universities offer these days, so even an advanced artist would find it highly beneficial for his or her oil-painting skills.
The Old Masters Academy™ students also benefit from unlimited personal support from the course tutor, which is provided via email. Natalie Richy personally answers all art-related questions that students ask her, advises on their creative development, and critiques their artworks for as long as they need her feedback. This support comes at no extra cost and is included in the one-time tuition fee. This is unique to the Old Masters Academy™. No art college provides the same service—unlimited lifetime tutoring for a one-time low fee.
To learn how to paint like the Old Masters, you can enroll in the Old Masters Academy™ here:
