Old Masters Academy review by Lucas

(Before and After artworks)

Story and paintings from Lucas, Old Masters Academy student

I was born in a very creative family; my mother was an abstract painter and illustrated some poetry books. We always traveled a lot and visited museums. I used to be surrounded by visual art — drawings by my mum and her friends were all over the place whether we were at home or travelling.

My brother, a promising athlete, demonstrated outstanding results in swimming, but after he suffered serious trauma, he was forced to leave sport. He was fifteen at the time, and I was sixteen. To help him survive his depression, our parents invited one of their friends, a still life artist, to come and give several painting lessons to both of us.

My brother soon lost an interest in it, but I kept on painting.

I consider myself a weekend painter.

I’ve got a BSME (Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering). Now I am in my late thirties, single, and I have a well-paid position in a big company, but I often start to doubt that I chose the wrong path in my life. What if my real calling is art?

I often catch in myself a strange feeling of anger and irritation when I go to the openings. I ask myself why someone less talented is doing exhibitions, and I do not. The truth is that I can’t quit my job and start painting full time. There’s no guarantee I could earn enough money to cover my mortgage and life expenses.

I had a talk with my mum, sharing my doubts. She supported me. It was a huge surprise when she bought for me the Old Masters Academy membership as a gift. To be honest, I didn’t want to study at all; I didn’t want to do any exercises. But every time I was on a Skype with her, she was asking about my progress, if I was doing anything. I started watching the videos and doing the exercises simply because I didn’t want her to feel that she’d wasted money and emotions without any payoff. However, from Lesson 36, I started to gain real pleasure from the course.

I still paint only on weekends; I do mostly exercises and portraits. Portraits help me comprehend the theory faster. I’m not ready for full-size figures yet. This will be my next target.

How to apply glazes and what underpainting should be prepared beforehand turned out to be a big revelation for me. Before the Old Masters Academy course, I had no idea that to paint a naturalistic skin, I have to juxtapose various glazings of various transparency. Instead, I tried to mix the right color on a palette and then blend accurately one tone into another directly on the canvas.

The girl’s portrait is the best portrait I have painted so far. I guess it is a good illustration of what I have achieved, thanks to your lessons.

For “before,” I’ve chosen one of my favorite still lifes. See the difference.

I do not want to make any guesses what will come to me in my near future. Will I find the courage to change something in my life or not? Who knows? In that regard I’m a very cautious person. But ideas about changing my career path have visited me more and more often.

Learn time-honored oil painting techniques of the Old Masters!