Why
Our School Is Unique
Our Online Colored
Pencil Painting School is a one of a kind institution. Its curriculum is based
on a unique method of teaching called online personal schooling and
specializes in the latest techniques developed specifically for colored
pencil painting.
Though colored pencil
has been around for a generations, its perception, as a fine art medium is
comparatively new. For this reason, there is no existing educational coursework
that is devoted specifically to colored pencil. Furthermore, the instructional
program that we use to teach colored pencil painting techniques simply does not
exist outside our own coursework. This material was specifically developed by
Alyona Nickelsen to provide a simple, organized approach to consuming all of
the knowledge you will need to master colored pencil painting.
Modern
Classical Atelier
Our school is modeled on
the concept of master-apprentice relationships that were common in the
Renaissance period atelier art schools. We have taken this idea from the great
masters and integrated it with advanced teaching techniques only recently made
possible by the application of modern technologies to the classical
relationship that was so successful during Renaissance fine art development.
It is well known that
the Renaissance masters’ long-term relationship approach to teaching provided
unique possibilities for their students to possess the entire range of
knowledge involved in all stages of classical artwork creation. Students
learned every intricacy of the process due, quite simply, to the physical
presence associated with living within the master’s studio for several years.
However, this method had its limitations. It bound the field of students to
those who could attend for such a long term in a studio that was limited by the
master’s own resources and geographical location. Also, the time involved in
study was stretched over a period of years and was not completely devoted to
the learning process itself.
Today, modern technology
resolves any and all issues concerning geographical location and can provide
instant (verbal and visual) communication with the instructor no matter where
on the surface of the earth the class is located. With the help of a computer,
communication is instant regardless of the distance.
These circumstances
present us with an entirely different opportunity than would otherwise be
possible. New tools allow us to create a condensed version of the classical
atelier method with virtually no limitations, completely devoted to the
exciting fine art medium of today – colored pencil.
Online
Personal Schooling Versus Short-Term Workshop
At the Online Colored
Pencil Painting School, our teaching techniques create an attractive
alternative to the one, two or three day-workshops so popular these days. We
have listed some of the competitive advantages below.
One, two or three-day workshops, as
defined, cannot possibly provide students with the in-depth knowledge they
require. The maximum benefit possible in such a short exposure is simple
information about the materials used for the process and a brief explanation of
their application.
- The short term of most workshops
seldom allows time for students to finish the project they started so that
the instructor can comment and hopefully improve their approach. Later,
when students are working and practicing on their own and developing
questions, the teacher is no longer available and is probably not even in
the same city. The factual role of any teacher is to answer questions
developed during the learning process. It is thus that instructors are
converted to the more simplified role of demonstrator or lecturer in the
workshop environment.
- The practical portion of the
workshop format creates even more inconvenience for some students who prefer
to practice in privacy. Students should be allowed to practice in their
own way: whether they choose to dedicate the whole day to the project or
work in a segmented manner.
- Moreover, traditional workshops
do not allow individuality in art instruction. All attendees, regardless
of their level of expertise, share a specific set of information. If the
instruction were to present a more extensive explanation of a subject it
would require the other students to comprehend and keep up as the workshop
progresses. However, since all of us learn at different rates, individual
needs would normally be addressed later in the higher priced personal
one-on-one tutoring. The cost of the workshop and the inconvenience of the
traveling involved are also significant.
The
Colored Pencil Painting Program
Our Colored Pencil
Painting program solves all of these problems and satisfies all of these needs
for a fraction of the cost associated with traditional personal tutoring.
- We supply our students with free samples
of all necessary materials in the week prior to the beginning of the
instruction. This helps you on several fronts. It prevents any problems
caused by dissimilar brands and types of paper, pencils, solvents, etc.
For the same reason we pay special attention to the selection of colored
pencils participating in a specific course so that they match the quality
and variety required to complete the coursework.
- Lecture materials for every week
of the monthly course are supplied on DVDs. In this manner students can
review the presentation material as long as they need and as many times as
necessary.
- Weekly practical assignments are
supplied together with a deadline for submission. This provides certain
flexibility for the students inside of the learning framework and the
structure of a formal schedule.
- Submission of completed weekly
assignments, and teacher’s review and comments are all provided via
continuous email communication.
- Weekly live online seminars
– called Webinars are limited to a small group of attendees and
provide instant visual and verbal answers to all questions
developed by students. Participation includes students who are studying
the same lecture material and using the same art material in the same
assigned projects. An access code for each seminar is provided to the
student in accordance with the course schedule.
- For students with previous art
experience, we offer the opportunity during enrollment to submit three personal
works for evaluation. This review is performed by the staff and provides
the teacher with an understanding of the individual’s level of expertise.
They will also assist the staff in evaluating the progress of the student
upon the completion of the coursework.
- Each student’s unique area of
interest plays a significant role in the study process. However,
introductory topics such as learning basic pencil application, color
mixing, compositional rules, etc. should not be over complicated. For
example, the intricacies of human anatomy have been excluded from our
basic program. To this end, our first three courses are devoted to the
complete mastery of colored pencil as a medium. Additional subject
oriented courses will be available in later course releases. These courses
will speak to more advanced topics such as rendering animals, human
portraits and figures, etc. using colored pencil painting techniques.
Please
refer to the course descriptions for more detailed information about coursework,
requirements and enrolment.