April 7, 14, 21 2022:

“Loosen up: Best Techniques for expressive Paintings"

an online workshop taught by Patti Mollica, Author of
“How to Paint Fast, Loose and Bold!”

I will be offering this popular 3 week workshop starting Thursday 7 - April 21, 2022, classes are held three consecutive weeks. For workshop information, classes and updates, please sign up to be on my mailing list. Mark your calendar and sign up early!

3 Weekly Classes with video demonstrations
and Instructor Critiques
Price - $495

Open to all Levels, Beginner thru Advanced

“My Paintings are too tight— HOW DO I LOOSEN UP?”

In my years of teaching, this is the most-asked question. Everyone wants to know how to loosen up and create expressive, fresh “just dashed off the easel” paintings. My book “How to paint fast, loose and bold” explains my approach in detail, focusing on starting with a strong, simplified value pattern. You will never go wrong with the value-driven approach. However what works for one doesn’t always work for another. There are many other ways to get a looser result but with a different approach.

I didn’t start out As a “loose” painter

Like many artists, I began my art journey by learning how to draw. The more I practiced, the tighter and more accurate my drawings became. This seemed to be the key to learning “how to be an artist”. When I decided to try my hand at painting, my accurate rendering skills were naturally the only ones I knew to use. The more I utilized my drawing skills in painting, the tighter and more realistic the results. However, I started realizing that a good painting is more than an exact accounting of forms and details. At a certain point in my artistic journey I longed to interpret my subject rather than transcribe it like a camera. Through experimentation and trial and error, I taught myself certain techniques and methods, which gradually became second nature and resulted in the painterly style I’ve become known for.

Over the years I have continued to explore any and all methods that will offer a more expressive artistic outcome. I’ve spent countless hours experimenting using various types of tools to apply the paint, tried unique surfaces, added textural pastes, gels and extenders, incorporated mixed media and collage, etc. My book Modern Acrylics explains the array of additives and textures that can be used with your acrylic or oil paintings that will yield a more textural and tactile outcome. However this workshop will not cover that territory. The instruction for this workshop will focus specifically on simple techniques that will have an immediate loosening up effect - using only brushes and paint, and in some cases an acrylic or oil medium.

Most students develop a painting by tightening up details
because they have never learned “loosening up” skills.

If you have a tendency to focus on small tight details, and your paintings feel too photographic at the expense of a more artistic interpretation, the lessons in this workshop will offer new methods for you to experiment with, to “free up” and get a more painterly outcome. These techniques and exercises, both old and new, have led to the looser style of my paintings.

Some techniques you may find more useful than others, but they will all result in a more personal, expressive style, and they all involve a certain amount of learning how to simplify - or simply lose some control. As a great painter once said, “Simple is not easy”. These techniques are not exotic or complicated, however if they are new to you they may seem so. Everything takes practice. Just as learning how to draw details accurately took time and effort, learning how to loosen up and simplify requires the same. Experimenting with the homework exercises is key.

You will learn by watching video demonstrations, slideshow presentations, and will be given targeted homework exercises. Questions will be addressed in our private Facebook Group, where the homework projects of your fellow classmates will be posted - which is a very effective way to learn and grow.

Workshop Topics and Outline: 

Week 1: Big brush Approach

Week 2: Lose the Edge Approach

Week 3: Start Free - then Rein In

All classes begin at 1PM, EST. Please enter the Zoom meeting room at least 5 minutes prior.

Overview:

This workshop that includes live online Zoom meetings, instructional video demonstrations / slideshow presentations, Q & A period, and targeted homework assignments. Each class is 1-2 hours in length. If you miss the live meeting, you can watch the recorded video presentations later. All classes will all be uploaded to a private page for you to watch whenever time allows. Students can post images, ask questions and get feedback on the private group Facebook page.

The workshop is suitable for all levels and is most suited to oil and acrylic painters. Although the funamental lessons are universal for any media, watercolor/gouache/pastelist artists may have to adapt some of the techniques to correlate with their particular media characteristics.

Color considerations: In most videos you will be able to view my color palette and how I create the colors used in the demo painting. However color mixing and color theory will not be covered in great detail. If that is your area of interest, my book Color Theory, may be helpful. Also, for those who are interested in learning how to use specific color palettes and color combinations, my “Bending Reality” online color workshop may be of interest.

The techniques I explain and demonstrate in this workshop focus on methods that I have used to add a looser, more expressive quality to my paintings. The goal of the workshop is not to teach students to replicate my style, but to offer some techniques that will help them achieve a more personal expression in their own paintings.

BEFORE YOU SIGN UP:
Please read the FAQ page before signing up. It covers questions about critiques, zoom, refunds, etc.

Payment:

The cost for the workshop is $325. Please pay by Paypal or credit card. A Paypal account is not necessary to pay by credit card— click on the Buy Now button, you’ll be directed to a Paypal page and will see a grey bar that says "Pay with Debit or Credit Card", follow the prompts.