Week 1 Milan Art Institute Mastery Program

I'm excited to share with you my first week at the Milan Art Institute Mastery Program.

As an artist, I have always been interested in improving my skills and learning new techniques to enhance my artwork. When I found out about the Milan Art Institute Mastery Program, I was eager to join and learn more about how to paint with oils.

During the first week, I focused on drawing with charcoal and pencil, which helped me understand the basics of proportion, measurement, and scale. The first two assignments were to draw my hand holding a paintbrush and a shoe in proportion, which was a great way to get started.

However, the most intimidating part of the week was the oil painting assignment. I had to use a subtractive glaze method, which involved laying down a dark colour and then pulling it back off the canvas to create the highlights and mid-tones. I normally don't freehand draw and usually I use a projector to ensure accuracy, so painting directly onto the canvas was quite challenging for me.

Despite the initial fear, I managed to complete the painting. The first stage looked great, then when I added the transparent glazes it made the painting really come to life.

I loved the way the cooler colours in the background appeared to recede against the foreground's warmer colours.

However, adding highlights with opaque bright oil paints was a bit of a challenge, as I couldn't get the vibrant pop of colour that I wanted. The blue always looked a bit greyish, which was frustrating. But overall, I was pleased with how the painting turned out.

In conclusion, my first week at the Milan Art Institute Mastery Program was challenging, but I learned a lot. I'm excited about what next week will bring and look forward to improving my skills even more.