Get Your Paint On: Beyond the Basics
with Lisa Congdon and Mati McDonough
October 24 – November 27, 2011
(Registered Students: login to the course here)
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ABOUT THE COURSE
Artists, illustrators, authors + close friends Lisa Congdon and Mati McDonough have once again joined together to bring you Get Your Paint On: Beyond the Basics, a follow up course to Get Your Paint On (GYPO). GYPO: Beyond the Basics is designed for people who are interested in taking their painting practice to the next level. The original GYPO class (which was offered in both Winter and Summer 2011) is not a pre-requisite for GYPO: Beyond the Basics! Beyond the Basics is designed for all levels, including beginners. GYPO: Beyond the Basics features more instruction of technical painting skills like layering and creating dimension in your work. Lisa and Mati will share with you how they each approach painting through video demos, written reading on important topics, visual inspiration and support & guidance to participants.
www.matirose.com ::: www.lisacongdon.com
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WHAT PAST PARTICIPANTS HAVE SAID ABOUT GET YOUR PAINT ON...
"Thank you so much for offering this class, it has been wonderful and inspirational, just as the community that has grown around it. I appreciate you both sharing yourselves so openly and helping us all no matter our level of skill or expertise."
"Thank you so much for this wonderful class. I've been wanting to start painting for a LONG time and this class finally gave me the kick in the pants to DO IT. I am so glad I signed up. I learned so much. Mati and Lisa, you were so encouraging and made this a really fun experience (even when painting was frustrating)."
"Yay! As a newbie I was so worried that I was going to be out of my depth, but the two of you & everyone else made this space so relaxed and easy to take risks and the support and encouragement made me want to paint more and more and more. I have loved every moment and will be looking out for the next class. Thank you!"
"I am really going to miss this class. The dialogue and inspiration,and assignments have really reignited my love of creating."
"I really appreciate the way this painting class is set up. It's so good to learn to work with assignments. There is definitely a good thing going on here with all the creative community being built as we're able to bounce ideas back and forth."
"Thank you to you Lisa and Mati! I have been so happy inside since I started painting. I have always known that I have this creative molten magma inside of me and now it is getting to come to the surface. I'm loving it!!"
WHAT THE COURSE WILL COVER
The course will be conducted in a safe, private, password protected online environment. Each of the five weeks, we’ll focus on a different topic:
Week One: Gathering inspiration, determining subject matter and transferring it to the canvas
Week Two: Color mixing and finding your personal palette
Week Three: Techniques for layering on the canvas
Week Four: Techniques for creating depth and dimension in your work
Week Five: Virtual show and celebration
{painting by Lisa}
The course will have lots of information to get you going each week, including:
1) A detailed post by Lisa or Mati about the topic for the week. It will include information, tips and important ideas. We’ll post a video introduction, images and photos that elaborate on the topic for the week.
2) A video demo by Mati or Lisa about the topic for the week. Each video will be between 20-30 minutes of instruction.
2) A painting assignment that is connected to the topic for the week. Participants will only work on one – three paintings over the course of the five-week class, so each assignment will be related to taking the painting you are working on and adding layers, depth and dimension.
4) Inspiration for the topic area.
{painting by Mati}
HOW PARTICIPANTS INTERACT IN THE COURSE
Participants will have the opportunity to make comments and ask questions each week on the topic area. We will also have an optional Facebook group for more discussion and sharing. Participants are also encouraged to post images of their painting progress in our safe, private Flickr group and are encouraged to leave questions and feedback for their classmates. Mati and Lisa will comment and answer questions posed by participants in the course environment, Facebook and Flickr.
WHO ARE MATI AND LISA?
Mati McDonough and Lisa Congdon are artists who also happen to be close friends. They live about 9 blocks from each other in the Mission District of San Francisco. They are passionate about painting, creating community, COLOR and love teaching Get Your Paint On! Frequently, they are asked to share their art-making knowledge and technique and so they’ve joined together to present this five week course.
More about Mati:
Mati McDonough went back to art school when she was just shy of 30 years old to study painting and illustration at the California College of the Arts. She made art from the time she was very little growing up in Maine, but never considered herself an artist until recently. Now at 34, Mati has had over a dozen art shows, taught painting classes in Italy, Santa Cruz and Utah, had her art and illustrations used for Patagonia, University Games, i-Pop for Madison Park, as well published in numerous books and magazines worldwide and is now happily represented by Lilla Rogers Studio.
More about Lisa:
Like Mati, Lisa did not begin making art seriously or professionally until she was in her 30's. 10 years later she makes her living doing professional illustration. Her clients include Chronicle Books, Random House, Running Press, Harper Collins, Pottery Barn Teen, Target and Urban Outfitters. She is also happily represented by Lilla Rogers Studio. Lisa also maintains a thriving fine art practice and shows her work regularly in galleries across the country. She is incredibly grateful to wake every day and paint for a living.
{Collaborative painting by Lisa and Mati, 2009}
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. When does the class start and end?
October 24 through November 27. It is 5 weeks in length.
2. How much does the course cost and how do I pay?
The class costs $139 USD. You will be paying for the course through Paypal (scroll down to see payment link). Paypal automatically converts currency for you.
3. Why is the class more expensive than the original GYPO class?
This class includes detailed demonstration videos in which Mati and Lisa share their painting technique.
4. Is there a deadline for signing up?
Registration closes on October 20.
5. Can you give me a general description of how the course works?
The course is structured in five weekly increments. Sunday evening, the course for the following week is posted in a safe, private, password protected online environment. Each week will include a video introduction by Lisa or Mati (or both!), a demonstration video on the topic for the week, information, food for thought, technique tips, and of course, a painting assignment! Participants can comment and ask questions in the course environment, and they have a week to finish the weekly assignment. By Sunday (though it can be done at any time during the week), participants will post a photo or scan of the progress they’ve made on their painting for the week in a private Flickr group for other members of the group to see.
6. What will the course cover?
The course will cover four topics: 1) Getting started: Gathering inspiration, determining subject matter and transferring it to the canvas, 2) Color mixing and finding your personal palette 3) Techniques for layering on the canvas 4) Techniques for creating depth and dimension in your work Week 5 will be our wrap-up and exhibition week. Each week you will get an overview of each of the topics, written either by Lisa or Mati (see above for more info). Each week will also include inspiration and thoughts from Mati and Lisa. Participants experiment with approaches to painting and get an opportunity to form a group with like-minded others and swap, share, discuss and exchange ideas and thoughts.
5. Do I need to have taken the original Get Your Paint On class to take this one?
The original GYPO class is NOT a prerequisite for this class. This class will discuss more advanced painting technique, so if you’ve taken GYPO you are all set. If you have not taken GYPO you will not be at a disadvantage either. The course is designed for folks to take at their own pace.
6. What will I need?
-A computer
-A scanner or camera to capture images of your paintings.
-An email address
-A sketchbook
-Five painting surfaces (thick paper is fine, as are canvas or masonite)
-Paint (acrylic or gouache--if you are already an oil painter you may use oils)
-Brushes
-A Flickr account (this is easy to set up and free)
-A Facebook account (optional for networking with other participants on our GYPO page)
-Time to paint (a minimum of a few hours a week)
7. Will Mati and Lisa offer technical instruction on how to paint as part of this course?
Yes! We will be covering topics like creating shadow and depth and layering a canvas in video demonstrations.
8. What can I expect to get out of this course?
You will get:
-time and a little “push” to paint (especially good for folks who used to paint, but haven’t in a long time)
-a community of folks exploring painting along with you
-instruction on technique
-inspiration and information about artists and the painting process
-a place to ask questions and get responses from Mati and Lisa
-feedback from your peers
10. What if I enroll in the course and I don’t complete an assignment?
All we ask is that you try your best to complete assignments as you have time in your schedule and are comfortable. There is no external pressure from instructors!
11. Do I have to check into the class at specific times?
You do not have to check into the class at specific times. You can access the week’s assignments when your schedule permits. We’d love it if everyone checked into the course environment and read updated material several times a week, but we realize this isn’t possible for everyone. This is great news for anyone living outside the US -- time differences don't matter!
12. Will other people see my paintings?
The course will include a private space where those taking the class can post their own work and view the work of others in the class. We do encourage everyone who pays for and participates in the class to share the work that they make for the class. Sharing your work is an important part of the process of learning to paint well. That said, mean, critical comments will not be tolerated in the course environments. We hope to create a safe and positive environment for sharing work.
13. Will I get direct feedback from Mati and Lisa?
This class is not designed for regular individual feedback from instructors. We will be commenting on a select number of paintings each week with critiques that everyone in the course can learn from.
15. Can you issue a certificate or confirmation of participation/completion in this course? I need this certification to my work. Will this be possible?
Yes! We can issue you documentation if you need it provided that you've participated in the course (posted paintings, followed assignments, etc).
16. I have a question about the course you didn't answer. What should I do?
You can email us at getyourpainton@gmail.com and we'll get back to you as quickly as possible!
17. I’m not sure this course is for me. Are you going to be offering the original GYPO class again?
Yes! We plan to offer the original “basic” GYPO course again in early 2012.
HOW TO REGISTER (Registration opens 9/12)
1) Click on the "Add to Cart" link at the top of the page to pay. You will be redirected to Paypal to complete your purchase
2) Within a few minutes you should receive an email from Mati and Lisa welcoming you to the course and giving you all the basic information you need to prepare for the course (supplies you'll need, login info, etc.).
ARE YOU READY TO GET YOUR PAINT ON?
