ONLINE ART CLASSES

Meet Valentine, the studio supervisor cat.

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Happy creativity to you.   

I'm keen to teach and pass on my art skills. I've just had a week of resting a broken hand gave me time to study art lesson delivery systems. You would think that at 72, I'd have learned not to run. 

I'm itching to get back into my art. 

It is also time to move forward my plans to create an effective, online art tuition school.
NO TALENT NEEDED!   ​ ​

Can I teach you?   

I have 65 years of art training and 45 years of art teaching experience behind me. 

It won't matter if you can't draw a straight line or hold a brush properly, because right now, neither can I—because of my recovering, broken hand. So perhaps we will both be equally clumsy to start with. You can have a laugh with me at my crooked lines. So, I'll draw some fun crooked objects. ;-) 

It's going to be attitude and desire, and the wanting to do something that will tell if you will be able to paint or not.

You don't need talent to start. 
It is your teacher who needs talent.

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Busy? 
That doesn't matter. You do the lessons in your own time. 

If you can manage a few hours a week to practice art you will progress well over time. Even artists take time off here and there for holidays—heck, I took years off to write my novels, and came back to my art and quickly proved to myself that I could still paint. 

You really can learn art at your own pace. You may start and stop, and then restart your student subscription, as you like. I'm not into regimentation

I'm into encouraging your originality, and to get you working directly from nature with photo reference only as needed. I'll share the classic way to becoming a fine artist with the skills to paint anything you can see. 

All you need to bring to your first class is some enthusiasm. 

Very best wishes from artist-author, and creative coach.
Ryn Shell.

TRAINING FROM MULTI-AWARD WINNING PROFESSIONAL ARTIST, RYN SHELL.

​How long will it take you to learn? 

I believe my art tutor, (in my 31st year of professional art career) George Sharp, told me he couldn't die yet because he hadn't 'got it right,'  he was still learning. All my life, I've seen it ins the best artists, often the award-winning professional artists, who are the most conscientious about attending art classes. I said art classes, not hobby painter's classes. I have never taught 'down' to a hobby painter's level, and I'll not be doing that online. I'll be teaching you to paint what you see, not encouraging you to copy one of my paintings, nor showing you how to do that. That is teaching someone how to copy. That is a hobby painter's class. If you want that—I am not the right teacher for you. I don't admire, and teach the skill of being able to paint from life. 

I wouldn't recommend you study creative skills under anyone who thought they knew it all. 
I'm hoping to find myself with a core group of artists who will help me welcome and encourage newer members, and like myself, watch their work steadily improve. 

Students discover that what they learn through my art classes may be applied to many other creative areas of their lives. 
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I will endeavour to answer all of my students' comments. ​​

Ryn Shell painting a portrait commissioned work. I'll teach you how to work in whatever art medium you prefer and to develop the skills of a portrait artist. It all takes time. One lesson builds on the next.

Ryn Shell painting at Nanga bay, Western Australia, in my youth— sixty-two at the time, ten years ago. I don't paint beyond my home base these days.

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Too cute not to share with you straight away.
I'm setting up cottage garden flowers for an online painting lesson. I'm thinking watercolours, but, I could also demo these in oils or acrylics. Any preference?
Watercolours will be the hardest as the water should be the master, not the artist, or it isn't a watercolour, even if you use watercolours to paint with. You have to allow the water to move some of the paint around and be prepared for, and to manipulate, but not over control, the many happy accidents.  
That's probably as clear as mud if you aren't familiar with watercolours, so, I'll strive to demonstrate what I mean.
You can grab your own paints and paint flowers after a few lessons painting lessons with me.

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The flowers from my garden that I'll be painting tonight.
A tip for watercolorists. If you want to create a vibrant red flower, under-paint the paper with yellow first. Try that and tell me what you think? Want to paint loose watercolours—REAL watercolours? Then begin working with your paper pre-wet. 

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My students painted the tonal impressionist artwork of a plaster cast and then painted a simple colour harmony that included roses.

Remember this is the work of students in their first six lessons. Soon the classroom studio was a buzz with excited beginner students and paintings of Venus and the studio garden roses.

The aroma of excellent coffee and rose perfume filled the studio. Yes, I know, sadly some people are allergic to flower fragrance, so this class is optional, but oh it is fun if you can do it. 

A Student's block-in painting