Registering For Spring Session 2

In this online Alla Prima Painting Techniques course, students will be introduced to several essential concepts that can contribute to a more efficient and successful direct painting experience. After cultivating an awareness of the global light effect and by rehearsing the block in, students will utilize those strategies in a series of alla prima paintings throughout the course.

The workshop content will be demonstrated and practiced weekly by studying Old Master portrait paintings. This will allow for the exploration of various light conditions, poses and perspectives. Ultimately, the tools and knowledge gained from this class can be applied to working from life.

Sessions will include vigorous instructor demonstrations and student feedback.

Conceptual strategies covered:

- The block-in

- The poster study

- The rounding study

- Painting into a wet base

- Alla prima - bringing everything together

Paint (Artists Grade - Gamblin, Holbein, Rembrandt, etc)

Limited palette. Contact me if you have questions or are interested in working with a more extended palette.

• Titanium White

• Yellow Ochre

• Cadmium Red Medium

• Ultramarine Blue

• Ivory Black

• Brushes

  I prefer to use rounds - I have a variety of sizes (nothing too big for this course, unless you want to work large). A medium range should be fine. I like to have at least 3 of each size.

• Support

  My preference is portrait grade linen, but that can get pricey. Stretched or mounted cotton canvas, or an acrylic gesso primed panel is fine, as well. For studies, I like Canson's Canva Paper or Arches Oil Paper (scraps of linen can be useful too)

• Board

  Something like cardboard or masonite to tape studies to

• tape

  I like black artists tape

• Easel

  Or something to prop up your support

• Palette

  Wood, Glass, etc. One that you can hold, or to lay flat - up to you.

• Medium Jar

  Something to keep your medium in (can be one that specifically clips on to your palette, or just a small regular glass jar)

• Brush cleaner

• Sealable container for cleaning brushes (with OMS)

• Solvent

  Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS) - I use Gamsol

• Oil for medium

  Stand oil &/or linseed oil - I combine the two with OMS to make a medium

• Palette knife

  For cleaning palette and premixing paints

• Sealable Tupperware or a Mastersons stay wet palette box

  To keep paints/palette in

• Clove oil (food grade)

  A few drops of this onto a paper towel that has been taped to the top of the Tupperware will help the paint last longer.

M. Tobias Hall (b. 1981) lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Tobias has an MFA in Painting from the New York Academy of Art (Class of 2017), and received his BA magna cum laude in Fine Arts (with a focus on Animation) from Arizona State University.

He has taught drawing and painting as a visiting instructor and assistant instructor at Studio Escalier (Paris & Argenton Chateau, France), at the Ryder Studio School (Santa Fe, NM), online with Studio Incamminati and now, the Teaching Studios of Art®. 

Images of the instructor’s alla prima work (click to see larger)