The Virtual Instructor-Art Lesson Blog

Drawing a Dragonfly: Stippling with Pen and Ink

Posted on June 16, 2018 by Eugenia Hauss

Draw a Dragonfly with Stippling and Pen and Ink

Artist Eugenia Hauss shares an inventive step by step lesson on drawing a colorful dragonfly using stippling with pen and ink. Stippling is the process of using small countless dots to develop an ink drawing. It is a well-known and common inking technique. Drawings that consist of a great number of small dots can be quite impressive and have a unique feel. Beginning ink artists usually choose stippling as a starting point technique because it's forgiving – a couple of odd dots probably won't Read more [...]

New Feature: Certificate of Completion for Courses

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Matt Fussell

Many of you have asked for it and now it's here. Now you can save and print a personalized certificate of completion at the conclusion of any of our courses. To save and print your certificate of completion, simply complete all of the modules from the course of your choosing and on the "Conclusion" page, click on the "Take the Quiz" button. After passing the quiz, you'll see a link to download your personalized certificate of completion. Why Not Sooner? You may be wondering why this feature Read more [...]

Vote for the Next Course

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Matt Fussell

"25 Days to Better Drawings" is now complete, making it the twelfth complete course added to our library of courses - which are all available to members. The addition of this course brings the total of course video hours up to 49 with well over 1200 pages of ebooks included. (Each course includes logically sequenced modules that include videos and downloadable ebooks.) At the conclusion of each course, I reach out to you guys for input on the next course that will be developed. Everyone is Read more [...]

Emphasis – A Principle Of Art

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Ashley Hurst

Sometimes a painting or drawing is a story. All good stories have a hero or, at least, a main character. Visual art can have a main character too. The main character does not have to be a person. An object or area within the composition can serve as the main character in an artwork. In a story, the main character, sometimes referred to as the protagonist, is not hard to identify. In a book, the protagonist usually has the most dialogue while in a movie, the most screen-time. However, there is Read more [...]

How to Draw Realistic Cherries with Markers and Colored Pencils

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Matt Fussell

In this mixed media drawing lesson, we'll take a look at drawing a couple of cherries with alcohol-based markers and colored pencils. We'll use the markers to develop a looser underpainting of colors and values before layering colored pencil applications over the top. The following video demonstrates how to draw realistic cherries with markers and colored pencils. More on this lesson can be found further down this page, below the video. DOWNLOAD VIDEO Get access to ALL of our courses today Read more [...]

How to Draw a Rose – 30 Minute Drawing Exercise

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Matt Fussell

For extended Live Lessons, video courses, ebooks and more, check out the membership program. Click on the button below to learn more.Learn More How to Draw a Rose Like all of our live "Gettin' Sketchy" episodes, the goal is to create a quick sketch of a challenging subject within a 30 minute time constraint. Sometimes, we get the drawing finished within this time frame, and sometimes we don't. In this sketching exercise, we went a little over. The entire sketch took just under 45 minutes to complete Read more [...]

How to Draw a Lizard with Pen and Ink

Posted on May 23, 2018 by Eugenia Hauss

Artist Eugenia Hauss shares an in-depth, step by step tutorial on drawing a wonderful little lizard with pen and ink. Sometimes you run across a great idea for a new drawing while taking a walk. This happened to me recently. it was late spring already, but the weather was quite cold. This wonderful lizard was sitting on a tree stump and apparently, tried to warm itself. I came closer, and trying to be as quiet as possible, I took a photo with my phone. Luckily, the lizard didn’t flee! I Read more [...]

How to Paint a Tree with Pastels

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Matt Fussell

In this pastel lesson, we'll take a look at painting a landscape that features a prominent tree in the foreground. We'll take a looser, more painterly approach to the painting, concentrating on the shapes of value and color that we observe instead of focusing on the details. The following video demonstrates how to paint a tree with pastels with a looser approach. More on this lesson can be found further down this page, below the video. DOWNLOAD VIDEO Get access to ALL of our courses today Read more [...]