Studio wisdom holds that you should focus on doing many good starts and fewer finishes. In this lesson, instructor Joseph Todorovitch will teach you how to begin a painting focusing on gesture and construction, as well as getting a strong simple block-in with a good color key. You will learn how to resist the urge to add detail too early, and to trust in the process of posterization. Lastly, you will practice adding transitional tones to core shadows, while keeping value and color relationships clearly defined.

This lesson belongs to the course From Paper to Canvas. In this 10-week course, internationally renowned artist Joseph Todorovitch teaches you his tonal approach to figure drawing, which is designed and tailored specifically for painters. In the first half of the course, you will learn to draw the figure while focusing on value masses, shape design, and edge quality in relation to the form. You will study a procedural approach that forces you to work simple, then gradually progresses to more complexity. The second half of the course will be devoted to applying this approach in oil painting. After analyzing the connection between the two mediums, you will be introduced to color mixing and color theory. This course will guide you through how to create drawings as preparatory studies for paintings, and provide you a fundamental understanding of figure painting.

Throughout this course, you’ll have access to the NMA community for feedback and critiques to improve your work as you progress.