In this lesson with instructor Joseph Todorovitch, you will explore your composition in a free and natural way. You will learn to keep your color, value, and designs as simple as possible, yet still be able to create a successful figure painting from start to finish.

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.