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Choosing a Workshop that Works for You

Posted on 1/23/2018 8:54:27 PM by Vianna Szabo - Comment on this

"Days Watch" 16x20 Pastel A workshop demo finished in the studio.

When you take a workshop how can you know beforehand if it is right for you? If you are going to invest time and money into learning how can you be certain that the effort is worthwhile? While there are no guarantees every workshop will be life changing a little research beforehand can pay off.

First, find artists whose work wows you. The artists that I want to study from are those whose paintings stir something inside of me. I return to their websites again and again to marvel at their work. I will mull over the images and wonder “how did they do that?” A workshop allows you to ask those questions in person.

Identify what you want to learn from this artist? Do you want to loosen up, learn a technique, improve your drawing, or become better at composition? Sometimes you just want to try something different and have fun. Identifying your needs will help you sort through the workshop descriptions to find one that meets your requirements. It is important to be realistic, if your goal is to take a workshop from Robert Liberace so at the end of three days you can draw like him you will be sorely disappointed. If your goal is to focus on making stronger gestures then you can learn a lot.

Pay attention to the descriptions, if it is a landscape class then this is not the place to study figures, even if that instructor is a figurative painter. Check the skill level and be honest about where you are at. I had never painted plein air when I took a workshop with Kim English. We painted figures in the landscape and it was way over my skill level at the time. I had no idea how to set up for painting outside and by the time I got my easel and TV trays duct taped together the models were on to a new pose. The workshop was not a waste but I would have gotten more out of it if I had more experience painting plein air.

Research the artist thoroughly to get an idea of their teaching style. The best place to start is the artist’s blog. A blog is the voice of the artist without the filter of an editor. If their blog is full of information you find valuable then you know they can teach. Some artists are highly skilled yet unable to break down concepts or explain their processes. Watching videos can give you a sense of their teaching style and if you would feel comfortable with them. Finally, read reviews or ask other artists about the workshop experience. This will give you an overall sense of how the workshop is run, the amount of personal time you will have with the instructor, and if others felt it was worth it.

Workshops are not one size fits all. Identifying your needs and expectations, and then researching the instructor will help you get the most out of your learning experience.

Choosing a workshop that works for you

When you take a workshop how can you know beforehand if it is right for you? If you are going to invest time and money into learning how can you be certain that the effort is worthwhile? While there are no guarantees every learning experience will be life changing a little research beforehand can pay off.

First, find artists whose work wows you, then check to see if they teach. The artists that I want to study from are those whose paintings stir something inside of me. I return to their websites again and again to marvel at their work. I will mull over the images and wonder “how did they do that?” A workshop allows you to ask those questions in person.

Pay attention to the descriptions, if it is a landscape class then this is not the place to study figures, even if that instructor is a figurative painter. Check the skill level and be honest about where you are at. I had never painted plein air when I took a workshop with Kim English. We painted figures in the landscape and it was way over my skill level at the time. I had no clue how to set up for painting outside and by the time I got my easel and TV trays duct taped together the models would be on to a new pose. The workshop was not a waste but I would get more out of it now as an experienced plein air painter.

Research the artist thoroughly to get an idea of their teaching style. The best place to start is the artist’s blog. A blog is the voice of the artist without the filter of an editor. If it is simply a posting of paintings and a description what they painted then they may not be great at giving instruction. Some artists are highly skilled yet unable to break down concepts or explain their thought processes. If their blog is full of information you find valuable then you know they can teach. Watching videos can give you a sense of their personality and if you would feel comfortable with them. Finally, read reviews or ask other artists about the workshop experience. This will give you an overall sense of how the workshop is run, the amount of personal time you will have with the instructor, and if others felt it was worth it.

Workshops are not one size fits all. Identifying your needs and expectations, and then researching the instructor will help you get the most out of your learning experience.