Class Description:

Discover your strengths and explore your passion by building the essential skills to paint with confidence and unleash your creative potential.

The core objective of this class is to introduce students to the foundational concepts and material properties of oil painting. While this course is designed for beginners, it aims to provide the essential building blocks needed to approach oil painting with confidence. Emphasis will be placed on cultivating basic studio habits and methodologies that make the painting process both engaging and rewarding. Students will learn to paint both still life and casts from the NYAA collection in order to develop a straightforward method of painting. By establishing a strong conceptual framework, participants will gain the foundational vocabulary and analytical skills necessary to continue their artistic journeys, equipped with the clarity and confidence to explore the broader world of painting and build upon what they’ve learned. *NOTE: All basic supplies for this class are provided and included in the cost of tuition.

Fall II Session Dates:

Scheduled occurrences for the next semester of this class are as follows:

Week
Date
Time
Week 1:
10/27/2026
6:30 - 9:30 pm ET
Week 2:
11/03/2026
6:30 - 9:30 pm ET
Week 3:
11/10/2026
6:30 - 9:30 pm ET
Week 4:
11/17/2026
6:30 - 9:30 pm ET
Week 5:
11/24/2026
6:30 - 9:30 pm ET
Week 6:
12/01/2026
6:30 - 9:30 pm ET


  1. Before Class - Welcome & How to Prepare for Class

  2. Week 1 - Introduction to Painting

  3. Week 2 - Temperature

  4. Week 3 - Long Pose One: Indirect Techniques Part One

  5. Week 4 - Indirect Techniques Part Two

  6. Week 5 - Long Pose Two: Color

  • $400.00
  • In-Person
  • 6 Weeks
  • Beginner to Intermediate

Meet Your Instructor

Nicola Russell

Instructor

Nicola Russell is an American-Canadian visual artist. She graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Studio Art (minor in Philosophy) from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where she earned the Katherine Gracey Merrill Award for academic excellence in fine arts. During her studies, she spent four months in Aix-en-Provence, France, at the Leo Marchutz School of Art. In 2022, she relocated to New York City and completed her MFA at the New York Academy of Art in 2024. Now based in NYC, Nicola teaches painting and drawing, specializing in portraiture, still life, and the human figure, working primarily in graphite, oil paint, and watercolor.

Terms & Conditions

Make sure to review all of our terms and conditions before purchase.

Achieve your artistic potential

Join us to discover traditional skills and contemporary practice