FREE PREVIEW

Course curriculum

    1. Student Orientation Video

    2. Join your community!

    3. Materials

    4. Vocabulary

    1. Applying the Paint

    1. Painting the Eye and Lips

    1. The Final Touches

About this course

  • $199.99
  • 7 lessons
  • 2 hours of video content

Great Value

Learn a lifelong skill for the price of a trip to the art supply store

Course overview

In Painting Beyond the Reference, you’ll learn how to transform photographic references into expressive, dynamic paintings. This course goes beyond copying a photo—focusing instead on interpretation, abstraction, and the physicality of paint. Through guided lessons, you'll explore techniques to translate photographic details into compelling brushstrokes, manipulate color relationships, and create volume without rigid outlines. By embracing experimentation and intentional mark-making, you’ll develop a personal painting language that moves beyond replication into artistic expression. Discover how to trust your intuition, engage with paint as a medium, and create paintings that resonate beyond the reference.

  • Transform photos into expressive paintings

  • Interpret, don’t replicate the reference

  • Master bold, intentional brushstrokes

  • Enhance depth with color relationships

  • Balance abstraction and realism effectively

  • Develop a unique painting style

Instructor(s)

Alyssa Monks

Instructor

Born 1977 in New Jersey, Alyssa began oil painting as a child. She studied at The New School in New York and earned her B.A. from Boston College in 1999. During this time she studied painting at Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence. She went on to earn her M.F.A. from the New York Academy of Art in 2001. She completed an artist in residency at Fullerton College in 2006 and has lectured and taught at universities and institutions worldwide. She continues to offer workshops and mentorships and lectures regularly. Alyssa has been awarded the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant for Painting three times and serves on the New York Academy of Art’s Board of Trustees. She is represented by Forum Gallery in New York City. Alyssa currently lives and paints in Brooklyn, New York.

Additional products

View more products