Zoom Class: Painting Figures in Real Spaces

Tuesday evenings, 6-9 PM
November 3rd, 10th, 17th, December 1st, 8th, 15th

Course Overview A traditional studio figure study tells us what a person looks like, but placing a figure within a environment tells us where they are and what story they live in. In this six-week interactive Zoom course, you will move beyond isolated model studies and learn how to seamlessly integrate human figures into quiet interior rooms or dynamic outdoor environments.

Painting a figure in context requires balancing proportion, light, and narrative so the subject feels fully anchored in its environment rather than pasted onto a backdrop. Through live demonstrations, targeted weekly assignments, and personal critiques, you will master the skills needed to make form and environment read as a unified whole.

What You Will Learn

• Composition and Narrative: Harnessing gesture, posture, and figure placement to direct the viewer’s eye and evoke mood.
• Unified Light and Shadow: Techniques for matching ambient light—from dappled outdoor sunlight to warm indoor bounce light—across both the subject and the surroundings.

• Combining Reference Material: Practical strategies for pulling figures and environments from separate photos (or life) and merging them seamlessly into one believable painting.

Class Structure

• Format: 6 weekly live Zoom sessions incorporating live demonstrations, lecture slide reviews, step-by-step exercises, and interactive group critiques.

• Skill Level: Open to painters working in oil, acrylic, or watercolor who have a basic foundation in drawing and color mixing and are looking to elevate their compositional storytelling.