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Conquering Color (Online Course) Winter 2026 w/ Manon Sander
January 26 to February 23 (Mondays), 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Eastern Time
**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.
Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite.
DEMO: https://youtu.be/_K5s4NiTO50
Course Description
Learn Manon’s colorist technique to make a luminous, light-filled painting, and replace random decision making with intentional choices in regards to choosing and mixing the right colors. Manon will demonstrate a variety of subject matter using a split-primary palette and an impressionistic alla prima approach step-by-step to give you the confidence to use your new skills on your own. Manon will break down color and how to use it, in addition to other elements of creating light-filled and colorful paintings. Demos, lectures, and homework critiques will accelerate your artistic growth. This workshop is appropriate for oils, acrylics, and gouache.
Course Outline
Week 1
Elements of good composition
How to decide what would make a good painting
How to start out a painting with a solid foundation
Week 2
Deep dive into the properties of color
Color mixing with intention
How to avoid chalkiness and muddiness
Week 3
Tips and exercises to really get to know your colors
How colors influence each other
How to use the influence colors have on each other to your advantage
Week 4
Situational lighting.
Different types of light on a still life
Different types of light on a landscape
How to use color effectively to capture the quality of the light
Week 5
High key painting
Low key painting
Course Materials List
Colors:
Titanium White
Lemon Yellow or Cadmium Yellow Light
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Indian Yellow
Cadmium Orange or Permanent Orange (Michael Harding)
Raw Sienna , Yellow Ochre or Golden Ochre
Cadmium Red Light or Naphtol Red
Quinacridone Rose or Permanent Alizarin Crimson
Phthalo Blue or Cerulean
Ultramarine Blue (Michael Harding preferred)
Viridian or Phthalo Green
Transparent Red Oxide or Transparent Earth Red
In general, as long as you have a warm and a cool version of yellow, blue, and red you should be good to go. The colors printed boldly are what’s on my own palette, but the regular printed ones can be used alternatively if you already have them. In general, artist grade paints are to be preferred over student grade.
Medium:
Gamsol (for oil painters)
Gamblin Galkyd Lite Gel
Brushes:
As long as you have a variety of long flats and filberts you’ll be good. Please no short stubby brushes or old stiff paint-encrusted brushes.
Just for your information, here’s what I use:
Long flats natural bristle brushes such as hog hair or Rosemary’s long-handled long flats, “Ivory” or “Shiraz” synthetic bristle
Size 1 round.
Size 2,4, 6, 8, 10 long-bristled flats or filberts.
½” diamond shaped palette knife.
Canvas:
Small canvases, like 6x8”, 8x10”, 9x12, 11.x 14” depending on your speed and comfort level. Squares in similar sizes will work well, too.
Miscellaneous
Paper towels (blue shop towels from Home Depot are great)
Container for mineral spirits
Trash bag
Palette
Small sketch book and pencil
Value markers in light, medium, and dark values
January 26 to February 23 (Mondays), 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Eastern Time
**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.
Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite.
DEMO: https://youtu.be/_K5s4NiTO50
Course Description
Learn Manon’s colorist technique to make a luminous, light-filled painting, and replace random decision making with intentional choices in regards to choosing and mixing the right colors. Manon will demonstrate a variety of subject matter using a split-primary palette and an impressionistic alla prima approach step-by-step to give you the confidence to use your new skills on your own. Manon will break down color and how to use it, in addition to other elements of creating light-filled and colorful paintings. Demos, lectures, and homework critiques will accelerate your artistic growth. This workshop is appropriate for oils, acrylics, and gouache.
Course Outline
Week 1
Elements of good composition
How to decide what would make a good painting
How to start out a painting with a solid foundation
Week 2
Deep dive into the properties of color
Color mixing with intention
How to avoid chalkiness and muddiness
Week 3
Tips and exercises to really get to know your colors
How colors influence each other
How to use the influence colors have on each other to your advantage
Week 4
Situational lighting.
Different types of light on a still life
Different types of light on a landscape
How to use color effectively to capture the quality of the light
Week 5
High key painting
Low key painting
Course Materials List
Colors:
Titanium White
Lemon Yellow or Cadmium Yellow Light
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Indian Yellow
Cadmium Orange or Permanent Orange (Michael Harding)
Raw Sienna , Yellow Ochre or Golden Ochre
Cadmium Red Light or Naphtol Red
Quinacridone Rose or Permanent Alizarin Crimson
Phthalo Blue or Cerulean
Ultramarine Blue (Michael Harding preferred)
Viridian or Phthalo Green
Transparent Red Oxide or Transparent Earth Red
In general, as long as you have a warm and a cool version of yellow, blue, and red you should be good to go. The colors printed boldly are what’s on my own palette, but the regular printed ones can be used alternatively if you already have them. In general, artist grade paints are to be preferred over student grade.
Medium:
Gamsol (for oil painters)
Gamblin Galkyd Lite Gel
Brushes:
As long as you have a variety of long flats and filberts you’ll be good. Please no short stubby brushes or old stiff paint-encrusted brushes.
Just for your information, here’s what I use:
Long flats natural bristle brushes such as hog hair or Rosemary’s long-handled long flats, “Ivory” or “Shiraz” synthetic bristle
Size 1 round.
Size 2,4, 6, 8, 10 long-bristled flats or filberts.
½” diamond shaped palette knife.
Canvas:
Small canvases, like 6x8”, 8x10”, 9x12, 11.x 14” depending on your speed and comfort level. Squares in similar sizes will work well, too.
Miscellaneous
Paper towels (blue shop towels from Home Depot are great)
Container for mineral spirits
Trash bag
Palette
Small sketch book and pencil
Value markers in light, medium, and dark values