Image 1 of 1
Design for Painters (Online Course) Winter 2027 w/ John Lasater
February 4 to March 4 (Thursdays) 4:00 PM to 7:00 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. Our business hours are 10:00 AM through 5:00 PM. All course information and email correspondence will be sent during business hours. If students purchase a course, workshop, demo or recording outside business hours or during the weekend the course information or recording will be sent the following business day.
Course Description
Discover the hidden order behind strong paintings in this five-session online course, inspired by Marie MacDonnell Roberts’ The Artist’s Design. We’ll start with shapes as the basic alphabet of painting, then add design structures, eye movement, unity, balance, rhythm, proportion, line, texture, light, color, form, and space. You’ll see plenty of master painting examples, watch live demonstrations, and pick up practical ideas from the book and my own experience. It’s designed for painters of any kind at all skill levels who want to work with more intention. All my demonstrations will be in oil.
Course Outline
Week 1: Foundations – Shapes
We begin with shapes and why they matter. We’ll look at symbolic and abstract forms, and I’ll demonstrate ways to simplify references into clear designs, including Notan thumbnails. You’ll leave with simple exercises to try.
Key Takeaways:
Shapes serve as the basic building blocks of every painting.
Turn any reference into stronger designs by simplifying light and dark.
Exercises to give you a fast, reliable way to test strong compositions.
Week 2: Design Structures
We’ll examine the main structures masters use, such as axial, pyramidal, and radial. You’ll see how they appear in well-known works and practice creating a few options from one reference.
Key Takeaways:
A solid underlying structure brings strength and clarity to your paintings.
One reference photo can support several different strong compositions.
You’ll see how structures can be obvious or completely hidden in finished work.
Week 3: Movement and Core Design Elements
We cover how to guide the viewer’s eye and use unity, balance, rhythm, and proportion. I’ll show examples and do a live demonstration to illustrate these ideas in practice.
Key Takeaways:
You can direct where viewers look using pushes and pulls.
Unity, balance, rhythm, and proportion combine to create harmony.
Small changes in arrangement can dramatically improve how a painting feels.
Week 4: Line, Texture, Light, Color, and Form
This session focuses on line, texture, light, color, and form. I’ll demonstrate small studies showing how these tools strengthen shapes and add interest.
Key Takeaways:
Line and texture work well to direct attention.
You’ll learn how light and color help create mood and believable three-dimensional form.
These tools should support your main shapes instead of competing with them.
Week 5: Space, Depth, and Integration
We’ll explore ways to create space and depth, then I’ll do a final demonstration that combines the main ideas from the course. You’ll finish with a clearer approach to designing your paintings.
Key Takeaways:
Overlapping, gradients, and atmospheric perspective produce convincing depth.
Depth is an intentional choice—you can emphasize it or keep space shallow.
All course concepts work together to support your personal vision.
Course Materials List
(None of my recommended supplies are required for class time, so invest only as you wish. If you paint in other mediums, obviously you can ignore this list)
Notebook:
This is an intensive study, so you’ll mostly benefit from the note taking. Doodling during lecture time is also encouraged, haha, we’re artists after all.
Oil Paints:
I recommend Rembrandt Oils because they flow beautifully off the brush with minimal medium. You can purchase my full set or simplify to: Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Red Light, Quinacridone Rose, Ultramarine Deep, and Viridian. You can use discount code LASATER for 40% off:
https://royal-talens-north-america.myshopify.com/collections/john-lasater?sort_by=price-descending
Brushes:
Long-haired synthetics are my favorite. A mix of filberts, flats, and rounds. They offer excellent opacity and flow. Currently into the Bristlon line from Silver Brush.
Surfaces:
Current favorite is Blick Belgian Linen Medium Texture panels. Oil paper is also excellent for practice. Heck, if you want to really save money, just put some acrylic gesso on cardboard. Variety of sizes would be good depending on your normal comfort-level.
February 4 to March 4 (Thursdays) 4:00 PM to 7:00 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. Our business hours are 10:00 AM through 5:00 PM. All course information and email correspondence will be sent during business hours. If students purchase a course, workshop, demo or recording outside business hours or during the weekend the course information or recording will be sent the following business day.
Course Description
Discover the hidden order behind strong paintings in this five-session online course, inspired by Marie MacDonnell Roberts’ The Artist’s Design. We’ll start with shapes as the basic alphabet of painting, then add design structures, eye movement, unity, balance, rhythm, proportion, line, texture, light, color, form, and space. You’ll see plenty of master painting examples, watch live demonstrations, and pick up practical ideas from the book and my own experience. It’s designed for painters of any kind at all skill levels who want to work with more intention. All my demonstrations will be in oil.
Course Outline
Week 1: Foundations – Shapes
We begin with shapes and why they matter. We’ll look at symbolic and abstract forms, and I’ll demonstrate ways to simplify references into clear designs, including Notan thumbnails. You’ll leave with simple exercises to try.
Key Takeaways:
Shapes serve as the basic building blocks of every painting.
Turn any reference into stronger designs by simplifying light and dark.
Exercises to give you a fast, reliable way to test strong compositions.
Week 2: Design Structures
We’ll examine the main structures masters use, such as axial, pyramidal, and radial. You’ll see how they appear in well-known works and practice creating a few options from one reference.
Key Takeaways:
A solid underlying structure brings strength and clarity to your paintings.
One reference photo can support several different strong compositions.
You’ll see how structures can be obvious or completely hidden in finished work.
Week 3: Movement and Core Design Elements
We cover how to guide the viewer’s eye and use unity, balance, rhythm, and proportion. I’ll show examples and do a live demonstration to illustrate these ideas in practice.
Key Takeaways:
You can direct where viewers look using pushes and pulls.
Unity, balance, rhythm, and proportion combine to create harmony.
Small changes in arrangement can dramatically improve how a painting feels.
Week 4: Line, Texture, Light, Color, and Form
This session focuses on line, texture, light, color, and form. I’ll demonstrate small studies showing how these tools strengthen shapes and add interest.
Key Takeaways:
Line and texture work well to direct attention.
You’ll learn how light and color help create mood and believable three-dimensional form.
These tools should support your main shapes instead of competing with them.
Week 5: Space, Depth, and Integration
We’ll explore ways to create space and depth, then I’ll do a final demonstration that combines the main ideas from the course. You’ll finish with a clearer approach to designing your paintings.
Key Takeaways:
Overlapping, gradients, and atmospheric perspective produce convincing depth.
Depth is an intentional choice—you can emphasize it or keep space shallow.
All course concepts work together to support your personal vision.
Course Materials List
(None of my recommended supplies are required for class time, so invest only as you wish. If you paint in other mediums, obviously you can ignore this list)
Notebook:
This is an intensive study, so you’ll mostly benefit from the note taking. Doodling during lecture time is also encouraged, haha, we’re artists after all.
Oil Paints:
I recommend Rembrandt Oils because they flow beautifully off the brush with minimal medium. You can purchase my full set or simplify to: Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Red Light, Quinacridone Rose, Ultramarine Deep, and Viridian. You can use discount code LASATER for 40% off:
https://royal-talens-north-america.myshopify.com/collections/john-lasater?sort_by=price-descending
Brushes:
Long-haired synthetics are my favorite. A mix of filberts, flats, and rounds. They offer excellent opacity and flow. Currently into the Bristlon line from Silver Brush.
Surfaces:
Current favorite is Blick Belgian Linen Medium Texture panels. Oil paper is also excellent for practice. Heck, if you want to really save money, just put some acrylic gesso on cardboard. Variety of sizes would be good depending on your normal comfort-level.