The Importance of Expressiveness in Painting (Online Course) Winter 2027 w/ Miguel Coronado

January 11 to March 1 (Mondays), 2:00 PM to 4:30 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.

*This course has an English interpreter for Miguel

DEMO: https://youtu.be/bk60kmr5WZs

Course Description

This course aims to explore the importance of expressiveness in painting. What is expressiveness and why is it so important? We will learn that a painting conveys emotions when it is expressive. We will discuss the expressive properties of the painting medium. We will study how to achieve greater expressiveness in a work of art. We will examine the mechanisms that contribute to expressiveness in a work, such as the materials used, brushstrokes, glazing, and other techniques that leave their mark on the painting.

We will see that expressiveness is more important than simply copying details. Furthermore, we will study how the great masters have used these expressive approaches in their work. We will use the genres of portraiture, landscape, and still life to explore the issue of expressiveness.

Course Outline

Week 1 -

Introductory video on the topic of expressiveness. We will see images of some master painters, studying how these artists have painted works that stand out for their expressiveness. Images of my own work are also included.

First demonstration session.

Questions and answers.

Explanation of how to proceed with posting on Padlet.

Week 2 -

Student exercise feedback, next demo session.

Questions and answers.

Week 3 -

Student exercise feedback, next demo session.

Questions and answers.

Week 4 -

Student exercise feedback, next demo session.

Questions and answers.

Week 5 -

Student exercise feedback, next demo session.

Questions and answers.

Week 6 -

Student exercise feedback, next demo session.

Questions and answers.

Week 7 -

Student exercise feedback, next demo session.

Questions and answers.

Week 8 -

Student exercise feedback. Review of student work throughout the course and conclusions about their learning.

Questions and answers.

Course Materials List

SUPPORTS

This can be paper, cardboard, wood, or fabric.

Everything should be primed with gesso.

If using fabric, the weave should not be too coarse.

Small sizes, close to A4, are recommended.

TECHNIQUE

Oil paint is recommended, but gouache or acrylic are also acceptable.

COLORS

Guidelines for the color palette I use.

(You can also use your usual colors)

Titanium White

Primaries: Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, and Cyan Blue.

It's also a good idea to have light and dark colors, saturated and unsaturated colors, and cool and warm colors.

For example:

Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna.

Ultramarine Blue and Magenta (a cool red).

And some green... I use Titanium Green Light and Blue-Green.

It's important to understand that each color has a cool or warm undertone. Depending on this dominant color, we may or may not be able to achieve the desired tone.

For example, you can't achieve intense oranges with lemon yellow (cool dominant).

Although all colors can be used on the palette.

BRUSHES

Having suitable brushes in good condition is essential.

It's advisable to have a variety in terms of size, shape, and stiffness.

Flat brushes are very useful and highly recommended.

I use both flat and round brushes.

It's recommended to have:

Soft, flat brushes.

They can be synthetic or animal hair.

Rather small sizes: bristles between 0.5 and 1 cm wide.

Some soft, round brushes.

Small sizes: bristles between 0.2 and 0.5 cm wide.

Some stiffer bristle or synthetic brushes.

A synthetic or bristle palette knife. 2 cm bristle width.

OTHER

Palette. It's important that the canvas isn't too small. 30 x 40 cm is recommended.

(Standard size).

Thinner: Use the thinner you typically use in your area.

Glass jar for the thinner.

A palette knife that isn't too rigid.

Toilet paper roll for cleaning brushes.

Soft pencil (HB or 2B).

Spring-clamp plastic clips are very useful for gripping or holding the canvas.

Optional: Quick-drying medium to accelerate drying.

I use Talens Oil Medium diluted 50% with thinner.