General Painting, for those interested in multiple mediums! We'll be discussing color mixing and blending, dry brush vs wet brush, composition, color contrast, mood and theme-ing, and more! We'll learn how to apply these techniques with different mediums.

*My scheduling availability isn't always accurate, as many students have their lessons with me every other week. My schedule is different from week to week, so it's best to at least pick a time with me and if it doesn't work, we'll make sure we schedule a lesson time that's convenient for both of us. If you need to schedule a lesson for a time sooner than what the TakeLessons calendar allows, you can always let me know and we'll most likely work something out for you.

I specialize in digital painting, with my strength in commercial art (concept art, illustration, characters and environments.) Though I have used traditional painting media before, students would get the most out of classes with me if they work in digital media. Students often use Krita, Photoshop, Firealpaca, Paint Tool Sai or Clip Studio Paint on laptop/desktop with a tablet such as a Wacom. They otherwise often use Procreate on the iPad.

I've recently been using Krita, which is free to download.

My goal is to help ...

Whatever your skill level, however fast or slow you want to go, I want to help you to become a better artist and enjoy it while you’re learning! What we cover in your lesson will be determined by your level of expertise. Oil paint is my forte, as I have been painting with it for 30 years. If you are just starting out with oils, we will discuss some important things to understand about the colors, mediums, how to set up your palette and some different ways of applying paint, etc. If you already have some experience with oil painting, we will pick up with whatever areas you would like to improve on. If you are interested in painting the human figure or portraits in particular, we can discuss some important ways to go about painting flesh tones. There are also some little known tips I want to tell you about that will be useful to artists of any skill level!

I will share with you any suggestions that I have for technique or different ways of approaching your painting that may help you ...

• Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal and oil to create artwork.
• Confer with clients and other interested parties regarding the nature and content of artwork to be produced.
• Explain and demonstrate artistic techniques for clients of all ages.
• Collaborate, gather materials and design curriculum for art workshops in the community:
o Charcoal Over Watercolor Workshop
o Watercolor Workshop
o Acrylic Painting Workshop
o Self-Portraits in Charcoal Workshop
o Mixed Media Black Ink Over Gouache Workshop
o Oil Pastel Workshop “Beekle, The Imaginary Friend”

• Providing professional framing services for art workshop clientele
• Art brokering and marketing art material at various shows including:
o Art Show- Prairie Arts Festival, Schaumburg, 5-28-2017
• Sales, Murals Advertising and Promotional Artwork

As my student you will learn very important basic to intermediate foundation knowledge of the painting process. This involves Color theory, canvas preparations (wood, Canvas and other substrate choices), Brush selections, Mediums and thinning, Paint storage and reusing. We will work on transferring ideas from still life or sketch to canvas. We will cover brush stroke effects, blending, highlighting and work processes for an efficient and most importantly fun workflow.

Learn how to unlock your creative potential and release the artist inside you while also learning how to paint.

Deron C. has been exploring painting for over 20 years and has been teaching others how to express themselves creatively with it for over 10. He will lead you through a creative process that encourages creativity and allows painting students the freedom to paint in an intuitive way. Paint what you see whether the reference material is a photograph or a three-dimensional still life.

If you've never painted before, Deron will guide you through the basics of painting, color theory, and the elements and principles of design while helping you exercise and strengthen your creativity.

If you are a painter that needs a little advice or direction TakeLessons.com instructor Deron C. will help you evaluate your work, answer your questions and provide guidance to get you on the right track.