The above image is my demo painting of Erin, created during my online virtual August 2020 two-week portrait painting workshop.
I received an inquiry today regarding my virtual online portrait painting class for this upcoming Fall Semester. I wanted to share my answers with anyone who may be considering taking a class or course of study to up the level of their work. I've included his questions followed by my responses:
How does your course differ from the many other painting courses?
Most teachers, in all schools, take one of two basic approaches, either they provide specific steps (rules and regulations) to follow and memorize (rote learning) or a more "creative" or intuitive approach based on doing what feels good or "floats your boat". Neither of those is all that helpful IMHO.
My teaching is based on the underlying principles which artists from the past used to create paintings which appear even more alive than reality.
Additionally I fully demonstrate every step in my process with a full explanation of what I’m doing and most importantly why. It’s like the Bible says, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, feed him for life.“
In my studio I have installed multiple high quality PTZ cameras which follow every action I take. You can see every brush stroke I make, in great detail, and how each color is first analyzed and then mixed on my palette. And, unlike watching a video, I will answer any questions that arise along the way. My approach is what's termed, mindful learning.
With regards to critiquing my students work, I have a computer running photoshop in which I can show them exactly what to do to correct problems and to move forward. I also have a wide range of graphics I incorporate into the lessons, as well as the ability to overlay important info and quotes.
My goal was to create an educational experience that would take learning in a live classroom to an entirely new level.
Does this course focus more on photos and digital interaction as opposed to models?
Since live models are not possible in Covid times, you will be working from high resolution photos, which I will provide for you to download. Classes that utilize Zoom models are working from very poor quality images taken with cell phones. I will also share what it takes to create high quality photos on your own.
Will the skills learned in this class be applicable to people who are more illustrators than painters of what they see in front of them?
What you learn in this class can be applied to any area of the arts. Once you understand how to create the illusion of three dimensional form in space, you can choose to incorporate this knowledge to whatever degree you choose. You can go from full-form to flat, or anywhere in between. Former students of mine inhabit the fields of fine art, illustration, animation, concept art, matte painting, graphic design, advertising, etc. These underlying principles can be universally applied in every aspect of the visual arts.
Here are comments from this past summer workshop's participants:
I am so glad that I took both Marvin's Drawing and Painting workshop this summer! It was a great opportunity. Marvin is a very generous in sharing his knowledge and expertise in drawing and painting. He teaches his proven methods of drawing and painting that you can carry with you in your artistic journey. You can start at any level and learn what you need to take you to the next level. He also has developed very successful way to do an online class with the best equipment available. It was truly a high quality online class experience and I hope to do another workshop soon. Thank you so much for the fabulous workshops! - Becky Bahas
This is a workshop that I have been meaning to attend for years, but never seemed to be able to coordinate, between the travel and time off etc. I am so glad I thought of checking out your plans for this workshop during our lockdown times. When I saw that you placed the workshop online I jumped for it. But you didn’t just add a camera to your “conventional” workshop. You thought this one out in a detailed way to make an amazing learning experience, including your demonstrations and even your Met tour. The fact that the zoom recordings were available to review, allowed me to increase the workshop virtual time, by rewinding and reviewing much of the realtime workshop hours. And since we used a reference photograph instead of a live model, we were able to continue working after (and before) workshop official times. This increased the value of the workshop even more. Regarding your basic methods, on top of your masterful world class portraiture expertise, you have developed methods that will always be of value, long after the workshop. In school, objective and logical subjects were always easier for me to absorb. And you have been able to take fine art and treat its principals with logic in order to reduce the “subjective contamination”. Exactly what I always look for! - Abbe Mendlowitz
Can’t believe it's been over a week since we finished the workshop and I am still trying to catch up with all the things I didn’t have time to do then. I meant to write as soon as we finished but the days just seem to have blown by. I still need to find the time to write a proper recommendation of both courses. They were amazing, and for me who had been completely apart from producing art for so long it was a great reintroduction in the best way possible. For now, I am glad to tell you that I have managed to keep painting, even if only a couple of days a week, and have started a portrait of my son Nicolas. Will send pictures soon but so far I think it's the best thing I’ve done! - Irena Moreno
Thank you again for an incredible workshop. It was a truly amazing educational experience. I can’t thank you enough for all the hard work you put into making the virtual workshop the best it could possibly be. I’m not sure if you remember, but back when I completed the painting of my mother in your foundation class, I told you that I was learning an insane amount, but that I absolutely didn't want to be an oil painter, and was still very committed to the graphic novel/comics path. However, you planted an extremely powerful seed in my mind, especially by way of exposing me to amazing painters/illustrators/draftsmen such as Leyendecker, Paxton, Cornwell, Escher, Raeburn, Sargent, (and Mattelson!), etc. In the year and a half since then, that seed has grown tremendously - this led me to switch majors so I could focus my entire efforts on picture making. The more I dig into myself to seek what it is that I truly want to create in life, the more clear my place at the easel becomes, and the more grateful I am to have such an incredible mentor on this journey. - Noah Klavens
Marvin Mattelson is now conducting his classes and workshops online in Full HD 1080p through his Fine Art Portrait Academy. For further information, or to register for an upcoming offering, please follow this link to his teaching page.
Until next time...
