2022 Mattelson Fine Art Portrait Academy Online Class Teaching Schedule

Alla Prima Oil Portrait Painting Mastery Online Art Class-2022

I have developed, what I believe is, a new and exiting way to paint in the Alla Prima style that goes far beyond the typical shoot-from-the hip-approach.

Portrait Drawing & Oil Portrait Painting: Online Workshop Schedule 2021

This summer I'll be teaching two online workshops, a five day portrait drawing workshop, as well as an eleven day portrait painting workshop.

New Day, New Site, New Blog, New Class - Starts May 1st

I am very excited to announce that my new website is up and running. And, as you can guess, so is my blog. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic I am now teaching my classes and workshops online.

Marvin Mattelson's Online Virtual Portrait Painting Class - Fall 2020.

Marvin Mattelson offers a more logical approach to painting than the typical dogmatic route of following rules.

Drawing the line: A Virtual Portrait Drawing Workshop

I'll be leading an intensive 5 day drawing workshop starting Monday July 13, 2020. The purpose of this workshop is to transform the way you think about drawing and making art.

NYC Realistic Portrait Drawing Workshop • June 3-7 2019

Next month at SVA in New York City I will be leading my annual portrait drawing workshop. It’s a five-day workshop.

Spring Continuing Ed Portrait and Figure Painting Classes at SVA

I’ll be teaching Realistic Portrait and Figure Painting on Fridays and Realistic Portrait Painting on Saturdays at SVA.

Fall Continuing Ed Oil Painting Portrait Classes at SVA

First of all, I wanted to share my latest commission with you, a portrait of Robert Cripps, the retiring Chairman of the Board of Velcro Industries.

Featured Course of the Week!

I'm proud to announce that this week my August oil portrait painting workshop, "Portrait Painting: The Real Deal", is featured on the School of Visual Arts' Continuing Education home page.

Marvin Mattelson Summer 2018 Workshops in New York City

This summer I’ll be teaching two workshops at the School of Visual Arts in New York City: a five-day portrait drawing workshop and an eleven-day portrait painting workshop.

To Be An Artist You First Need to Think Like One

Those who are in love with practice without knowledge or like the sailor who gets into a ship without rudder or compass and who never can be certain whether he is going. -Leonardo da Vinci

Marvin Mattelson's Fall 2017 Continuing Education Classes @ SVA

To me it's pretty obvious what's missing: a strategic picture making mentality that goes way beyond copying, which I rarely see in contemporary realism.

Making Rhyme Out of Reason: An Oil Portrait Painting Workshop

Just to give you some sort of indication, this painting is Marvin Mattelson's latest workshop demonstration.

Why Be Conventional When Greatness May Be Around the Bend?

In my teaching, I offer a different point of view. Decision-making is at the heart of all my teaching. Once you understand it you will be able to forge your own path.

Marvin Mattelson Realistic Portrait Drawing Workshop

My former student, Mary Beth Lumley, sent to me the following after taking my drawing workshop. I've also enclosed some images of her exquisite drawing.

Roots and Wings: The Tao of Teaching

The goal of my teaching is to cultivate each student's understanding of the underlying principles that inform the decision-making process.

Portrait Painting • Spring 2017 Continuing Ed Classes

The purpose of my teaching is to transform and empower my students to be the best possible version of themselves. Here are some examples from this past fall 2016 semester.

Fall Portrait Painting & Figure Painting Classes with Marvin Mattelson

Despite running her family’s business and attending to her many familial responsibilities, Carole somehow manages to squeeze in my CE painting class each week.

Oil Portrait Painting Workshop 2016

Painting is a function of problem-solving; the key is understanding how to control pictorial space on a flat surface. Every situation requires it’s own unique solution.

Register now, or forever hold your piece (of charcoal)

I decided to pose some deeply probing questions to myself so that potential students could get a better idea of why they should sign up today.

Where To Draw The Line: Marvin Mattelson’s Summer Drawing Workshop

I will be leading a portrait drawing workshop at the School of Visual Arts here in the heart of New York City.

“When you do what you've done, you get what you've gotten.” Mark Twain

Rita Mae Brown has stated, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Marvin Mattelson’s Winter/Spring Classes at SVA in NYC

Studying with me will not only teach you the technical aspects of painting but transform the way you approach painting altogether.

Marvin Mattelson’s Foundation Painting Class at SVA

To this day, when a student takes anything I’ve told them and manifests it in a constructive way, I get a tremendous sense of satisfaction.

Realistic Portrait Drawing Workshop with Marvin Mattelson in New York City

Drawing is the backbone of all representational art. J. D. Ingres said, "Drawing includes three and a half quarters of the content of painting... Drawing contains everything, except the hue.

Alla Prima Portrait Painting Demonstration

This past Saturday I did a portrait painting demonstration for my class, alla prima style, to show the students how I paint oil studies of clients.

Marvin Mattelson’s Portrait Workshops - Summer 2015

This summer, ‍regardless of whether you paint with broad strokes or great refinement, if you study with Marvin, you will learn how to take your work to the next level.

Marvin Mattelson's Continuing Education Painting Classes - Winter/Spring 2015

A lot of artists seem to feel that they will somehow magically figure it out all on their own. I know I did. Problem is, you can't get there from here!

Marvin Mattelson Fall 2014 Continuing Education Classes at SVA in NYC

I'll be teaching two classes this fall at the School of Visual Arts. Each class focuses on both Figure and Portrait Painting and runs for eleven weeks.

Cleveland Ohio Portrait Workshop - June 9 thru 21, 2014

Here's a little flyer I created for my June Ohio Workshop. I hope to see you there. Included in the tuition are five lectures.

Take a Look at Yourself

I recently received an email, from my student Renee Finkelstein. In it was an image of her latest painting, the beautiful self portrait I've posted here.

SVA Spring/Winter Continuing Education Classes: Realistic Figure & Portrait Painting

My classes are for artists of all levels, from beginners to advanced. My students' progress is unfathomable, compared to what you see in other classes and workshops.

In the Dark About Black?

Contrary to popular myth, I consider black to be an indispensable and versitile color which I utilize wherever and whenever I deem it most appropriate.

Marvin Mattelson's Fall CE Classes at SVA

I'm teaching two continuing education classes this fall. Rather than me harping on why you would greatly benefit from studying with me I thought I'd have one of my students share her experience.

You Can Get There From Here!

I believe that my teaching methodology facilitated both students because my approach to teaching painting is based on aligning one's mind to the mindset of great painters,

New York Portrait Artist Workshop Demonstration – Day Four

Today I completed my demonstration of Megan. I followed the same procedure as the previous day's demo, but focused on smaller and more subtle nuanced shapes and transitions.

New York Portrait Artist Workshop Demonstration – Day Three

Today, was the beginning of the end, or the phase I refer to as the initial finish later (AKA the refinement layer).

New York Portrait Artist Workshop Demonstration - Day Two

Today I laid in the color in a logical and methodical way and even had time at the end of the day to start the edge handling.

New York Portrait Artist Workshop Demonstration - Day One

I spent the day explaining and demonstrating my procedure for the wash-in, the painting's foundation layer (see above). My mantra: work large to small. Below you can see the steps I took:

Marvin Mattelson's Teaching Schedule • Summer 2013

My workshops are hugely different; they're about transformation. My goal to change the way my students look at the world and think about making art.

Marvin Mattelson Continuing Education Classes at SVA in NYC

Oil Figure & Portrait Painting Continuing Education Classes. begin this week.

How To Be A Better Artist in 2013

Look outside yourself to expand your capabilities. This where a good teacher comes in.

Fall Continuing Education Classes in New York City

A large number of my students keep coming back because they experience incredible progress in their artistic development.

Marvin Mattelson, Portrait Artist & Educator

I’ve been very busy lately finishing up my summer workshops, and trying to get everything ready for the fall semester,so I’ve had to put my fledgling career as a blogger on temporary hold.

New York City Portrait Artist Workshop-Demo Day #4: Grand Finale

On the final day the plan was to modify color nuance, intensity, edges in order to further develop the solidity the forms:

New York City Portrait Artist Workshop-Demo Day #3

Today was my next to last demo for the August Portrait Artist Workshop at the School of Visual Arts.

New York City Portrait Artist Workshop-Demo Day #2

Today, August 9, I laid in the color over my wash-in underpainting during the second demo for my New York City Portrait Artist Workshop.I love brushing in the color.

New York City Portrait Artist Workshop-Demo Day #1

My New York City Portrait Artist Workshop at the School of Visual Arts began on Monday August 6. Below is the progression of my underpainting on the first day of my demo.

Is Portrait Painting More Difficult Than Brain Surgery?

I always tell my students, “Portrait painting isn’t brain surgery, it’s much more difficult.” Not that learning to be a portrait artist isn’t a terribly daunting task.

The Last Marvin Mattelson Portrait Artist Workshop Ever

What a chilling thought! This is my final workshop for 2012, so if the Mayans turn out to be right, and the world goes poof on 12/21/12, you're out of luck. Y

Atlanta Portrait Artist Workshop – Day 11 Demo

Today I completed my demo painting. Not as refined as my portrait commissions, but a very good representation of my process, none-the less.

Atlanta Portrait Artist Workshop - Day 9 Demo

Today I continued to develop my demonstration painting. I started out by oiling out the painting. First I scumbled over the skin and then began to restate my flesh colors.

Atlanta Portrait Artist Workshop – Day 4 & 7 Demos

My demo painting is moving along very nicely. Here is the progression as I built up color over the umber wash-in under-painting during my initial color lay-in, this past Thursday.

There and Back: It's Uphill Both Ways!

Today I experienced an epiphany. Simplicity is a function of clarity. The perfect way to camouflage not knowing, is to obfuscate your explanation.

Atlanta Portrait Artist Workshop - Day 1 Demo

Today I started a two-week portrait artist workshop at Binders Art and Framing in Atlanta. This is the underpainting phase of my workshop demo–the first time I’ve ever posted one in progress.

Marvin Mattelson Atlanta Portrait Artist Lecture Series

I'll be returning to lead a two-week workshop in Atlanta. I schedule my lectures in the evenings and on the intervening Sunday. This way I can cover valuable information without taking away from model painting time.

This Rule Pushed Me Over the Edge

Repetition is the evil step child of rules. The technical term for this is boring. The point of being an artist is creativity. The death knell tolls when artists mimic themselves, consciously or not.

Marvin Mattelson's Atlanta Portrait Artist Workshop

I will be returning to Atlanta for my annual two-week workshop at Binders Art Supplies and Frames in the fashionable Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta GA.

A Palette-able Delight!

During my New York oil portrait artist workshop I will spend one day, with my students, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I'll be analyzing a number of great master portraits and talk about how they relate to my teaching.T

So You Think You Can Draw?

 In every class I teach, everything is fully demonstrated and thoroughly explained. The above drawing is a detail of my workshop demonstration drawing.

Two Good to be True Oil Portrait Workshops

I was leading an oil portrait workshop when a very well-known realist artist and teacher looked at the students' work and remarked, "I have been to many workshops, including my own, and I've never seen this kind of progress, ever!”