Description
Roger Dean Course
Overview
In this six-week, six module course we aim to take you through the process of creating a painting from the idea to the finished piece of work. We will be painting the most integral parts of the painting together in each module. Roger will do a one-hour live session each week with our first group of ten students. You will be given an assignment for the week and will receive written feedback. This first group will be instrumental in developing the course with Roger as we progress to make sure we build the best course possible.
Painters of any ability are welcome from those who are professional painters who want to more tools in their armoury to painters who haven’t lifted a brush yet.
We intend to build the course and expand into other courses but this may be the only fully live one we do. If you want to make sure of this opportunity to learn live with Roger Dean, this is the course to join.
Week 1: Deciding and designing________________________________________June 17th Wednesday
Week 2: Painting the background and setting the mood______________________June 24th Wednesday
Week 3: Geology and topography, the basics of landscape___________________July 1st Wednesday
Week 4: Earth reaching the sky, painting trees_____________________________July 8th Wednesday
Week 5: Populating the landscape and painting the fauna____________________July 15th Wednesday
Week 6: Arranging the elements and composing the painting_________________July 22nd Wednesday
Course Outcomes:
By the end of this six week course you will learn the fundamental process of how to create a painting, from the concept to creating the composition and finally executing the work itself. You will learn from Roger his mindset and methodology of the process and be able to incorporate these skills of creativity and technique into your own practice. You will receive a certificate of participation acknowledging your part in the founding of the Roger Dean Art Course. We all sincerely hope that as well as learning from Roger himself you will all have a wonderful and extraordinary experience for this six week that will inspire your creative enthusiasm and be a wonderful memory.
What you will need
You will need a Facebook account for this first course. As it will be live with Roger as opposed to recorded, the sessions will take place in a private group on Facebook. Once you have signed up and given us your Facebook name, we will add you to this closed group. We can chat, share images and discuss progress but the formal feedback will be emailed privately to each student. Also, if for whatever reason you can’t make a live tutoring session, the video will remain in the group until the end of the course so you can catch up whenever you have time.
I recommend you get yourself an audiobook or download a podcast series that will keep you engrossed for at least 50 hours. This is so that while you are working on your assignments your attention can be occupied elsewhere.
Materials
It is not essential to spend a lot of money. There are differences in quality between materials but the important thing is that you have something to paint with (synthetic brushes and acrylic paint) and something to paint on (any board or canvas)
Paper for sketching
Watercolour sketchpad
Pencil (my preference is Mars Staedtler)
Sharpener
Eraser
Canvas or board (Any size you like is fine, but bear in mind the bigger it is, the more paint you’ll need to cover it)
Brushes
Gesso or primer
Basic acrylic paint set, choose a set and brand according to your budget
If you want to have or know the most useful colours for me, I’ve listed these below and discuss why they are useful in my live session XIX. I use the brand Golden so the names apply to their series, you do not require these but I recommend them if you like. I also recommend M. Graham & Co. acrylic paint:
‘Golden’ Ultramarine blue
‘Golden’ Cerulean blue
‘Golden’ Chromium oxide green
‘Golden’ light phthalo blue
‘Golden’ Teal
‘Golden’ Naples yellow hue
‘Golden’ Burnt umber light
‘Golden’ Pyrrole red light
‘Golden’ Phthalo blue
‘Golden’ Quinacridone magenta
‘Golden’ N6 neutral grey
‘Golden’ Zinc white
‘Golden’ Prime yellow
‘Golden’ Titanium white
‘Golden’ Mars black
Michael Cleary (verified owner) –
Fantastic course! I’m 60 now and have been a Roger Dean Fan since I was 14 so this was such a special opportunity. I loved the insight into the techniques, the personal coaching from Roger was first class and I definitely came out of the course a better painter having never used acrylics before. The personalised certificates were an unexpected delight too.! I could not recommend this course highly enough!
Michael Cleary (verified owner) –
This was a dream come true/ I recall my heart racing as I tried to sign up and the disbelief when I succeeded. The course satisfied all my curiosity about how Roger works, how he creates, the acrylic techniques he uses and the brush techniques. I can now see in every piece of work of Rogers the process he followed. More importantly this course equipped me with the tools to use these techniques. The 1 to 1 sessions were a dream come true and the considerate way in which Roger gave personal feedback was so encouraging and inspirational. I am still astounded by Rogers creativity and will never fully understand where these fantastic compositions come and I don’t think I want to so as not diminish the wonder I feel at these works, but now I understand the processes and I have had a go at using them which is all I expected from the course.. More significantly I definitely came out of the course a better painter! Finally, receiving a bespoke certificate and personalised card sent at the end of the course left me with a priceless momento of my experience. If you are a Roger Dean fan… this course is for you!!!!
Heather (verified owner) –
Wow. I keep pinching myself to check I have not been dreaming.
After following the Roger Dean live sessions, with fascination, the chance arose to enrol on the first Roger Dean art course. Thanks to my dad leaving me a small inheritance I was able to jump into this opportunity of a lifetime.
As a beginner to drawing and painting I was apprehensive (actually terrified) about what it would entail. I need not have worried. Although the class contained both beginners and more experienced artists it catered for all levels. I believe we all found it both informative and inspirational as Roger coached us in his creative approach, alongside sharing tips from his vast skills and experience.
Using acrylic paints for the first time, I was able to produce a number of small paintings which pay homage to Roger’s unique style. I now have three larger canvases tempting me to explore what I have learned. The class Facebook group was a valuable tool for students to share progress and I personally valued the encouragement and support given by my more experienced classmates. This adventure has been the highlight of a difficult year.
Thank you to Roger and Freya for all your enthusiasm and support.
Heather
Bob Giadrosich (verified owner) –
I am absolutely thrilled to have taken this course. Roger taught us, from conception to completion, how to design and compose the elements of a landscape thru sketches, live demonstrations, examples, and conversations. The lessons were shot from the studio, and there were plenty of Q&A’s, comments, observations, and information. Over the six weeks, the community of support that formed between everyone involved was pretty awesome, too (and still is). Lots of fun, extremely instructive, and a wonderful experience. But beware, there is homework!
When all is said and done, this course has fundamentally changed how I approach the creative process, and the ideas and applications presented will be manifesting themselves in all my future work. Bravo!
Jonathan Phillips (verified owner) –
I had the privilege of attending the first of Roger Dean’s in person classes on creativity and painting. This class was the opportunity of a lifetime I desperately needed. It reinvigorated my creative muscles after a long time away and reestablished my artistic life. In this class Roger Dean lays out his creative process from blank page to finished work of art.
and follows through to a completed landscape painting.
On day one, we started with exploring the empty sketchbook page, or blank canvas, and how to overcome that with instantly workable processes to jumpstart the creative process. With each successive week Roger then lays out step-by-step how to build elements on that spark, all the way through to a completed landscape painting.
After 6 short weeks I cannot imagine ever putting my pen or paintbrush down again. Roger brings a lifetime of very practical experience in draftsmanship and painting. His working practices are clearly those of an artist at the top of the game. And, he is able to engage with the students and explain his methodology in lessons that were easy to digest and act on immediately. Each class had me excited to get paint on canvas right away. His love for the arts is extremely contagious and translates well into the weekly lessons. Each week he lays out tried and true tricks that every student can practice and expand on immediately. And you are jumping to go to it by the end of each class.
The format of the class also included a private Facebook group for the class members, Roger, and Freyja. This venue was as crucial to the experience as the weekly lessons and 1:1 review sessions. My classmates were encouraging each other, posting updates, and assignment work. We could post questions and ideas openly. It was, and still is a couple months afterwards, a vital forum for my growth as an artist. We still post daily artwork, work in progress, and resources.
I could not imagine 2020 without this class and experience. I cannot stress enough how this has changed my artist perception. I grew more as an artist in just 6 weeks than I have after a decade of youtube videos and other online classes.
GALEN ENSIGN (verified owner) –
I enjoyed Roger Dean’s painting course very much and was honored to be among the first group of students. As expected, it was a great opportunity to meet, learn from, and interact with an artist who has inspired me since childhood, but this experience turned out to so much more than expected. It has changed the way I look at my own art and will inspire me to continue to learn and grow as an artist, going forward.
Each lesson in the course builds well on the previous one, in a natural progression, at a pace that kept me engaged without feeling overwhelmed. As a beginner/novice painter, even my most basic questions were answered quickly and thoroughly, and with a sincere desire to share the years of experience behind each answer, that welcomed and encouraged the next question. Critiques were very helpful, objective and above all supremely supportive, making no attempt to steer or direct my work, but only to encourage and improve it. Roger Dean approaches his students’ work with the same dignity and respect he extends to all creative endeavor, which was noticeable and greatly appreciated.
One of the unexpected surprises was, how much I enjoyed the Facebook group that Roger and Freyja set up to administer and manage the classes. Experience levels in our group varied greatly from novice to professional. Everyone was supportive and helpful, and we all learned from sharing and seeing each other’s work, and will continue to do so, as many of us have made lifelong friends. We all look forward to meeting and learning from other students as Roger Dean’s alumni group continues to grow.
Thank you to Roger, Freyja and their team, and to all my fellow students for this experience. And a special thank you to my wife, who gave me this painting course as an anniversary gift. I look forward to watching this group grow in all ways, and wish continued success to everyone involved.
Galen Ensign
Wichita Falls, Texas
Tim Stockman –
Absolutely Amazing Opportunity!