Intermediate Painting | Spring

The aim of this course is to give students a good understanding of the fundamentals of painting. Students will learn how to see, match and mix colors. We will be making copies of paintings from a variety of different styles in order to learn how the masters of the past controlled the use of color, value and brushwork.

After studying watercolor paintings from master artists, students will create their own landscape and still-life paintings. In the second half of the semester we will begin working with oil and acrylic paint. I will describe the durability, strength and chemical properties of the solvents, pigments and painting surfaces we will be using. Through demonstrations, personal instruction, and exercises, students will learn how to mix colors, layer paint, add glazes and create texture.

In the final quarter of the semester, students will start working on their final project. This project will be a highly refined still-life, portrait, or landscape of the student’s choice at least 16”x20”. Students will be required to practice exercises taught in class and may need to work outside of class to complete projects.

Along with hands-on studio work, students will participate in regular class critiques, creating a forum for the group to constructively collaborate and discuss creative outcomes. Individual artist statements will be required with most finished pieces of work, giving students another opportunity to articulate their interpretive intent and their understanding of process and design concepts.

Students can also expect ongoing dialogues about art in history, the Christian imagination in relation to faith and the arts, and the role of the arts in the Church. The hope of the instructor is that through engagement in the class, students will be brought to a deeper appreciation of the visual world and the creative love of its Maker.

Required Materials:
Books and supplies are not included in the purchase of the course.

Visit DickBlick Art Supply for a complete shopping list. Please note: it is okay to purchase other brands/variations of these materials.

Palette: Paint palettes come in several different styles. I recommend a glass palette as it is the easiest to keep clean. You may also buy a wooden palette or a pad of disposable paper palettes. Your palette should be no smaller than 9′′x12”.
Brushes: You will want a variety of long-handled oil/acrylic paint brushes. Look for “round,” “flat,” and “filbert” style brushes. You should have a few larger brushes (up to an inch wide) as well as a handful of smaller brushes. The brushes in this link are excellent for both oil and watercolor, but are rather pricey. https://www.dickblick.com/products/princeton-velvetouch-synthetic-brushes/
One palette knife.
A small glass jar
Pad of 12′′x16” Canvas Paper
One 16”x20” Canvas
Acrylic Paints: preferred brand is Utrecht, but other brands also work well.
- Titanium White (at least 150ml)
- Yellow Ochre (at least 37ml)
- Cadmium Yellow (at least 37ml)
- Cadmium Red (at least 37ml)
- Alizarin Crimson (at least 37ml)
- Ultramarine Blue (at least 37ml

Samuel Walter

[email protected]

Samuel Walter received a Bachelor of Arts degree at Haverford College, and a M.M. and M.M.A. from the Yale School of Music. During his time at Yale University Samuel established himself in New Haven as a commissioned portrait and still-life artist. He has been awarded in numerous international and national competitions including the 2022 ARC International Salon competition, the 2022 Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition and the 2021 Portrait Society of America’s Future Generation award. He has also been featured in the International Artist Magazine, The Art of The Portrait Magazine, and the American Art Collector Magazine. Samuel has received portrait commissions from presidents, professors and administration at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Swarthmore College, Haverford College, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. In his portraiture, Samuel tries to emphasize that all are created in the image of God.

Samuel is also a passionate teacher and has provided both art and music instruction for nearly a decade. Teaching art is a wonderful way to open students’ eyes to the beauty of God’s creation all around them: to notice beautiful colors, shapes, lighting and compositions. Art can be an act of worship in which we appreciate what God has created, and imitate Him, the great Artist and Creator.

Computer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.

High-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.

Webcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)

Headset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm

Zoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. To download Zoom:

Visit zoom.us/download.
Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
Open and run the installer on your computer.
In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.

Scanner: In this class, students frequently submit homework assignments by scanning pages from their workbooks. Students and/or their parents should have easy access to a scanner and the ability to use it.

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