Frequently Asked Questions & Studio Policy
FAQs and Studio Policy
Please make sure to read our Terms and Conditions before purchasing our classes.
Classes
I can’t find class dates. Can I start attending the Learning The Craft, Guiding Hand, or Sketch Along at any time?
The classes run in 4 week patterns. Go to our Calendar Page to find specific dates. You can enter at the beginning of each pattern. Each 4 Week Pattern begins with the Learning The Craft’s Zoom session. It works like a gym or yoga class and is ongoing.
Are the Month Subscriptions like punch card entries? Am I supposed to attend all the sessions I subscribed for consecutively?
We designed the monthly sessions to be taken consecutively (i.e. with no breaks in between). We don’t offer punch card type classes. This is to avoid running into under or over-booking issues, as we have limited spots.
Can I reserve a spot a few weeks/months from now?
We offer pre-enrollment for classes starting the next 4 week session. It is not possible to book spots further in the future than that.
Can I start painting from the start, or do I have to draw first?
This depends on which Program you are in. Our opinion is that painting and drawing should are not something separate. They intertwine and support one another. To make better paintings one needs to make better drawings. That’s why we want you to build upon strong foundations.
Learning The Craft, as this is technique based, you must begin with drawing, as all good art education does. (Of course those already in our Programs this past 2021 will resume at their current level/medium).
For Guiding Hand you may draw, paint, whatever you are already doing on your personal work.
For Sketch Along this is more open ended and will change from month to month.
I can’t find my question I want to ask here on the FAQ, how do I ask?
No Problem! Send us an email to info@onlinefineartstudio.com and we will get back to you. We might even include it on our FAQ for others to find!
What are the Learning The Craft Assignments/Projects like?
You can choose a subject, Figure, Cast & Still Life, or Master Study. You start with graphite. After you complete several graphite drawings, you can move more complex mediums. Which are charcoal, sepia and white chalk. After that you will start working in oil, in black and white. Then you will move to full color in oil.
Projects take as long as necessary to finish them. Students should NOT move onto the next piece until the teacher has given a passing mark to the piece. This is to ensure the student is learning all they can from each piece. This could mean two weeks or two months or more of work. Depending on the complexity of the project and the amount of time and focus you can dedicate to it. Simply put, work at your own pace.
Where can I find a list of the Learning The Craft Program’s Projects?
We will publish a curriculum for all our programs soon. For those already enrolled, they are the same projects as before.
How long do the Programs themselves take to complete?
This will depend a lot on the individual as the Programs are project based. This also changes depending on how much time a student can dedicated to their classes. A student who dedicates 30 minutes a week and a student who dedicates 3 or more hours a week, will go at different speed.
This will also vary on skill level and learning speed. Some learn very quickly while other more slowly taking time to absorb things. Both are totally fine and normal! Everyone is different.
So all in all it can take anywhere from 2-4 years roughly. This is based on the Atelier training which is traditionally 3-7 years long.
What Time is Sketch Along?
Saturdays at 10am Mountain Time.
Can I opt out of sketch along? What if I have to miss a meeting? I am busy a lot on the weekend and may have to miss quite a few.
Sketch Along is included in both LC and GH. You do not have to attend live if you don’t want to. Of course we encourage everyone to attend live if they can. This way you can ask live questions and also feel more a part of the community.
If you have to miss class, not to worry! They are recorded each session and available to all those subscribed to watch/re-watch at your own convenience.
All Sketch Along sessions are recorded and available to all subscribed.
Experience Level
I have never drawn before. Is this too advanced for me?
Absolutely not!
Now is never too late to get started having art in your life! This is not to say that it will not be challenging and requires patience and calmness. But keep in mind that it is challenging no matter your level! It is extremely rewarding to be able to visually understand our universe and to be able to recreate it.
Think of our classes as if you were to sign up for guitar lessons on a weekly basis.
If it is your first drawing, prepare yourself to experience mistakes! Luckily the mistakes are completely necessary! We need them to learn. Working through our mistakes a teacher is the best way to improve.
We also suggest looking into the Charles Bargue Drawing Course. You can find a free PDF online. It’s a good way to get an idea of what the lessons will be like. We do not teach from the book, but our style is fairly similar.
I am a total beginner. What class should I take?
We suggest starting out with our Learning The Craft option. And for your subject we suggest Cast & Still Life.
Is the 4 Week Pattern a workshop?
No, it is a continuous and ongoing class with a 4 week renewing subscription, like a gym membership.
Do you have workshops or shorter classes? Can I just take one month of the classes and stop after that?
Currently we do not have workshops planned, but we have had many in the past and we hope to have them again in the future. Make sure you subscribe to our mailing list!
We don’t recommend just taking one month. It is not how the lessons are designed so you will not learn in the most efficient way. Also we spend most of the first weeks with students getting to know them and their work and how we can help. The true lessons begin once we have found the ways we can be of most help.
I am a professional / experienced artist. What can you offer me?
We love working with all levels! You will fit nicely in all three of our options, depending on what you are looking for.
If you are looking to improve your skills and willing to work for it, then Learning The Craft is for you. Note that this will take away time from your personal/professional work. If you look for an extra set of eyes to “double check” your artwork before it ships off to a client, Guiding Hand is for you. If you are looking for a small artistic schedule. A connection to an artistic community. For some inspiration and new ideas with minimal time spent, then Sketch Along is for you.
We cater each of our critiques to our students based on their individual needs. We do teach particular methods within the studio. Yet we can adjust to your particular style or method. We can incorporate it into our critiques and lesson plan for you.
Let us know what your goals are and what we can help you with!
Style of Classes
I like abstract art best, are your classes right for me?
We would have to say most likely not. Not that we have anything about abstract art, it’s not our specialty.
What kind of style are your classes? And do you expect me to paint just like that too?
Our classes are in a style that has many names. For simplicity we can call it Classical Realism. For some idea of what we cover look at the following organizations.
The Art Renewal Center, The Portrait Society, Arcadia Gallery, Era Contemporary, MEAM in Barcelona, and Mod Portrait.
We do not expect you to follow in this style 100%, but you will have a better time the more in line your style is with the above. The important moment to follow in this style is during your education. After you have learned the basics, you can move onto more wild and abstract things should you so desire!
I like the portraits that are hyper realistic where you can see every pore, wrinkle, hair, and eyelash. Is this what you do?
It’s not really what we do. That style is Photorealism. It is most often done via projector or tracing of photographs. While we do use photo references, we treat them as if they were live models we were viewing from life.
This means we are teaching how to see. Which is how to read or interpret what you see in front of you and how best to re-show or re-represent that onto canvas.
Our goal is not to copy a photograph as closely as possible. Instead is to show something alive and real on the canvas just as though you were to see it in person.
How do I set up my home studio?
We will have tips for this coming soon. For basic supplies you need a dedicated space, an easel of some kind, a light/lamp, storage for art supplies, and access to a good printer.
Will I be working from life or photographs?
While for traditional academic training working from life with natural light is the norm, this is not accessible to everyone at all times.
Students will work from photos shot with controlled lighting, master studies, or from life in their own home studio. Make sure any printed references are high quality prints. They don’t need to be professional ( those can be pricey!) but they need to be good enough for you to be able to see really well. It is worth while to get a few various prints made with varying exposure. It can also be helpful to have some printed in color and others in black and while. Have some prints of the whole image and some of details. This will all help to understand and interpret the subject better.
For print sizes you will need to refer to your assignment requirement discussed in class.
We will have tips on works from life in your home studio soon.
How Long is the Zoom Meeting for? When are Zoom spots available?
The Learning The Craft Zoom meeting lasts for one hour.
Currently all our hours are in Mountain Time. Thursday 9am-12pm Friday 9am-12pm Saturday 9am-12pm
Spots are limited, we will send you an email with the hours available for you to choose from.
When is my Homework/Assignment due?
Both Learning The Craft & Guiding Hand should send in their work to the Forum by Thursday midnight.
For Learning The Craft, the work is putting in the hours on your assignment and making corrections. Do your best to have them finished by the next critique.
Guiding Hand has no assignments. Still, we encourage students to work on, or at least to consider, the corrections given.. Students should include their questions and comments written in the Forum. Keep your writing up to 300 words. This is to help you be more precise and think about which questions you want us to really spend time on for you. Sketch Along does not have assignments or homework unless otherwise specified.
I have a question about something in the Video Feedback, how do I ask it?
If it is a question of immediate importance, ie. My cat rubbed up against my oil painting and there’s fur everywhere, help! We will try our best to answer you during the week. Just write to us on the forum and perhaps a photo of said furry painting.
If it a question of less immediate importance, We encourage you to really think about it first, before asking the question.
Often it is a question we have answered before, so it might be in your notes. It might have been answered in a difference context, so you will need to think about how to reapply it. Most importantly we want you to do you best to answer it and to do your best and try. If still you don’t know how to approach the task in question, write to us on the forum. We will either bring it into our next Zoom meeting or our next Video Feedback. We may even address it in the Sketch Along if we feel it is a topic suited for more students, or if we see other students struggling with the same task.
How do I receive my Video Critique, and is public for everyone to see?
We send to you on a unlisted YouTube link. This means that only only who is given the link has access to the video. We will only share this link with you. If the video has nudity we might send it to you via a private Vimeo video.
I am a busy person, are your classes right for me?
It depends on what kind of busy you are. As long as you can spend at least our suggested 2 hours a week minimum on your artwork then you will be fine. If you can only get in ten minutes of work consistently and it is done frantically, it might be best to either wait until you have a more freed up schedule, or to simply attend the Sketch Along.
Calmness, Time, and Patience are required for this class. Often the act of drawing and painting in this manner can increase your patience level. This all varies from person to person.
I am having trouble finding your Studio.
Where are you located?
We currently do not have a physical teaching studio. We are based in Southern Europe, between Sicily and Malta. We are half Italian and half American. Terra’s family lives in Missoula Montana while Maurilio is from Italy. We will be visiting Montana once travel becomes easier.
What materials do I need to have with me for Sketch Along?
If a specific project has been announced, students should PRINT the image so they have a good reference to work from. Try not use the tiny reference from the screen on the Zoom meeting! Unless materials are specifically specified, just bring some paper and a drawing board, a sketchbook, a pencil, and an eraser.
When are your Holidays?
Please refer to our calendar for specific dates. We will pause class for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and Summer breaks.
When do I have to send in my images for critiques? Can I also send in questions/comments?
Send in your images by Thursday midnight Mountain Time. This allows us to work on the critiques over Friday and have them ready for you by the weekend.
Yes, please send in your questions!
What happens if I send my pictures in early or late?
Early is always welcome! The earlier we get the images the more time we have to consider them.
If you send them after Thursday midnight we will do our best to get to them, but we cannot guarantee we will be able to. So they will get clumped with the images for the next critique.
What happens if I didn’t have time to do any work one week? Or I got confused/stuck and didn’t want to move forward without your help?
Of course we encourage you to do your best to have the work done by the next class, but life happens!! We understand. Let us know by the same hour you usually send in your images (Thurs Midnight) that you weren’t able to do the work that week. Instead, choose between a demo, critique of a work work from a past week, or a critique about a subject of your choice, etc. Ex. “I was out of town this week and couldn’t do any work. I would like an additional critique on how to adjust the eyes on my portrait.” or “I got swamped with work and couldn’t draw/paint at all this week! I know what to do on all my homework, so please send me in a demo on designing shadow shapes since we talked about that a while ago and I would like a refresher! We are at your disposal!! In theory, you can do this for as many weeks as you need to.
We will record that and send it to you.
If you got stuck and feel you can’t move forward with out some help (it can happen!!) let us know as soon as you feel that way by writing in the forum. Please refer to the I Have A Question About Something You Said in The Video Critique FAQ.
I Have A Question About Something You Said in The Video Critique.
First we encourage you to re-watch the last video critique and go over your notes to see if the answer could be there.
Then try to spend some serious time trying to answer the question yourself. Look at it from different angles!
We may have given you an answer to your question in the past, under a different context.
If still you are just stuck! Totally normal! Write your question/why you feel you got stuck in the forum along with a picture if needed. It is also helpful if we hear how you tried to answer the question yourself, this will help us to see where you went wrong.
We cannot guarantee we will be able to answer your question during the week.
We will also have time to cover questions in the Zoom meeting on Week1, during the Sketch Along if they apply to the group, and during your video critiques.
I am already in the middle of a project (ex. charcoal cast), do I pick up where I left off? Is the Curriculum the same as last year?
If you take the Learning The Craft option, then yes! You will pick up right where you left off. The curriculum will be the same as last year, just the class structure has changed.
Guiding Hand students have the option of finishing up any project, but the focus will be less on the progressive technique and more on the personal work.
Are the video critiques on Zoom?
No, they are not on Zoom. You send in the images and we record the video on our end. We have designed this to give you the most focused and clear critique that we can.
This allows us to think about how to best show you and explain what we need to.
When do I receive my video critique? How do I receive it?
Your recorded critique will be ready by the weekend, either Saturday or Sunday. It will be posted in your forum via a private youtube link.
Are the video critiques just for me and my artworks? Or are they also visible for other people? Will other people see my work?
The video critiques are completely private between you and me (Terra/ Maurilio). You will receive a link to a private Youtube portal with your video. If you want to share your video with someone you can by sending them the link. We will not share the link with anyone other than you.
I am not tech savvy, I don’t think I can do this…
Not to worry! For those who took our classes last academic year in 2021, all you need is exactly the same tech savyness!
How do I send my image to you during Sketch along? That sounds complicated and I am not tech savvy.
Not to worry! Take a picture of it with your phone and send it to us via EMAIL, (the specific address we will announce soon).
What will the critiques during Sketch Along be like?
Most of the time they will be written to you, where, but if they are similar to many other student’s questions, we may address them in the class as a whole.
The critiques will be short, sweet, and to the point. We are only looking for generally understanding the concept or not, major mistakes,things like that. Ex. critique: “The left arm is too long, but otherwise all looks good, keep going.” or “Your lines are getting to dark and too specific for this stage in the sketch, keep it light”
My image didn’t get a critique during Sketch Along?
We may not get to 100% of the images during the sketch along. We will do our best, but we may skip yours if we don’t see anything major or we feel we can address your question during the Sketch Along itself. We may also run out of time, in this case we will try to make sure to get to yours next time.
I am a beginner, is Sketch Along too advanced for me?
Nope! Sketch along is for everyone. We will vary the class themes and it will cover various topics, mediums, subjects, and levels. So for beginners some days may be a challenge (a push!) and for advanced students some days bight feel more like a review (always good).
I am advanced/professional, is Sketch Along too simple/beginner for me?
Nope! Sketch along is for everyone. We will vary the class themes and it will cover various topics, mediums, subjects, and levels. So for beginners some days will be easier and others harder.
Will other students see my images I send in for critiques during Sketch Along?
You can choose to have them remain completely private, just seen by us, the teachers, by writing PRIVATE in the subject line along with your image. If you are fine with other students seeing it, write PUBLIC.
At the end of Sketch Along, we might do a group critique at the end where we have everyone send in their work and we look at everyone’s work all together. Again, write PUBLIC or PRIVATE in the subject.
How are you able to critique when you are doing the Sketch Along?
The classes will vary, some will be live discussions/lectures. Some days will be a sketch, drawing, demo, or painting. For those we will record them before-hand so we can give you live commentary. We will be able to pause it, discuss it, and answer live questions about it while the video is running. This way we are able to view your images on the side and even write critiques/feedback to you too!
We took a class like this ourselves and found it very useful because the teacher could do their work with 100% focus, record it, and be able to talk and discuss it in class with students. We loved it and are excited to be able to do this ourselves!
Live demos, unrecorded, may also be included as well!
It will change month to month.
Do I have to have my video/mic turned on in Sketch Along? I would rather not ask my questions publicly. How do I ask my question privately?
Whatever you are comfortable with! Turned on, turned off, it’s all good! Of course, we prefer everyone’s turned on, except for sometimes we may turn off the mic option so Maurilio or I, Terra, can clearly talk about something without being interrupted.
There is a chat feature in Zoom and you can write your questions there. We will see them and include them. We may read the question aloud, but we will omit your name. You can also send your questions before hand if you have one specific to our theme of the day and we will try to include it in the video.
You can also write your questions in the forum and we can address them in the video critique if you are signed up for Learning The Craft or Guiding Hand.
Studio Policy
Subscriptions
We charge on a monthly basis per 4 classes. This is not a 4 week workshop. This is a continuous subscription, like a gym. It is a continuous activity. Drawing and Painting is a lifelong activity and we want to help our students have it in their lives on a regular basis.
How it works: We bill your card automatically once a month for the Program that you signed up for. Since it is automatic, you only have to do it once! This may be done with most card types.
If you have any questions please email them to info@onlinefineartstudio.com
Can I pay for multiple month subscriptions?
Yes! You can pay up to 3 months in advance with card or Paypal. You can choose to have this be automatically renewed, or to be billed via invoice. Please note that once your class has reached 24hrs before your first day of the class subscription, no refund will be available for any reason. So make sure you can truly attend the full 2 or 3 month subscription.
Makeups, I can’t attend a class or a few classes, can I have the class another day instead?
No makeups are offered. However the lessons will be recorded for you to watch when you are ready! For a missed Zoom Meeting, please let us know the night before if you won’t be able to attend. If you have to miss this day, send in what you have along with any questions. We will gather all that you made the month before. Then we will create our own Review for you based on what you have sent in and your questions and comments. We will record it and send it to you.
Cancellations
I cannot attend the next whole month of class can I pause the class? If you need to miss the following entire month, we can put your subscription on pause for one month. After that you can reenter your slot or cancel your subscription. If no action is made we will need to open the slot up to the public again. In that case there will be no guarantee your spot will be available when you want to come back.
Check Payment Option
No check option available.
Class or Event Cancellations Made by The Online Fine Art Studio
If an instructor becomes ill, is unable to teach class or lead an event, we will notify you as soon as possible. A credit will be issued to the student’s account OR a make up class on another day will be provided.
Waiting List
If there isn’t a space for you immediately, we can put your name on a waiting list. We will contact you if another student forfeits their spot or should another class open. Please email us to let us know, at info@onlinefineartstudio.com
Privacy
The Online Fine Art Studio respects your privacy, and considers the responsible use of personal information. We will not share your personal information with other entities.
Illness
Refunds/credits or make-ups are not offered for missed classes for any reason.
Children/Teens
Our age limit is 16. Our classes are quite difficult and not meant for a summer camp kind of course. If your child is serious about learning and art then we are very happy to help them!
Punctuality
Please arrive at the Zoom meeting on time. Extra time will not be given for late attendance as there are students we need to attend to next