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10 Steps to Better Painting

with Nick Prodromou
4.9 (25)
Create incredible artwork with gouache or acrylic paints in 10 easy steps!
English English, French [Auto], 4 more Spanish [Auto], Italian [Auto], German [Auto], Portuguese [Auto]
2+
hours
12
lessons
Beginner to Intermediate
level
Nick Prodromou

Your Instructor

Nick Prodromou is a freelance painter from the UK with a unique art style that draws inspiration from both childhood cartoons and contemporary themes.

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2+
hours
12
lessons
Beginner to Intermediate
level
English
English, French [Auto] , 4 more
Subtitles
  • Spanish [Auto]
  • Italian [Auto]
  • German [Auto]
  • Portuguese [Auto]

What you’ll learn

  • Discover the simplicity of painting with easy-to-follow steps!
  • Boost your confidence and learn to paint like a PRO
  • Demystify color theory and apply it to your work for realistic effects
  • Nail the three stages of painting: Block-In, Modeling and Details
  • Blend and mix paints expertly to infuse your art with vibrancy and depth
  • Use techniques, like composition and leading lines to draw viewers in
  • Explore essential and optional materials for creating works of art
  • Unlock the power of photo references to give you a solid plan for your piece
  • Create quick sketches and color studies to simplify your process
  • Start with an underpainting and values for a good base with clear direction
  • Elevate your painting with finishing touches, such as glazes and highlights
  • Showcase your art professionally by capturing it correctly on camera
  • Protect your artwork with a top coat to avoid fading with time
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Description

Does painting seem too daunting to tackle? Feeling overwhelmed? Nick knows the struggle and is here to simplify the process for you! Transform your experience from frustration to pure joy with his expert tutoring in this course for beginners!

Nick breaks down his painting workflow into 10 simple steps. He explains each one clearly and demonstrates how you can master them like a PRO!

Whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned painter, this course offers new and exciting ways to boost your creative skills instantly!

Nick reveals his best-kept secrets (never shared before!) and tricks of the trade he learned from experience, so you don’t have to figure them out on your own!

You’ll discover key concepts that will give you a solid foundation in working with paints, such as color theory, composition, sketching, underpainting, and more! By the end, you’ll be wielding your brushes with confidence, turning a basic idea into a stunning work of art that you can be proud of!

Ready to take your painting skills to the next level? Pick up those brushes and join in on this exciting adventure!

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Who is this course for

  • Beginners to painting
  • Experienced painters wanting to level up their skills
  • Digital artists interested in traditional art
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This course includes

  • 2+ Hours of on-demand videos
  • 10 Exercises (PDF)
  • 17 Reference images
  • 3 Process images
  • Bonus material
  • Certificate of Completion
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Used in course

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What you'll need

  • Some drawing experience recommended
  • Gouache or acrylic paints and brushes
  • Recommended (for best results): Tissues, tape and watercolor paper
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Lesson Plan

with Nick Prodromou
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00

Introduction

04:00

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Meet Nick, a full-time artist and painter and YOUR instructor today! Get to know him, his background in art, and the exciting things he has in store for you in this course!

01

Materials

07:30

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Ready to get started? Nick shows you the brushes, paints, and other materials you’ll need to follow along, but don’t worry!—You can achieve great results without needing fancy supplies.

Even just three primary colors + black and white and an HB pencil will get you far! Simple is best when starting out!

02

References

06:45

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Nick shows you the ropes to using references, composition and the subject to tell a compelling story and hold viewers’ attention.

You’ll get all the insider info, from how to combine different reference images cohesively to nailing down where to put your main subject.

Plus, he breaks down core composition concepts like the rule of thirds, perspective and leading lines that can completely change the vibe of your artwork!

03

Color Theory

08:08

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Colors can dramatically transform your artwork into a breathtaking wonder!

Nick guides you into creating endless combinations with just the 3 primary colors (blue, yellow, and red) and black and white. That’s all you need to bring your paintings to life!

You’re guaranteed to have a blast experimenting with hues, exploring gorgeous color schemes, and mastering the golden rule for painting subjects and backgrounds.

04

Initial Ideas

13:18

Step to creating a beautiful painting

Let’s kick things off with some sketching fun! Before we start slinging paint, it’s crucial to get initial ideas down on paper.

Nick’s got some awesome tricks up his sleeve to come up with composition ideas fast, so you won’t get stuck wondering what to paint. Get ready to embrace the messiness of sketching without the stress of making it look ‘perfect’.

05

Refined Sketch and Color Study

10:59

Sketching a horse and rider

Mapping out a refined sketch sets the right foundation for the rest of the painting! It’s all about honing in on details, paying attention to your references, and sticking to the composition plan.

Nick gives great advice on creating a color study to help avoid any hiccups down the line. He also throws in expert tips like desaturating colors, using opposite hues, and stepping back from the canvas from time to time.

06

Underpainting

07:18

Nick Prodromou paints pop art

Your sketch is complete. Now it’s time to put paint on canvas!

Nick starts with the all-important underpainting, laying down the groundwork for the rest of the hues. It’s super easy and therapeutic too! You’ll explore different methods to transfer your sketch onto the surface: tracing, projecting, or using a grid.

Nick also shows you how to add dark and light values at this stage, creating a visual guide to help you later on.

07

Blocking In

13:52

Importance of an underpainting in art

It’s getting exciting!!! Things are picking up steam!

In this lesson, the focus is building on what we’ve already laid down, adding basic shapes, shading, and colors. Don’t sweat the small stuff just yet! The goal here is to keep your brushstrokes bold, loose, and minimal. Don’t sweat the small stuff just yet!

Nick begins with the background first, getting those distant hues down before tackling what’s up close. He also reveals how to create realistic depth with colors and make specific areas stand out!

08

Modeling

19:17

How to paint a horse

Painting is really like sculpting—but with color!

In the modeling stage, Nick shows you how to transform simple shapes into clearly defined forms. Bring your painting to life here by going over your work in the block-in stage, and refining it, starting from back to front.

You’ll also pick up tips for painting gradients, making clouds look realistic, desaturating colors to push them into the distance, and giving plants a natural feel.

09

Final Details

09:31

How to paint realistically with Nick Prodromou

We’re in the final stage! No holding back!

Your painting is going to pop with the last touches and highlights! Nick’s got some awesome tricks up his sleeve, like using a glaze to tweak existing colors and fixing mistakes with the ‘lifting’ technique.

Enjoy the relaxing process of creating depth with shadows and adding finer details.

10

Photographing, Scanning and Adding a Protective Coat

21:43

Protect your painting with wax

We are almost there! In this last step, we’ll prepare our painting in the best way possible to showcase online and even make art prints!

Nick shares best practices for getting that perfect lighting for photos and seamlessly merging several scans for those larger pieces. Plus, he’ll walk you through all the nitty-gritty details of adjusting colors and lighting in Photoshop. And let’s not forget to add a protective wax coat on your painting to seal the deal!

11

Conclusion

01:13

Learn painting with Nick Prodromou

Congratulations on completing this course! You now have the professional skills to paint with confidence!

Can’t wait to see the incredible works of art you create!

Student Feedback

25 customer reviews & ratings

4.9

Course rating

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5 star
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4 star
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Best Suited for
Beginner
The level is determined by a majority opinion of students who have reviewed this class. The teacher's recommendation is shown until at least 5 student responses are collected.

(Based on 25 reviews)

Most Liked
Clarity of Instruction 24
Great step-by-step process 24
Engaging Teacher 18
Showing 10 reviews of
25
reviews & ratings
RN
Rabiya N.

7 months ago

Verified Purchase
I loved how the course teaches you to combine realistic and cartoon characters together
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
CY
Chan Y.

6 months ago

Verified Purchase
happy to see a traditional painting tutorial, it shows clearly instruction, thanks nick!
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
PP
Paul P.

6 months ago

Verified Purchase
Awesome course 👌
I recommend it for All levels
1 person found this helpful
LN
Lenka N.

6 months ago

Verified Purchase
Useful information and clarity of this course. Suitable for total beginners.
I recommend it for Absolute Beginner
1 person found this helpful
KJ
Kety J.

6 months ago

Verified Purchase
Nick did a great job in explaining the procedure very thoroughly, making the process simple and interesting.
I recommend it for Intermediate
1 person found this helpful
CP
Corinna P.

6 months ago

Verified Purchase
I like the step-to-step-explanation.
I recommend it for All levels
1 person found this helpful
CG
Carlene G.

6 months ago

Verified Purchase
Nick made painting an amazing picture doable. As a beginner I feel confident that I will get better with each painting using his techniques.
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
LE
Liene E.

6 months ago

Verified Purchase
What an awesome and inspiring course. Thank you!
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
Innkira A.

6 months ago

Verified Purchase
i really enjoyed this course thank you Nick
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
MA
Melisa A.

6 months ago

Verified Purchase
I liked the way the instructor tells everything step-by-step in a comprehensive manner. Thank you Nick!
I recommend it for Beginner
1 person found this helpful
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About the Instructor

Nick Prodromou
Freelance Artist and Painter 1 course

Nick Prodromou is a London-based freelance artist with a unique art style, drawing inspiration from childhood cartoons and exploring complex contemporary themes.


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21 Draw is an online learning community where students of all skill levels can learn how to be a better artist. Our contributing artists and instructors are the best in the world.

Our streaming platform on www.21-draw.com makes it possible for anyone to watch hundreds of video lessons by industry legends who have worked for Disney, Marvel, DC, Dreamworks, Pixar & more. A membership gives full access to our streaming platform.

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Each class includes 10-20 video lessons that are 7 minutes long on average. Most classes include exercise sheets, assignments, and layered PSD or PNG files.

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We have classes for all levels, even for those with zero drawing experience. In general, artists at all levels can benefit from these courses—whether beginner, intermediate or advanced.

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Many lessons in our courses apply to both digital and traditional art. In a few tutorials, digital drawing software, e.g. Photoshop or Procreate for iPad is required. However, for the majority of lessons it is more about the underlying concepts and all that is needed is a pen and paper.

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If for any reason at all you are unhappy with our courses or feel it isn’t what you are looking for—then just fill out this form or email us at [email protected]. We’ll be more than happy to give you a full refund within 30 days of your first purchase. No questions asked. Just a guarantee you can trust.

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