Lessons in Classical Painting

JULIETTE ARISTIDES is the director of the Aristides Classical Atelier at the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, Washington. She is the co-founder of the DaVinci Initiative, which works to bring skill-based art instruction into public education. Aristides exhibits in solo and group shows nationally. Her work can be seen at the John Pence Gallery in San Francisco and the Art Renewal Center Living Masters Gallery online. Visit her website at AristidesArts.com.

“I have met many thousands of artists over the last fifty years of painting and thirty-five years of making paint. Very rarely do I meet someone who is as good at writing as she is at her visual art. Juliette Aristides is one such person—both a terrific writer and great artist.”—Robert Gamblin, founder of Gamblin Artist Colors“There are few who know classical painting like Juliette Aristides. This book is the next best thing to studying with her in person.”—B. Eric Rhoads, publisher of Fine Art Connoisseur and PleinAir magazines

• 1 Prologue7 Introduction13 CHAPTER 1 Value Pattern: An Arrangement in Gray13 Finding Formal Shapes17 The Poetry of Painting20 Creating Value Shapes22 Value Composition24 Monochrome Painting25 The Importance of Poster Studies31 Lesson 1: Value Poster Study41 Lesson 2: Creating a Tonal Underpainting46 On Seeing51 CHAPTER 2 Form Painting: The Sensesof Touch and Sight Combined53 General to Specific56 Basic Shapes58 Using Geometric Solids to Understand Form60 Lighting Your Subjects76 On Highlights by Alan Carroll78 Edges80 Manipulating Edges with Intention85 Lesson 3: Value Sphere Painting90 Painting a Cast95 Lesson 4: Form Painting101 CHAPTER 3 Temperature: Unlocking the Secrets of Color104 An Introduction to Warm and Cool112 Understanding Temperature Relationships115 The Illusion of Color with Warm and Cool116  Lighting Your Still Life118 Warm and Cool Color Chart123 Lesson 5: Warm and Cool Painting128 Painting from Life131 Artists and Their Palettes through the Ages142 Adopting a Limited Palette144 Extending the Palette146 Adopting an Extended Palette151 Lesson 6: Limited Palette Portrait Painting159 Lesson 7: Mastering Trompe L’Oeil164 The Importance of Making Master Copies169 Lesson 8: Master Copy175 CHAPTER 4 Color: The Palette of Nature178 Making Sense of Paint Names181 The Four Questions about Color186 The Color Wheel190 Color Mixing192 Balancing the Palette194 Creating the Color Wheel196 Neutralizing Color198 Moving Inside the Color Wheel200 The Challenge of Tints and Shades200 Color Strings202 Application of the Color Wheel207 Lesson 9: Painting a Full-Chroma Object213 Lesson 10: Floral Painting with a Color Wash Underpainting221 Lesson 11: Figure Painting from Life