Debra Keirce Art Studios

Private Sketching and Oil Painting Lessons

Beginner to advanced, learn to sketch and paint one on one with a master artist. Online or in person (Ashburn, VA) lessons available. Space is limited.

Jill Poyerd Fine Art

Foundations for Mastering Watercolor Painting

Watercolor painting at its core is built upon pigment, water, and a painting surface, and in order to master the medium you need to thoroughly understand your materials. This course is designed to give you an in-depth look at the properties of each material used in the watercolor painting process. With this understanding, beginners will have an easier time learning techniques and experienced painters will be better equipped to perfect their skill and solve potential problems. This isn’t a hands-on painting class, but rather is a lecture-based course containing information you aren't likely to find anywhere else.

The Mechanics of Watercolor Painting

The Mechanics of Watercolor Painting is a step-by-step, hands-on painting course designed to guide students through all the necessary skills needed to paint with watercolor paints. Using her approachable, easy-to-understand teaching method, artist Jill Poyerd walks viewers through a total of nearly four hours of lectures and over 30 student activities, covering topics like brush handling, color mixing, paint application, and much much more. This is one of the most comprehensive beginner watercolor classes you will find online, and can apply to anyone who feels they may be lacking something in their knowledge.

Mastering Brushstrokes (I & II)

Brushstrokes are at the core of being an artist, and are one of the things that set artists apart from one another. In this course, artist Jill Poyerd breaks down historic and contemporary brushwork into twenty-two unique brushstrokes, using both oil and watercolor paint in her demonstrations. The instruction includes a brief history of the stroke, examples of how they're used in masterpieces, visual demonstrations, and student practice exercises. By combining technical learning with visual and hands-on examples, students will gain a thorough understanding of each brushstroke variation. This is a two-part course.

Developing an Eye for Landscape Composition

A landscape composition design can mean the success or failure of a piece of art whether you paint, draw, or work in photography. In this course, landscape artist Jill Poyerd, goes beyond teaching the rules. She teaches students how to "see" a landscape and then translate what they see into a successful design. Students of any experience level learn through four hours of lecture and over 22 activities. Topics include what makes landscapes unique, the planes theory, focal points, compositional lines, design tools of the Masters, choosing a subject, conducting a photoshoot, and reconstructing your images.