Art Escape Academy

The figurative painting course proposed by Michael is one of the best workshop I ever done. His creative approach to the figurative process is outstanding. Watch and listen such a talented artist has been inspiring! He kept no secrets, and he shared all his knowledge about oil painting, thank you for make this happen!

Watercolour is, in my opinion, one of the most difficult mediums to paint with and this workshop is a treasure trove of valuable information (especially the extensive pdf) for any figurative painter. Marcos is not only a marvellous watercolorist but also a wonderful teacher. And again, video and sound quality are superb. I highly recommend!

I have been an admirer of Mustafa Ozel's paintings for many years. To get an insight into his workshop, the way he poses and lights his model, the colours he uses and his approach to painting in oils is priceless! I am a portrait painter who wishes to improve my skills and I am so happy to have found this course online. By watching this and continuing to practise what I have learnt I am confident I will be a better painter.

Just watching this course is a treat. The videos for the class content use split screens so we can see the work as the instructor paints, the palette as it's being used, and the primary source photo. The audio is clear. Very professional. Mr Einarsson is personable in his presentation and the information he provides has been helpful for me, especially the pre-painting content on composition and design. And as soon as I saw that he was self-taught and that Richard Schmid was an artist/teacher he admires, I was hooked. I highly recommend this class for artists, even those who are not landscape painters. There is enough information from finding an interesting subject to varnishing the finished work for anyone who is looking for a course about color, value, and technique.

This class is very well constructed by Art Escape and very well taught by Michael Carson. The site is extremely user friendly and the class well structured. I especially like Michael's teaching at every step of the painting. I will say I was intensely interested in his process to begin with but unlike many courses Ive taken where I've fallen asleep watching the painting process, Michael's tips and comments kept me awake. This is the first class in which I am actually going to follow along and paint from the photos provided. I bought all the paints, brushes, the Gessobord and even the Scheveningen Purple Brown. Great background music too btw! BRAVO! Well done!

I liked this Course very much. Thorgrimur talkes about blending colors, values and tones. Encourages to paint loosely and teaches pallet knife technique. He encourages us to practice and practice and to be brave to add our own little personal touch to our paintings. Nothing is right or wrong, everybody has their own style and a way to express their art. I love his artwork and I will recommend this course to others. Thank you, Inga

With tremendous production values and a meditative soundtrack, this online workshop was akin to being transported to Istanbul, directly to Mustafa's studio. I particularly liked the studio tour, and the juxtaposition of model, palette, and canvas during the demo. Mustafa's command of color is nothing short of remarkable, and there were many moments in the demos - both sketches and final painting - that were a revelation to me. Thank you for making this available. I'll look for comments in the interactive section of the academy site for more info on brushes, paints and surfaces used.

I've found, previously, the downside of a lot of courses is that they focus on the wrong things or are a bit dry in presentation or skip the exact info I was looking for. None of this can be said of this course. The presentation is professional and understated. The views of the canvas, palette and artist were perfect in giving a complete view of Michaels work flow and the breaks for each chapter felt very natural. It was also reassuring to see how to correct things when they go wrong. I'll definitely be referring back to this course for my own attempts. Oddly considering this is an art course I want to give a mention to the sound quality throughout. Michaels narration is an invaluable part of the course and both his voice and the music in the background are perfectly balanced.

This course had a great value. The price was affordable and the content was great. Easy to follow, great tempo and when I tried it myself I really found that I got some new insight and practical knowledge. I loved Mr Mustafas palette! I think it is wonderful that a artist share his palette so generously. And the palette is so important and connected with Mr Mustafas way of gesture. I learned so much about create volume through the palette. I love the platform for communication and sharing of each others work. I just wished there where more participants charing there work and thoughts. I will definitely get a new course soon. Tomas, Sweden.

I have been following Master Marcos for a long time. I adore his art. With this course I have leart many tips about painting a portrait and watercolor. The most I liked to apply working with 2 brushes one is dry and soften the ages with that. Also the layering protocol was awesome. Thank you Marcos. Waiting a course about painting water soon :)

The joyful but relaxed narrative and demonstration in this course really helped me on my own journey as a painter. It inspired me in the way that by putting joy and passion into this craft you can explore your own creative ways.

Thank you Michael Carson & Art Escape Italy. I have taken in-person and online workshops and this is by far the best. Your down-to-earth teaching style, humor, and tempo made it easy to follow and engaging. There are so many ways to paint with oils, but your honest and effective approach makes it so much less daunting and yet inspires me to continue to learn and create beautiful compositions and work.