Join Christopher Vidal for an immersive three-day workshop exploring the beauty and structure of traditional oil painting using the indirect method — the timeless technique used by the Old Masters and still essential for contemporary realism today.
Over three consecutive days, you’ll be guided through each stage of the indirect process, from the initial drawing to the final details. Working step-by-step on a peaceful landscape featuring a tree, foreground rocks, a small reflective lake, distant mountains, and gentle clouds, you’ll learn how to build depth, harmony and luminosity through successive layers.
What You Will Learn
How to prepare your surface with an imprimatura and establish values through a monochrome grisaille.
How to apply a coloured “dead layer” to unify tone and atmosphere.
How to develop glazes and details to bring your landscape to life with rich colour and texture.
The practical use of alkyd media to accelerate drying between layers, enabling real progress over three days.
The principles of light, composition, and atmospheric perspective that create a sense of space and realism.
Course Structure
Day 1: Drawing, imprimatura, and grisaille (establishing the composition and tonal values)
Day 2: The coloured dead layer (introducing hue and soft transitions)
Day 3: Details, textures, and final adjustments (refining and finishing the painting)
Also check out other Arts events in Castle Hill, Fine Arts events in Castle Hill, Workshops in Castle Hill.
