Debra Keirce

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‎I have experience instructing ages 12 and up one on one. Here is a description of my mentoring process:

 

 

Cost: $300 for three 1.5 hour sessions, paid in advance.

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Cash, Check or PayPal acceped

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I cannot refund for less than 24 hours notice of cancellation.

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Location: DebKArt Home Studios in Ashburn, VA, OR online in a virtual meeting

Frequency: No more than once per week, we will arrive at a mutually convenient late afternoon time and day.

Supplies: If you travel to DebKArt Home Studios for your sessions, supplies will all be provided. If you are working with me online, I will give  you a supply list before each session

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Content: 

I find that people learn and absorb more when they are studying things they want to know. This sounds like common sense, but most atelier curriculum take you through a set learning process that mimics the schooling that masters endured years ago. Times have changed, and we have so many more tools at our disposal. I will guide you through  the maze of methods and resources used to paint realistically. 

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So, for the sessions with me,  you direct the study. You decide what you want to focus on. I will prepare before and after your session, to be sure to share all I know on that topic. My intention is to fill in the gaps in your learning. We all have them. You are no doubt very strong in some areas, but need to develop your skills in others. 

 

Here is a work in progress by a happy student:

 

Here are some examples of subjects you might ask to learn about:

- values

- drawing

- color theory

- painting textures

- composition

- painting in miniature

- painting indirectly

- painting wet on wet

- underpaintings

- shipping

- framing

 

If you are a beginner and are not sure what to even ask to learn, I will guide you through the historically successful atelier process, and you can choose to slow down parts of the program, or speed up others. 

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Here are some testimonials from artists who previously mentored with me:

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“…couldn’t contain her excitement after the lesson and also pointed out how lucky we are to have a talented teacher, who is so passionate about her work, live so close to us.  The fact that you shared so much of your knowledge without having met her is a real testament to that.  Trust me, you won’t bore her with details!  And, thank you for your kind words for her! She said can’t wait to get started on projects with you.  Her excitement was palpable.” Prathiba

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"Sometimes I feel like I am getting a master's degree, delving so deeply into art and filling in all the gaps in my education..." Carol

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"We can't thank you enough for your genuine support. She loves not being treated like a little kid with art. Her confidence is also increasing." Kelli

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Here are before and after pictures of paintings by two adult students.

 

The bucket with oranges, the rabbit and the sheep were painted before they learned the basics of classical realism through mentoring sessions with me.

 

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Often I have new students practice the same subject with several different media. This lets them explore new ways of creating, and builds many of the skills I use in painting.

 

  

 

Supplies:

I encourage my students to come study in person with me if they can. Then I provide all the supplies. If you want to work with me online, you will need to buy your own supplies. I'll let you know what you need each week, but here is a basic supply list:

 

https://www.dickblick.com has all of these supplies available online.

 

Drawing:

 

#2 pencil

drawing paper (I like 11"x14" sketch paper)

an 18" ruler or straight edge

graphite transfer paper, such as Sally's

a ball point pen

optional, but  scale dividers are useful

11"x14" (or whatever size your drawing paper is) Ampersand gessobord 1/8" flat panel, museum quality

 

Underpainting:

 

I prefer gessobord panels made by Ampersand. I don't use canvas, and other panels can vary in how slick they are, or how much of the paint they absorb.

 

High flow acrylic paint such as Matisse or Golden or Chroma Atelier 

- Quinocradone magenta or the brightest pink you can find

- Hansa Yellow, or the brightest you can find

- Phthalocaine blue or the brightest blue you can find

- Orange - such as cadmium orange medium

- Red - such as cadmium red medium

- Primary Green such as Emerald Green

 

Oil paint - my choice is Gamblin brand artists oils

- Burnt Umber

 

Solvent Free Gel medium by Gamblin

 

A set of synthetic brushes - There are a lot of student grade brush sets available on Amazon dot com that work just fine.

If you really want to spend more money on brushes, a brand I like are the Catalyst line by Princeton, and they are available online at Dick Blick Art supplies.

 

Painting:

Have several large to very small, very soft mop brushes. I actually often use makeup brushes. You can find very inexpensive sets on Amazon.

 

Gamsol for cleaning your brushes is optional. You can just use a mild soap like Dawn dishwashing detergent

 

Paper towels for wiping your brushes. I like the blue shop towels.

 

A palette. A styrofoam plate works too.

 

For the oil paints, I like Gamblin artists colors.  You can create pretty much any color using these:

- Phthalo blue

- Quinocradone magenta

- Hansa yellow light

- Titanium white

 

You will have the burnt umber used for the underpainting stage. 

Optional is ivory black