Frequently Asked Questions

Yes!  These drawing and painting courses are all about providing a solid, structured foundation.  You do not need to know ANYTHING about drawing or painting to start.

Yes!  If you feel like your current art practice has stagnated, or you’re looking for some inspiration, trying a new approach can make a huge difference.  We all have areas where we’re less than confident, and taking the time to brush up on  drawing and painting skills can unlock new possibilities for your work.

An atelier is an art studio that focuses on teaching representational (realism) drawing and painting, starting from the ground up. Students begin by learning foundational skills and progressing gradually to more advanced techniques. This is a thorough, classical approach that prioritizes building strong skills in drawing accuracy, light and shadow, and oil painting.  There has been a revival of this traditional approach in recent years, under the term “atelier”, to refer to a traditional approach rather than a contemporary art school that focuses on the abstract or conceptual.

It depends on your skill level and goals!  For beginners who want to learn how to paint in oil, I recommend the following progression:

– A Practical Approach to Drawing, along with the free How to Sharpen a Pencil lesson.

– Charcoal Shading: Understanding Values and Form

– Oil Painting for Absolute Beginners

– Painting in Colour for Beginners

– From the Ground Up

This will provide you with a strong foundation of drawing, shading, colour theory, and painting techniques, following the traditional atelier approach that I’ve taught at my studio for years.

For painters, From the Ground Up is a comprehensive painting course.  It is  best suited for intermediate painters, though beginners can benefit from it, especially if you paint in monochrome (black or dark brown and white).

Advanced painters who want an “over the shoulder” look at another artist’s process might enjoy Painting “Nova”, a semi-narrated set of videos showing the process of painting a large figurative work from start to finish.

More videos to come!  If you have any suggestions on what you’d like to see, please contact me.

If you purchase a single course or lesson, you can watch it as many times as you like, with lifetime access.

Yes!  New videos will be added each month.  Subscribers get immediate access to all additional videos.

All prices are in USD.  Residents of Canada will have applicable taxes.

Yes!  For a more supportive learning experience, check out Art Coaching and Mentorship.  Through this membership, you’ll gain access to all video courses, and can reach out to Nicole anytime for guidance, structure, and feedback.

Private lessons are a great option for a customized, highly supportive experience.  Held over Zoom, they can be scheduled on a standing, regular basis, or as needed.

Yes, you can cancel or pause your membership anytime through your dashboard.  Any payments already processed will not be refunded, but your membership will not renew automatically once cancelled or paused.  You can still access content during the dates you have already paid for.

Each video can be purchased individually for a one-time cost and streamed immediately.  Please note, payments for individual videos are not refundable should you choose to subscribe at a later date. 

I will do my best!  For any questions, comments, or feedback, please contact me.

Some videos are captioned, and we are working on accurately captioning them all.  If there is a particular video you are interested in having captioned, please get in touch.