Learn to Paint Like the Masters | RijksCreative Will Guide the Way

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Always wanted to paint your own masterpiece?

You know the feeling. You’re exploring one of the great museums of the world, and you’re looking closely at some of the famous masterpieces on view. You get up close to a drawing by Rembrandt, and inevitably you think to yourself, How on earth did he do that? How did he make that face look so alive?

Or you come around the corner into a room full of exquisite Dutch still-life paintings, and you’re awestruck by the beautiful detail and the realism of the vessels, tablecloths, fruit, and more. You wonder, How would I create realistic surface textures like those?

Maybe you’ve wished you could travel back in time to sit down with van Gogh, or Vermeer, or Rembrandt himself. You’d watch them apply the underpainting, sketch the shapes, and finesse the details—all the while answering your questions. But until we master time travel, the world-famous Rijksmuseum  in Amsterdam has come up with the next best thing.

On its new YouTube channel called RijksCreative, the museum has put together an impressive, one-of-a-kind learning experience.

Check out the RijksCreative || 2019 Trailer below:

 

Two Series | One-of-a-Kind Learning Experience

RijksCreative features two extensive series of how-to videos that draw on the museum’s vast resources: its top-notch permanent collection, its curators, and its art instructors. Each video shows you how to create compositions like you were trained by Rembrandt or how to paint expressive self-portraits inspired by van Gogh.

One of the best things about the videos is that you don’t have to be a professional artist to follow along. The skills of these great masters are explained step by step, so developing artists can learn them, too.

On top of that, the videos are great fun to watch: They’re upbeat, lighthearted, and approachable. The instructors have great energy and good humor. And they don’t necessarily get everything right the first time, so you can learn from their mistakes and find solutions before you need them.

The videos, which run approximately 20 minutes each, begin with a curator explaining key facts and ideas about a particular artist or type of work, helping you understand what makes it unique and important. Then an instructor shows you how to accomplish something similar on your own, whether it’s copying a masterwork or creating a painting of your own in the same spirit. You get a link to the reference artwork and a list of supplies underneath each video.

Learn from Rembrandt

The first series on RijksCreative is inspired by 17th-century Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn. In this series, you’ll learn how to paint and draw like this famous Dutch master in seven separate episodes:

• How to draw like Rembrandt
• How to draw emotion like Rembrandt
• How to paint a self-portrait like Rembrandt
• How to paint materials (fabric, metal, and more) like Rembrandt
• How to make your own paint like Rembrandt
• How to paint light like Rembrandt
• How to create compositions like Rembrandt

In the final lesson on composition, the instructor first creates an ink sketch based on Rembrandt’s masterpiece, The Night Watch, breaking down the lines and angles that make it full of drama and movement. Then he creates a brand-new composition of his own, showing you how to apply some of the same compositional approaches that you just learned.

Learn from Artists Across the Centuries

In the second series on RijksCreative, the lessons focus not on one art master, but on a variety of art giants, in an art journey from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Each of the eight episodes is focused on a different period in time and a famous artist of that time:

• How to create a Renaissance painting
• How to create a Still Life painting
• How to create a Vermeer painting
• How to create a Romantic painting
• How to create an Impressionist painting
• How to create a van Gogh self-portrait
• How to create a Karel Appel painting
• How to create a Minimalistic art piece

 

Here you’ll find a wide array of artistic styles, subjects, and mediums to suit any mood or interest. You’ll work with everything from tempera to acrylic to oil paint. In some cases, you’ll use tiny, delicate brush strokes and multiple layers of thin paint; in other lessons, you’ll squeeze the paint directly from the tube onto the canvas and manipulate it with a palette knife.

All the while, you’ll have someone knowledgeable and fun demonstrating each step. And at the end, you’ll have a great understanding of what you can learn and accomplish by studying the masters.

About RijksCreative | Ready to pick up that brush?

You don’t have to be a professional artist. The skills of these great masters are explained step by step. This way, hobbyists can learn them too. The platform aims to spark creativity amongst art enthusiasts around the world. Learn how to paint like the great Masters in Art on the YouTube channel RijksCreative, an initiative of Rijksmuseum. Here you find how-to videos in which passionate art teachers of Rijksmuseum show you how to create compositions like Rembrandt or make self-portraits like Van Gogh.

Love what they do and want more? Give them a follow on Instagram or Twitter!

 

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