Figures & Composition with Daniela Astone
March 11 – 15, 2024

Introduction

Figures & Composition is a five-day intensive workshop for any artist interested in advancing their understanding of painting figures in the context of crafting a complete multifigure composition.

The entire workshop will be held inside the PADASOR studio.

  • Recommended Level: Intermediate, Advanced
  • Total Learning Hours: 32 hours over 5 days  (See schedule below for details)

Curriculum

  • Daniela will begin with a lecture on composition and light.
  • Students will be working with charcoal on paper for the first day and a half and on an oil painting for the remaining four and a half days.
  • Every student will ultimately compose a multifigure composition combining images made during our figure drawing sessions and their imagination.
  • To assist with this process, Daniela will do an initial demonstration on how to create a simple map of the visual impression
  • As the workshop progress, Daniela will assist students in the process of making an oil painting and will help them with a process on how to best develop their ideas, including best practices on hiring and working with models.

Setting Expectations

“Developing figurative work from the imagination is a great challenge, but one I believe brings great reward.  No one should expect to finish a painting during the workshop, but I do hope it will help you overcome any fears or doubts you have about beginning such an undertaking.”

—Daniela Astone

Cost

  • €1,050
  • A non-refundable Deposit of €550.
    Early Bird Discount: Sign up by January 1st, 2024 and save €50.
    Use coupon code: SAVE50-ASTONE
  • The remaining €500 is due in cash at the start of the first lesson.
  • Materials not included.

Additional Info & Inquiries

For additional info, please click the respective link:

Else, feel free to contact us via WhatsApp using the link below or via email using our contact form.

About Daniela Astone

Daniela Astone, born in Pisa in 1980, grew up in the seaside town of PortoSanto Stefano, Italy, and formally began studying art at the age of 14 in the High School of Arts in Grosseto.

After graduating in 1998 she moved to Florence to study Illustration at the International school of comix, and in her second year she started to work independently for several editors and in the studio of illustration Inklink.

At the age of 21 Daniela decided to change direction and began studying drawing and painting from life at The Florence Academy of Art under the direction of Daniel Graves.

She began to teach to the younger students in the Academy when she was in her second year, graduated in 2004 with the end of the year award, and continued to work as a principal teacher and director for the Florence Academy of art until 2022.

In 2013 Daniela entered in the BP award in London and recived a honorable mention from the Mod Portrait award in Spain. Her work has exhibited internationally and in 2016 it became part of the permanent collection of MACS, the Contemporary Art Museum in Sicily.

She also collaborated with Tiac in China, with Liveandlearn in Thailand, with Streamline in USA, with East Oaks Studio and teaches workshops of landscape painting in her studio-house in Chianti Tuscany and around the world.
In 2019 together with Gaia Grazioli she curated the Show “Corpo a Corpo” in the Museum of Villa Bardini in Florence thanks to Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze and Carlo Sisi.

Currently she is exhibiting for various galleries in Europe and in the States and she keeps working in her studio in Tuscan countryside.

Schedule

Monday – March 11Tuesday – March 12Wednesday – March 13Thursday – March 14Friday – March 15
Morning ProgramMorning ProgramMorning ProgramMorning ProgramMorning Program
10:15- 13:15
Figure Drawing with Charcoal
10:15- 13:15
Figure Drawing with Charcoal
10:15- 13:15
Painting
10:15- 13:15
Painting
10:15- 13:15
Painting
Afternoon ProgramAfternoon ProgramAfternoon ProgramAfternoon ProgramAfternoon Program
15:15 – 18:15
Figure Drawing
15:15 – 16:15
Demo by Daniela
15:15 – 18:15
Painting
15:15 – 18:15
Painting
15:15 – 18:15
Painting
Evening ProgramEvening ProgramEvening Program
18:15 – 19:15
Lecture: Composition & Light
17:30 – 19:00
Painting – Develop multifigure composition sketch
20:30 – 22:00
Farewell Dinner

Materials

For Drawing:

  • Sketch book charcoal or soft pencil

For Painting:

Paints

  • Cremnitz white in walnut oil or
    Titanium white (Michel Harding)
  • Yellow ochre or Mars yellow (Old Holland)
  • Vermilion red medium(Old Holland )
  • English red (Old Holland)
  • Ultramarine blue (Rembrandt)
  • Ivory black (Old Holland)

Brushes

Varying sizes and shapes, and various hair-types (a few bristle, a few sable, etc.)

Recommended:

Bristle Filibert numbers: 4, 6, 8, 10, 14
Sables Filbert numbers: 1, 2, 4

Canvas

Oil primed canvases or gesso primed canvases
(Daniela recommends Claessens 66 or 20)
For a figure painting, make it not smaller than 60 x 90 cm

Other

  • Palette, nothing smaller the 30 x 40
  • Palette knife
  • Cotton rags

Medium

Linseed oil and Tintorsetto or Shelsol-T (odorless solvent)

Tintoresetto can be purchased at the art shop above the PADASOR studio.  Else, Shelsol-T may be ordered from Kremer.

Important note: the following materials are hazardous to breathe and are NOT allowed in the PADASOR studio:

  • Fixative spray
  • Turpentine
  • Turpenoid
  • Sansador
  • Liquin
  • Dammar varnish, Canadian Balsam, Mastic varnish, or similar resin
  • Cobalt siccative
  • Etc., etc.

Important Note on Materials and How to Purchase Them

The PADASOR studio is located in the lower level of an art shop called La Bottega dell'Artista; participants in our workshop may purchase materials there with a discount of 20%.

If you are interested in having the shop prepare for you a canvas with Belgian linen, please contact them via the following email: labottegadellartista@poggi1825.it
Be sure to indicate which workshop you will be taking and when you plan to be there to purchase the canvas.

In addition, we offer all participants the opportunity to buy paints from us for a total cost of €30––all Michael Harding brand––though we do not offer expensive paints like Lead White or Vermilion, and instead substitute those colors with Michael Harding's Warm White and Cadmium Red.

Terms & Conditions

  1. A minimum number of 6 students is needed to run the workshop.
  2. The maximum number of students is 10.
  3. The workshop will be confirmed by February 15th, 2024.
  4. The Deposit is non-refundable, unless the workshop is canceled on February 15th, 2024.  If that happens, the Deposit will be reimbursed in full.  If you are traveling from outside of Europe, please wait until the workshop is confirmed prior to making your travel arrangements.
  5. The final payment must be made in cash on the day of the first lesson; credit cards for the final payment are not accepted.  No exceptions.

Food & Accommodations

Each participant is responsible for his or her own food and accommodations.  If you are coming from outside of Rome, we recommend you stay in the Trastevere area relatively close to the PADASOR studio at Via Cardinale Merry del Val 19b.

Accommodation Tips

AirBnB is great resource, else, there is a nice hotel right next to the studio:

Food Tips

Delicious restaurants and pizza places are very close to the studio.  Some of our favorites:


© A.P.S. PADASOR - The Painting and Drawing Art Studio of Rome - C.F. 96526090582 - Courses in Painting and Drawing in Rome / Corsi di Pittura e Disegno a Roma