Become a Confident Artist!
Build your skills in drawing and oil painting with skills-based training through precise and clear instruction.
What is holding you back from becoming a confident artist?
Is it Frustration?
Are you frustrated with your art journey? Don’t know where to go for help, or are you not happy with the help you get? Or even worse, when you watch a demonstration video and, towards the end, it suddenly jumps to a finished painting, they leave out half of the instructions.
Is it Confusion?
With so much information and so many different materials and brands available, it can be challenging to know what resources to examine, not to mention all of the different approaches to creating art.
Is it Disappointment?
I hear this word a lot. As artists, this will never go away completely because we always strive to improve our work. However, having a resource to guide you through the perceived disappointment is helpful.
Are you Lacking Skills?
Frustration can also come from the realization that you lack skills, and it can be hard to find resources to overcome this. A dependable instructor or mentor will help you navigate through and build the necessary skills.
Technique - How do you do what you do?
Another type of frustration is not knowing how to draw or paint different textures and not finding a resource that breaks it down clearly and precisely. You often see videos with poor narration or sped up with no narration.
Build Confidence in your Artistic Journey!
Where do you start, what tools do you use, and how should you mix paint? Those decisions can make you anxious about picking up a pencil or brush. Not to worry; I am with you every step of the way. Even better, if you didn't understand some of the instructions, you can rewind and watch it again.
Practice, Practice, and Practice Some More!
Buying a book on technique or watching a short YouTube video will help you, but when learning about drawing and oil painting techniques, you simply need to spend time behind the pencil and brush. My instructional courses will give you plenty of practice drawing, mixing colors, painting, and understanding why you are using the tools that you are using.
Surround yourself with positive influence!
In times of frustration or when that “ugly voice” in your head wiggles its way in, you need a positive place you can go. Whether in a mentorship program or an online community, you can connect with like-minded people who give positive feedback when dealing with your issues.
Let Me Introduce Myself
I’m Robert Louis Caldwell, and I love to draw and paint. I have been painting since the late 1990s and have been drawing since I was two years old. I have the proof; my mom saved my first drawing of a Tractor Trailer.
My passion for creating art has evolved into sharing my knowledge with others through my Drawing and Oil Painting Courses. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing a student’s smile when they have created something new and spectacular.
I have been teaching since 2010, and now that I have created my instruction courses in video format, students get to paint alongside me. You can watch how I draw and hold a pencil, mix paint on the palette, brushwork on the canvas, and even clean my brush with clear and precise instructions as you move through the different courses.
I am honored to be named an Associate Living Master with the Art Renewal Center, an organization promoting skills-based training, standards, and excellence in visual arts. All of my courses are ARC-approved.
I love what I do, and I love sharing and helping students build their knowledge by working with color and brushwork!
What You Will Learn at RL Caldwell Studio
Do you feel comfortable with your skill level and just want a peek at some demonstrations?
- There are a few demonstration courses. These are longer and fully narrated, covering as much of my painting or drawing process as possible.
- Are you looking for shorter demonstrations focused on a specific technique, such as how to paint peeling paint with rust? My short demos are posted on my studio community page and can be filtered by using the categories and tags to narrow down to a specific post.
- If you don’t see a technique on the community page that you would like to see, leave a post asking if I can tackle it.
Are you looking for drawing and oil painting instruction?
Working with graphite pencil?
- If you are a beginner my Sketch/Draw courses are a perfect starting point. I walk you through seeing larger shapes and then smaller and smaller shapes and find those within the rectangle on your paper. From there I show you how to render value to create form on the objects that we are looking at.
- If you feel comfortable with drawing but want to elevate your skill to create a more realistic image, I have courses demonstrating my layering approach and using a variety of pencils to achieve the finished look.
- One of the most important courses I offer and I encourage students to revisit this course every six months is the Basic Perspective course. No matter what style you draw or paint in you must have a good understanding of perspective.
Want to learn how to paint in oils?
- To start off with there are several courses just using black and white paint. Learning to paint is challenging enough, starting off with color makes it even more challenging.
- Ready to move on to color? The Color Theory course is my flagship course! Yes, the phrase Color Theory sounds boring but it is essential to know how color space works. Through lectures, exercises and painting still lifes I walk you through every aspect of learning how color works through clear and precise video instruction. This course is years in the process of being built and is being added to often.
Looking for advanced courses?
- Composing is the most important part of creating a drawing or painting. I create my compositions in Photoshop by compositing many different images together and then adjust and alter different elements within the compositional window. My course “Compositing - Composing in Photoshop” walks you through several different exercises to teach you how to composite.
Are you ready for Mentorship?
- If you are looking for more help with developing your artistic goals you can apply to work with me in one of my weekly Mentorship Studios.
- The mentorship studios is a time to work from your own studio via Zoom, receive critiques on your work, discuss compositional questions or even discuss a challenging technique that you have encountered.
- The group mentorship studios also has the added benefit of having other artists to learn from as well. Everyone in the mentorship studios is looking to grow their artistic confidence and having others on the same journey makes it more easy and fun.
[Join the Studio Today! Which tier works best for you?]
Testimonials
Students who have worked with Robert and want to share what they have learned and gained from this instruction.
Read more testimonials on the studios' Testimonials page.
“Robert’s teaching method is meticulous and consistent.”
I have been working in graphite ever since I came to Robert’s studio in 2019. Recently I began to consider moving to a color palette. Robert recommended I begin with his Basic Color Theory course. It has been the best experience! Through this course, I am learning the basics of color theory - color space, color models, inherent values, shading, tinting, and so much more. And I am also learning the basics of oil painting - paint brushes, palettes, tubes of paint, mixing paints, linseed oil, mineral spirits, and the entire process of painting. Not to mention that I already have two “paintings” - my color wheel and my primary colors' inherent value strings.
Robert’s teaching method is meticulous and consistent. By the end of each exercise, he has helped me build confidence and knowledge to the point that I believe I could carry on the work on my own in my studio. But it’s a whole lot more fun working alongside Robert! He is engaging, informative, and talks through every detail. We get to see his process and learn from his decisions even as we are making our own.
Robert teaches to all artistic levels. With two exercises complete, I already feel like an artist who works in oils. I cannot wait for the next exercise!
~Christy Weisiger
“I have gained a wealth of knowledge”
“I have gained a wealth of knowledge just from section 1. Robert has kept it light and entertaining as it is quite a big undertaking to complete all the sections. When finished, I will have excellent resources I can use for the rest of my painting projects.”
~Fran Hines
“ I love that this is an online course so that I can learn at my own pace”
Robert Caldwell's Basic Color Theory course is mind blowing. This course is great for beginners and experienced artists alike. I've been painting for decades as a hobby and would arrive at a color by trial and error, never really understanding the relationships between colors. This course has helped me better predict the behavior of color, how to manipulate value and the intensity and how color affects each other. I now understand different methods for desaturating the paint to push back sections of my painting adding more depth and more focus on the subject. I also found it invaluable to see how Robert mixes paint, adds medium to paint and uses his brush. I've only been painting with oil for several years and it is very helpful to watch a professional artist using the material. I love that this is an online course so that I can learn at my own pace and am able to revisit sections when I want a refresher. I highly recommend this course.
~Pam Landreth
My instruction and demonstration courses will improve your confidence in graphite pencils and oil paints!
I know how challenging it can be to start out or advance your artistic skills. I take pride in my Color Theory course; it was the most difficult obstacle for me personally to overcome. I even graduated from art school without understanding how color worked and how to paint.
I want you not to have to deal with the same frustration. I want you to be excited about drawing and painting and look forward to the next lesson, course, or group mentorship meeting.
At the end of your journey with me, you will have;
Experience with the different grades of pencils
A greater understanding of color and value
Plenty of experience mixing and working with paint
Be able to look at a color and know how to make it
Understand how color influences other colors
Be part of a like-minded community
And most important, a confident artist
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Robert create his drawings, is there an example of his process?
Yes I have a separate page on this site walking you through my entire process. Visit "Robert's Drawing Approach" to see a short start to finish explanation of my process.
How does Robert create his paintings, is there an example of his process?
I paint using the "Indirect Painting Method" and a full explanation and example can be found at "Robert's Painting Approach."
What is Robert's approach to teaching and where can I see his credentials?
My approach to teaching and my credentials can be found on my page titled "Instruction, philosophy and credentials."
When do the courses start and finish?
The courses start now and end when you cancel your studio membership! They are completely self-paced online courses—you decide when to start and finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
As long as you have a studio membership, you will have access to the courses or mentorship studios in your membership tier.
What if I am unhappy with my membership?
I would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact me within the first 14 days by emailing [email protected], and I will give you a full refund.
Can I watch my courses whenever and wherever I want?
Yes! All courses are streamed on-demand, so you can watch them whenever possible.
Can I download the video lessons from my courses?
The video lessons are not downloadable and are streamed on-demand to logged-in students. Students must have an active internet connection to watch the video lessons.
How do I ask a question?
Leave a question in the comment section at the end of each lesson. If you want a more interactive experience with me, look into my mentoring studios. All mentoring students get access to my courses, demos, and artist resources.