Digital Art Workshop
Welcome! You can call me Miss Laurel :)
Learn the Foundations of Drawing & Painting Digitally
Beginner-friendly with hands-on lectures, this class helps you develop your drawing skills and artistic voice through tailored projects focused on art fundamentals, paint-overs with in-depth explanations, and supportive critiques for beginner to intermediate artists.
Hosted on the communication app Discord, this setup allows for easy access to art critiques, technical help, or artistic inquiry at any time, at the student’s convenience. Classes take place on Discord’s voice and video service weekdays from 5:30 to 7:30.
Only human-made art, taught by a human artist, is included in the curriculum.
24 hr access to instructor
Questions regarding critiques, art program aid, project progress, etc, will be answered at any time, not just during active class hours.
This includes help with schoolwork or personal work, traditional or digital mediums.
Discover your art style
The curriculum provides a well-rounded approach to various techniques and styles, ranging from realism, illustrative, an emulation of traditional painterly methods, webtoon style, comic style, anime style, and more.
100+
Project Types and Subjects
Attached images are examples of how teachings in the class are conducted:
Tailored Curriculum
Classes with unchanging lessons can be a roadblock for many art students, and in a subject as diverse as art, it’s important that each student learns not only the basics but also the areas they feel most connected to.
Discount for 1st Three Months
Since this class focuses on dedicated mentorship with personalized lessons for each student, the 1st 3 months of class is set as a 20% discount. This is because the first 3 lessons are foundation focused, and the same for each student.
Maximum of 5 Students per Class
It is critical to give each student a hefty allotment of attention to ensure goals are met. Quality lectures are the priority.
This also ensures that I can give as many free 1 on 1 calls as possible, should the student require it.
Style Discovery
The main focus of the curriculum is the exploration of many styles, techniques, and master artists. The tricky thing about finding style is that many beginner artists frustrate themselves by trying to mimic an artist they admire. This curriculum aims to streamline style discovery by teaching the foundations. You can think of it like this: when learning a language, you learn the alphabet first, then basic vocabulary and sentence structure, and then you can eventually learn how to stylize what you've learned into sonnets, chapters, memes, etc. The visual language is no different! All it comes down to is learning your personal taste, your artistic quirks and habits, and studying the problem-solving techniques the artists you admire use. How do they use/warp the foundations of art to visually describe their style? So then, how will you do the same?
This is how you will approach style exploration in this class, whether it's classical portraits, a chibi comic style, a narrative illustration that emulates the anime style, or a Spider-Verse concept art mockup.
In my own work, style versatility is my obsession! This will, by far, be a central subject I am most eager to teach. As an artist, I’ve explored a variety of styles and techniques to create a well-rounded, diverse, and comprehensive program.
Featured below is my work
Foundations of Drawing & Painting Made Interesting
The Digital Art Workshop is open to all students aged 13 and up, regardless of skill level. This class focuses on strengthening academic art foundations while keeping each subject engaging and enjoyable. But not just enjoyable: foundations of both drawing and painting are taught in ways that ties them to advanced art subjects, including higher-level topics you would come across in the professional industry.
We combine foundational drawing techniques with vibrant, engaging lessons that, as the student progresses through the course, will adapt to their personal style. The interactive class sessions feature tailored guidance and real-time feedback to fuel your creativity and growth.
To the left: a professional artist's work:@matchach on Twitter
To the right: the student's master study of the work
Emphasis on Character Illustration & Related Subjects Within
Character illustration covers a wide range of art subjects, including portraits, animals, landscapes, still life, and even abstract works.
For example, if a student chooses to study character design, in-depth courses covering silhouette, shape language, mass distribution, and color design. If a student chooses to focus on portraiture, they’ll dive into extensive studies of the classical masters, skull anatomy, and traditional painting techniques tailored to their personal curriculum.
In-Person Voice Calls with Instructor
Classes are held once a week, but if the students require supplementary calls / lectures / explanations, I will more than oblige to ensure they reach their goals. Typical class time is held after school hours, between 5:30-7:30 PM, every weekday. Additional one hour classes will be offered soon.
For each class, they'll learn alongside four other students to ensure a friendly and respectful community can be built. Art is all about visual communication: it's best studied in a social atmosphere surrounded by fellow art nerds!
Now that the student has the structure of the drawing down, they'll be able to reintroduce the style decisions (such as the anime-like eyes), and make changes to the pose/mass/character design more effectively.
The image above is demonstrating how to identify and correct the basics of a drawing: proportion, placement, and perspective.
Non-Invasive Paint-Overs & Encouraging Critiques
Paint-over explanations never alter the student’s original work. The critique process involves uploading a screenshot of their piece to the designated subject channel, then painting over it to illustrate points and ideas. The student watches in real time as each approach is demonstrated, but their original document stays untouched. All changes are made by the student, ensuring every brushstroke and pencil mark remains entirely their own.
But, receiving an art critique can be quite daunting, and a bad critique can squash passion. I will ensure that any and all critiques given are objective and kind, not only pointing out the areas that need to be reapproached, but also pointing out where the student applied something with great success.
Anyone is Welcome!
If you are a parent that wishes to become more familiar with what your child is learning, or if you're a sibling of an enrolled student - so long as you are above the age of 13 (Discord's age requirement) - you are more than welcome to join the class with the "Spectator" role! As a Spectator, you will be able to listen in on lectures, and view every message and image submitted to the class. Of course, you will not have tailored lectures, critiques, or live feedback, but you may get to learn a thing or two! I wish for this class to be very open, approachable, and transparent for all.
This privilege extends to enrolled students as well. If your class isn't scheduled for that day, but you wish to join a lecture as a spectator, you are more than welcome.
Get in touch & sign up!
E-mail: laurel.graybalobadartist@gmail.com
Phone: 678-575-0477
Discord: @balo_badartist
Why "balo_badartist?" It's an online moniker that's meant to be memorable, as well as descriptive. No one calls themself a bad artist unless you're trying to make your name stand out. Online marketing will also be part of the class, particularily in advanced lessons.