Digital Painting I
Learn the essential tips, tricks and techniques of Photoshop to create realistic and visually appealing digital paintings!
Save up to $50 on Spring Term classes by signing up before March 8th.
Student Artwork by Daniel Jervis
Digital Painting I
Start digital painting with confidence. This course introduces digital painting tools, techniques, and workflows, while developing skills in composition and visual storytelling.
Students learn to work in Photoshop, handle edges, light, and materials, and develop compositions from thumbnail to finished piece, applying both realism and stylization.
Taking this class alongside Light, Shadow and Value provides a seamless bridge between traditional fundamentals and modern digital painting.
- Course Type Art Fundamentals
- Duration 10 weeks
-
Skill Level
Level 1 Level 1
Strong fundamentals in traditional drawing, painting and sculpting are the foundations to create amazing artwork.
This level is about solidifying the fundamentals, getting a refresher on the most important art principles, and learning tricks to create realistic drawing and paintings.
- Language English
Schedule
Online - Spring 2026 - Mondays from 5 PM to 7 PM* EDT - Starts April 6th - 10 weeks with Nino Vecia
Please note that we observe Daylight Saving Time, so classes may shift from Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) UTC−4 to Eastern Standard Time (EST) UTC−5 or vice versa during the term.
If you are unable to attend the live online class, you will still have access to video recordings of the class lectures and will still receive personalized feedback from your instructor. However, for Onsite Classes there will be no recordings provided.
It should be noted that students should set aside a minimum of 3 hours per week to complete assignments for this class. Students may even require a bit more time (4-5 hours per week) depending on how quickly they can work through assignments.
Prerequisites
Skill requirements
To enroll in this course you should have:
- Some intermediate drawing and basic digital painting skills (use of proper perspective, proportions, shading and colour).
- Proficiency in all basic Photoshop tools.
- Ideally completed our Intro to Digital Painting and Analytical Drawing classes or have equivalent practice/experience.
If you are unsure of your skill level, please contact [email protected] for additional guidance.
Language and age requirements
You should have at least intermediate level English to take this class. Please be advised that there could be artistic nudity in our classes. Students should be 14 years old to enroll.
Minimum Artistic Skills Required
Your current skill level should roughly be on par with the artwork featured here before taking this class. If you are still unsure, please send an email to [email protected]; we will be happy to assess your artwork!
Required Materials
Material List:
- A desktop computer or laptop with Photoshop installed*
- A graphic tablet with pressure sensitivity (from brands such as Wacom, Huion, or Xencelabs), OR a tablet-laptop hybrid (also with Photoshop installed) with pressure sensitivity (such as the Wacom Cintiq Companion or Microsoft Surface Pro).
Important note:
Please note that the vast majority of our digital classes are taught using Adobe Photoshop and that this is also the recommended program for students to use. You may consult our FAQ for more information on other software which may be potentially used for class, however, please note that no technical assistance will be provided by instructors on the use of alternative painting software as they may not be familiar with the program.
Please ensure that all of your hardware and software are functioning properly before the start of the term; there will not be any time to resolve technical issues in class.
*Please consult our Tech Requirements below for more precise computer specifications.
Tech Requirements for Attending Syn Studio Online Classes
Minimum Requirements
- A strong uninterrupted broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE) connection with a minimum 600kbps bandwidth (up/down).
- A Laptop/Desktop computer equipped with a single core processor (at least 1 GHZ processing speed) or a smartphone/tablet with equivalent processing capabilities
- Good speakers/earphones to listen to the classes
- Browser - IE7+, Safari 5+, Firefox, Chrome
- Operating System - Windows XP, Mac OS 10.6, Linux distro based on 3.0 kernel, Android 5.0, iOS 10
Syn Studio Recommendations
- A strong uninterrupted broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE) connection with a minimum 1.5Mbps bandwidth (up/down). You can also connect to the internet directly using your ethernet cable to improve your experience.
- Laptop/Desktop computer equipped with a dual core processor with at least 2 GHZ processing speed and a 4 GB RAM
- High Quality speakers/earphones to listen to the classes
- Browser & Operating System - We recommend using the latest version of the browser and operating system for an optimal online classroom experience.
Course Outline
*Please note that the following outline is subject to change slightly at the teacher's discretion.
FORMAT FEATURES:
- Pre-recorded sessions and demos will be released at the beginning of every week
- Students review the coursework, learn and complete assignments during the week at their own leisure
- Then, once a week, you will join your instructor and up to 9 other students for live personalized feedback on your artwork.
Week 1 | Bargue Plates
How to use bargue plates and have class follow along using one of the plates
- Shape relationships within the plates to train what your eyes are actually seeing and not just
the image.
- Create a bargue plate during class and have class follow along
Week 2 | Plaster cast studies
-Become proficient working with values and learn how to control your edges so you can create
more realistic and visually appealing digital paintings.
- Explain cast shadows, form shadows
- light, bounce light
- What light shows us? Texture, form, direction
- Light closest to light source is brightest
- Explain hard, soft, lost edges
Week 3 | Master Studies
- breaking down their paintings and gaining insight about their decision making
Week 4 | Material Studies
-Learn to accurately render different materials, textures, reflections and values
- Learning the defining characteristics of specific materials
Week 5 | Digital Plein Air
- simplify and breakdown landscapes
Week 6 | Learning to paint the Human Figure
- Understand how to properly paint the human figure through a series of figure studies designed
to level-up your basic anatomy, gesture, portrait, volume painting and skin rendering.
- Different colours in face ( Yellow, red, Blue)
- Exagerate gestures slightly
-Show shapes around figure (Negative space)
Week 7 | Concepting
- creating concepts from chaos > warping photos to generate and create interesting ideas
Week 8 | Advanced Tools
- students will be introduced to some advanced tools to learn more techniques and help speed up our painting process
Week 9 | Final Painting
- Using all the previous techniques you've learned so far, you'll be
getting started on your final painting
Week 10 | Finishing touches
-students will be shown some new methods of adding colour and how to put the finishing touches on your final piece.
Testimonials
Registration
You will soon receive an email receipt for your purchase.
Please bring a photo ID for the first day of class.
Your transaction was not completed. Please try again. If the problem persists, please email us at [email protected] or call us at 514-998-7625
Questions and Assistance
Feel free to send us an email at [email protected] or give us a call at 514-998-7625
Please consult our FAQ; most of the commonly asked questions are answered in detail there. If you cannot find the answer to your question, please feel free to fill out the form below, or, send an email to [email protected]