Francesco Farabi - Beyond technique

Course overview

Beyond Technique is the updated and most comprehensive evolution of Francesco Farabi’s signature masterclass, Become a Better Painter. Taught internationally for years and appreciated by painters around the world, the class has grown through the experience, questions and discoveries shared with its students.

This four-day edition gives that work more room to develop. Through theory, demonstrations and guided painting, participants will explore how color, light, composition and technique come together in a miniature, with time to experiment, receive individual feedback and revisit their choices.

My philosophy as a teacher

My goal is not to teach you to paint like me. It is to help you paint with greater understanding, confidence and freedom as yourself.

I will share my understanding of the theoretical foundations of painting and how they translate into practice, demonstrate techniques, and explain the reasoning behind my choices. These explanations and demonstrations are starting points for learning—not results you are expected to copy. What matters is that you understand the principles well enough to use them independently, adapt them to your needs and achieve the results you want.

Each of you brings a unique personality, sensibility and way of seeing. I want to preserve those qualities and help you give them greater strength through your painting. A useful method should support your individuality and give you room to develop it.

I think of teaching as helping you pack a backpack for your own journey: choosing the right tools, learning how to use them and understanding when they can help. The backpack is what I can help you prepare. The path you take, and what you create along the way, belong to you.

Francesco Farabi

How we will work

Theory and practice will inform each other throughout the four days. We will explore color relationships, composition, light and visual storytelling, then apply those ideas to a provided miniature. Brushwork, texture and refinement will be introduced in connection with the painting problems they help solve.

Francesco will work closely with each participant to understand how they naturally paint, recognize what is already effective and identify the difficulties limiting their progress. One painter may need greater control of color; another may benefit from a clearer approach to light, or a different way of developing and refining a surface. Guidance will respond to those individual needs.

The extended format allows you to try an approach, assess the result and make adjustments with support. You will consider the miniature as a whole as well as its individual surfaces, learning where further work will make a meaningful difference.

This class is for me if

I have some experience painting miniatures and want to bring my skills together into a more coherent result.

• I can follow tutorials, but struggle to make confident decisions when painting independently.

• I want to understand why a color choice, lighting setup or composition works and apply that understanding to my own projects.

• I sometimes feel stuck and would benefit from individual guidance on what is holding my painting back.

• I want to develop my own artistic direction and am willing to experiment, ask questions and reconsider familiar habits.

What to expect and take away

Expect explanations, live demonstrations, substantial painting time and direct feedback on your work. Participants may progress at different speeds and focus on different challenges. Completing the miniature is a possible outcome, but the priority is understanding the process well enough to continue with confidence after the class.

During the masterclass, you will practice how to:

• Build a palette with greater awareness of color relationships, saturation and value.

• Organize light, shadow and contrast to describe form and guide the viewer’s attention.

• Use composition and focal emphasis to improve readability and support the story or atmosphere of the piece.

• Choose brushwork and textures that suit the materials and character of the subject.

• Assess the painting as a whole and make deliberate decisions about what to refine, what to emphasize and when to stop.

• Recognize your strengths and recurring difficulties, and identify useful next steps for your own practice.

A personal artistic voice develops through observation, practice and conscious choices. Francesco’s experience as a painter, teacher and international judge informs the way he considers each student’s work: understanding its intended direction, recognizing its strengths and helping the painter find ways to make it more effective. You should leave with practical tools, a clearer sense of your own process and more confidence in deciding where to take it next.

Materials & Inclusions

• A Kimera Models miniature will be provided

• Bring your brushes and acrylic paints

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