New Masters Academy

Learn to draw and paint this summer.

Four weeks of live drawing and digital painting with working artists, plus a special weekend workshop from figurative painter Zin Lim, his first time with NMA.

Enrollment opens soon. Get notified the moment it does:

4: Weeks live
2: Core classes
6: Skill workshops
$279: Early price

What you get

01
Live classes every week
Two core classes meet live each week for all four weeks: one in drawing and one in digital painting. Attend live, work alongside the class, and return to the recordings afterward.
02
Six skill workshops
Shorter sessions on the building blocks: composition, color, sketchbook habits, working from reference, planning a picture, and getting feedback on your work.
03
Watch any time
Every session is recorded and posted for replay access, so you can rewatch on your own schedule. Full bootcamp students also receive a private Digital Campus channel and can earn a certificate of completion by meeting the participation requirements.

What you'll learn

Every session this summer is taught live by a working professional artist. Here is what each class and workshop is designed to cover.

Charcoal figure drawing by Zin Lim. — Zin Lim, from the Allegro series (charcoal).

Special guest workshop

Beginner-Friendly Charcoal Portrait

with Zin Lim

Figurative painter · MFA, Academy of Art University · Best of Show, Salon International

Special weekend · July 25 and 26

Full bootcamp only

A beginner-friendly weekend workshop on charcoal portrait drawing: charcoal materials, expressive mark-making, value structure, edge control, and a guided approach to a finished portrait study. Zin is an award-winning figurative painter known for charcoal and oil figures at the edge of drawing and abstraction, and this is his first time teaching with NMA.

Your two weekly core classes

Drawing Skills Intensive
with Catherine Bobkoski
NMA Instructor · Award-Winning Oil Painter
Wednesdays, 1 to 3 PM PT · July 15, 22, 29 and Aug 5
Traditional drawing from the ground up: how to begin a drawing, use tools and materials with intention, and build form through construction, proportion, and value.
- Starting a drawing with clarity
- Using tools and materials with intention
- Building form through construction
- Proportion and spatial relationships
- Value that supports form and readability
Digital Painting Intensive
with Iliya Mirochnik
Character Lead at ZA/UM · Award-Winning Portrait Artist
Tuesdays, 9 to 11 AM PT · July 14, 21, 28 and Aug 4
Digital painting as a structured process: digital drawing, workflow, block-in, rendering, and edges, taking an image from a rough start to a stronger finish.
- Drawing digitally with a better setup
- Blocking in large relationships
- Developing form through value
- Using edges and transitions intentionally
- Moving a painting toward a resolved finish

The skill workshops

How to Study Reference Without Copying Blindly
with Renae Wang
LCAD Foundations · Oil Painter
July 13, 16 and 20
Use reference as a tool for study and analysis. Move past surface copying to simplify, interpret, and learn from visual sources.
- Observation and analysis
- Simplifying reference
- What to keep, adjust, or omit
- Using reference with intention
Thumbnailing and Idea Development
with Larissa Brown
Nickelodeon Character Designer
July 16, 23 and 30
Generate stronger visual ideas before finished work: thumbnailing, early composition choices, and building clearer image direction.
- Idea generation
- Thumbnailing
- Composition planning
- Developing stronger visual directions
Sketchbook Practice That Builds Skill
with Marian Littlejohn
NMA Coach · Program Instructor
July 21, 31 and Aug 4
Use the sketchbook as a practical tool for growth: habits that support observation, repetition, experimentation, and long-term development.
- Sketchbook routines
- Observation and repetition
- Study habits
- Small studies that build larger skills
Critique and Self-Assessment
with Julie Miette
NMA Student Ambassador of Craft
July 24, 30 and Aug 3
Understand feedback, evaluate your own work more clearly, and use critique as part of a healthier studio practice.
- Working with intention
- Receiving feedback
- Self-assessment
- Turning critique into growth
Color Planning for Stronger Paintings
with Bill Perkins
Disney Art Director
Full bootcamp only
July 15, 22 and 29
Plan color as part of a larger visual design: how value, color relationships, tonal structure, and hierarchy create paintings with stronger clarity, mood, and impact.
- Value and color relationships
- Tonal planning
- Hierarchy and order of read
- Color decisions that support stronger paintings

From last summer

What students made last Summer

A selection of work from the 2025 Summer Bootcamp, across charcoal, gouache, digital painting, and illustration.

Story-driven illustration of a gnome carrying a giant strawberry, by Christine C. — Christine C.
Story-Driven Illustration

Digital still-life painting with a fish kite, utensils, and bananas, by Tatiana — Tatiana
Digital Still-Life Painting

Gouache landscape of a river and grassy embankment, by Chrisell — Chrisell
Gouache Painting & Sketching

Charcoal drawing of roses in a vase, by Aby — Aby
Painterly Drawing in Charcoal

Watercolor illustration of an elephant reaching for a library book, by Natasha — Natasha
Story-Driven Illustration

Digital still-life painting of fruit and a watermelon by a window, by Christine C. — Christine C.
Digital Still-Life Painting

Illustration of a young knight lacing a boot, by Meeray — Meeray
Story-Driven Illustration

Gouache landscape of trees, a fence, and power lines, by Natasha — Natasha
Gouache Painting & Sketching

Charcoal still life of sunflowers and pottery, by Sandra — Sandra
Painterly Drawing in Charcoal

Gouache painting of parked scooters on a street, by Aby — Aby
Gouache Painting & Sketching

Charcoal drawing of flowers in a pitcher by a window, by Tatiana — Tatiana
Painterly Drawing in Charcoal

Digital painting study of a gosling, by Natasha — Natasha
Digital Still-Life Painting

Painting of paintbrushes in studio containers, by Rachel W. — Rachel W.
Digital Still-Life Painting

Charcoal still life of daisies in a vase, by Christine C. — Christine C.
Painterly Drawing in Charcoal

Charcoal drawing of a rose in a fluted vase, by Chrisell — Chrisell
Painterly Drawing in Charcoal

Colored-pencil illustration of a cat and a mouse at a cheese shop, by Aby — Aby
Story-Driven Illustration

What students said

The digital still life course got me really interested in digital sketching, and just for that thing alone the Bootcamp was worth it!
Tatiana K.
2025 Summer Bootcamp
The first two weeks of bootcamp were a little (!) crazy for me, but my stress level went way down after that, and I have appreciated the structure (and even the deadlines). For me, Iliya's class could have gone on for 4 more weeks
Mafa
2025 Summer Bootcamp
It's made drawing every day so much easier...no set up barrier, no clean up, portable
RocketPsyentist
2025 Summer Bootcamp
The medium and painting outdoors have really been a discovery for me. I will definitely pursue gouache further.
Chrisell
2025 Summer Bootcamp
Thanks so much for your demos and feedback, @Renae Wang, they were so incredibly helpful and encouraging. I'm excited to go out and paint again.
Aby
2025 Summer Bootcamp

Enrollment

Opens soon

Get on the list before the early price fills.

The early price is $279, held for the first 20 people who sign up. After that it is $299.

The full bootcamp
$279
Early price, first 20 seats
Both core classes, all six workshops, replay access, the private cohort, and a certificate. $299 after the first 20.
A single workshop
$109
Take one workshop topic. Bill Perkins's and Zin Lim's workshops are in the full bootcamp only.
Members and 2025 students
$249
Active subscribers and anyone who joined the 2025 Summer bootcamp.

Good to know

Still deciding?

We will hold a reminder for you.

Have a question first, or want to think it over? Join the list and we will send a reminder before the early $279 price fills.

Learn to draw and paint this summer.

Live classes every week

Six skill workshops

Watch any time

Beginner-Friendly Charcoal Portrait

Drawing Skills Intensive

Digital Painting Intensive

How to Study Reference Without Copying Blindly

Thumbnailing and Idea Development

Sketchbook Practice That Builds Skill

Critique and Self-Assessment

Color Planning for Stronger Paintings

What students made last Summer

Get on the list before the early price fills.

The full bootcamp

A single workshop

Members and 2025 students

We will hold a reminder for you.