THE ART OF BECOMING

An 8-Month Journey in Drawing, Painting and Creative Discovery

Every Tuesday Morning | 9:30–12:30
October 2026 – May 2027
Entirely in English | In Studio and Live Online

Drawing • Colour • Acrylics • Oils • Portraiture • Art History • Personal Projects

WEEKLY MORNING CLASS

09:30–10:00
Visual inspiration, art history, artist case study or technical demonstration

10:00–11:10
Guided studio project and individual tuition

11:10–11:20
Short break

11:20–12:20
Studio development and personal feedback

12:20–12:30
Group review and preparation for the following session
 

Start date :

Tuesday, 6th October 2026

YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO MAKE ART. NOW GIVE YOURSELF THE TIME TO DEVELOP IT.
 

The Art οf Becoming is designed for adults who want more than occasional art lessons.
 

Over eight months, you will learn how to observe, draw, understand colour, work confidently with acrylics and oils, explore the human subject and gradually develop artwork that feels personal to you.

You do not need previous formal training.

You need curiosity, commitment and the willingness to experiment.

By the end of the programme, you will have created a developing portfolio of drawings, studies and finished paintings—and taken part in a final student exhibition.
 

YOUR ARTISTIC JOURNEY
 

SEE
Train your eye and develop your powers of observation.

UNDERSTAND
Discover how composition, light, colour and materials work.

PRACTISE
Build skills through structured studio projects.

EXPERIMENT
Explore different approaches without being afraid of mistakes.

DEVELOP
Move from exercises towards personal ideas.

CREATE
Complete individual artworks with professional guidance.

PRESENT
Select and prepare your work for exhibition.
 

THE EIGHT CREATIVE MODULES
 

1. SEE DIFFERENTLY

The Artist’s Eye | October

The programme begins by changing the way you look at the world.

You will explore:

• Line, shape and negative space
   
• Observation versus copying
   
• Proportion and visual measurement
   
• Basic perspective
   
• Cropping and viewpoint
   
• Composition and visual balance
   
• Simplification and abstraction
   
• Using a visual sketchbook
   

Creative Challenge: The Extraordinary Ordinary

Transform an everyday object into a compelling series of drawings by changing the scale, viewpoint, composition and drawing approach.

You will complete:
A visual sketchbook and a series of observational drawings.

Artists through whom we learn:
Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.
 

2. THE DRAMA OF LIGHT

Form, Tone and Atmosphere | November

Discover how artists use light to transform ordinary subjects and create mood, depth and drama.

You will explore:

• Tonal values
   
• Light direction
   
• Three-dimensional form
   
• Form shadows and cast shadows
   
• Hard, soft and lost edges
   
• Texture and mark-making
   
• Dramatic composition
   
• Charcoal and tonal drawing techniques
   

Creative Challenge: From Darkness into Light

Create a dramatic still-life drawing using a limited tonal range and a single strong light source.

You will complete:
A resolved charcoal or graphite drawing and a light-and-shadow master study.

Artists through whom we learn:
Caravaggio, Rembrandt and Georges de La Tour.
 

3. COLOUR HAS A VOICE

The Colour Laboratory | December

Colour is not simply something we use to describe an object. It can create atmosphere, energy, tension and emotion.

You will explore:

• Hue, value and saturation
   
• Warm and cool relationships
   
• Complementary colours
   
• Colour harmony and contrast
   
• Limited palettes
   
• Mixing clean and complex colours
   
• Atmospheric colour
   
• Emotional and expressive colour
   
• How colour changes according to its surroundings
   

Creative Challenge: One Subject, Three Moods

Interpret the same subject three times using different colour palettes to communicate three different emotional qualities.

You will complete:
A personal colour reference chart, several small colour studies and an expressive colour composition.

Artists through whom we learn:
Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse and Josef Albers.
 

4. BUILD A PAINTING

The Acrylic Studio | January

Learn how a painting develops from an initial idea rather than beginning immediately on the final surface.

You will explore:

• Acrylic materials and painting surfaces
   
• Creating thumbnail compositions
   
• Selecting and adapting reference material
   
• Developing a colour study
   
• Preparing and toning a surface
   
• Blocking in the major shapes
   
• Layering, glazing and transparency
   
• Brushwork and texture
   
• Creating depth and atmosphere
   
• Evaluating, correcting and resolving a painting
   

Creative Challenge: From Reference to Reinvention

Use a photographic or observational reference as a starting point, then change the composition, colour and atmosphere to create an individual interpretation.

You will complete:
Preparatory sketches, a colour study and one resolved acrylic painting.
 

5. DISCOVER OIL PAINTING

The Oil Painting Experience | February

Experience the richness, flexibility and expressive possibilities of oil paint through a carefully guided introduction.

You will explore:

• Essential materials and studio safety
   
• Solvent-free working options
   
• Brushes, supports and mediums
   
• Colour mixing in oils
   
• Underpainting
   
• Direct and layered painting
   
• The fat-over-lean principle
   
• Glazing, scumbling and impasto
   
• Controlling edges
   
• Correcting and developing a painting
   
• Drying, protecting and finishing the work
   

Creative Challenge: Slow Looking, Rich Painting

Create a small oil painting that concentrates on colour relationships, edges and the physical quality of paint.

You will complete:
A series of technical studies and one complete oil painting.
 

6. THE HUMAN PRESENCE

Portrait and Figure | March

Explore one of art’s most enduring subjects: the human being.

The aim is not simply to achieve a physical likeness, but to communicate presence, expression and character.

You will explore:

• Structure and proportions of the head
   
• Constructing the facial features
   
• Light and shadow across the face
   
• Mixing varied skin tones
   
• Warm and cool colour relationships
   
• Expression and character
   
• Gesture and basic figure proportions
   
• Clothing and folds
   
• The relationship between subject and background

Students will work from carefully selected photographic references and, where possible, a live model.

Creative Challenge: More Than a Likeness

Develop a portrait in which lighting, colour, composition and brushwork communicate something about the sitter.

You will complete:
Portrait drawings, colour studies and a developed portrait in acrylic or oil.

Artists through whom we learn:
Rembrandt, Diego Velázquez, John Singer Sargent, Alice Neel and Lucian Freud.
 

7. BREAK THE RULES

Experimentation and Artistic Voice | April

Once you understand the foundations, you can begin deciding when—and why—to move beyond them.

You will explore:

• Working from memory and imagination
   
• Transforming photographic references
   
• Changing scale and viewpoint
   
• Simplification and distortion
   
• Expressive and symbolic colour
   
• Personal mark-making
   
• Combining observation with abstraction
   
• Developing a visual series
   
• Recognising your recurring subjects and interests
   
• Giving and receiving constructive critique
   

Creative Challenge: One Idea, Many Possibilities

Develop one subject in several different ways—observational, expressive, simplified and abstracted—before choosing the direction that feels most personal.

You will complete:
A collection of experimental studies forming the foundation of your final project.
 

8. MAKE IT YOURS

The Artist’s Personal Project | May

The final module brings together everything you have learned.

With individual guidance, you will develop a personal artwork or small related series from the first idea to its final presentation.

Your process will include:

• Choosing a subject or central idea
   
• Gathering meaningful visual references
   
• Developing drawings and compositional possibilities
   
• Producing colour and material studies
   
• Selecting acrylics, oils or a combination of approaches
   
• Creating the final artwork
   
• Participating in individual and group critiques
   
• Refining and resolving the work
   
• Writing a short description of your project
   
• Preparing the work for presentation
   

Final Challenge: Create Work That Feels Like Yours

You will complete:
A resolved personal artwork or small series ready for inclusion in the final exhibition.
 

ART HISTORY THROUGH THE ARTIST’S EYES

Art history is not taught as a detached list of names, dates and movements.

Every artist and artwork introduces a practical creative question:

• How did Rembrandt create emotional power through light?
   
• How did Monet capture a changing atmosphere?
   
• How did Van Gogh make brushwork expressive?
   
• How did Matisse use colour to organise a composition?
   
• How did Picasso transform the visible world?
   
• How did Sargent create a sense of confidence with surprisingly few marks?
   

Students examine the principle, see it demonstrated and then apply it to their own work.

LOOK → UNDERSTAND → EXPERIMENT → CREATE
 

MORE THAN WEEKLY LESSONS

Throughout the year, participants will also experience:

• Live demonstrations
   
• Guided master studies
   
• Short creative challenges
   
• Individual tuition
   
• Group discussions and constructive critiques
   
• Monthly progress reviews
   
• Optional home-studio prompts
   
• Artwork selection and presentation
   
• Guidance on photographing artwork
   
• Support in writing about personal work
   
• A final physical and/or online exhibition
   

THE BORGIAS ARTIST’S DIGITAL STUDIO

All participants receive access to English-language digital resources supporting the live programme.

Resources include:

• Illustrated session notes
   
• Step-by-step technical guides
   
• Artist and artwork references
   
• Selected demonstration videos
   
• Reference images
   
• Project briefs
   
• Colour and composition exercises
   
• Optional home-studio activities
   
• Materials guidance
   
• Support for the final personal project
   

The Digital Studio complements the live classes;
it does not replace direct teaching and individual feedback.
 

HOW HYBRID PARTICIPATION WORKS

Participants may choose:

In-Studio Participation

Attend the weekly class at BORGIAS Fine Art in Athens, work alongside the group and receive direct practical guidance.

Live Online Participation

Join the same class live, follow demonstrations through a dedicated close-up camera and receive individual feedback on your work.

Flexible Hybrid Participation

Combine studio and online attendance by prior arrangement when circumstances make physical attendance difficult.

Online participants can submit photographs of their work for closer review and personal feedback.
 

WHAT WILL YOU HAVE CREATED?

By the end of the programme, you will have developed:

• A working visual sketchbook
   
• Observational drawings
   
• Tonal and charcoal studies
   
• A personal colour reference collection
   
• Experimental colour compositions
   
• A completed acrylic painting
   
• A completed oil painting
   
• Portrait and figure studies
   
• A developed portrait
   
• Experimental work exploring personal direction
   
• Preparatory studies for an individual project
   
• A final personal artwork or small series

Together, these works form a developing portfolio documenting eight months of artistic growth.
 

THE FINAL EXHIBITION

"BORGIAS" Fine Art - THE ART OF BECOMING Student's Exhibition

The programme culminates in a curated physical and/or online exhibition celebrating the participants’ development.

Students will receive guidance in:

• Selecting their strongest work
   
• Photographing and presenting artwork
   
• Writing a short artwork description
   
• Preparing work for display
   
• Discussing their creative decisions with confidence
   

The exhibition gives every participant a meaningful goal and the experience of seeing their work presented as part of a wider artistic conversation.
 

WHO IS THE PROGRAMME FOR?

The Art of Becoming is suitable for adults who:

• Have always wanted to study art but did not know where to begin
   
• Are returning to art after a long absence
   
• Have some experience but lack structured foundations
   
• Want to progress from drawing into painting
   
• Want to explore both acrylic and oil techniques
   
• Are looking for sustained creative development
   
• Want to understand art history through practical experience
   
• Prefer to study entirely in English
   
• Would value becoming part of a supportive creative community
   

No previous formal art education is required.

The programme is particularly suitable for committed beginners and developing artists. More experienced students will receive individual extensions appropriate to their level

PROGRAMME FEES

REGULAR FEE
 

8 x 120 €  ( 960 €  )
A  payment of  120 €  secures a participant’s place and is credited towards the programme fee.

οr Prepayment  860 €  for the complete eight-month programme

 

EARLY-BIRD FEE

(until the 20th of September '26)
 

8 x 105 €  ( 840 € ) 
A  payment of  105 €  secures a participant’s place and is credited towards the programme fee.

οr  Prepayment  740 €   for the complete eight-month programme

The fee includes:

• 32 three-hour live sessions
   
• Approximately 96 hours of teaching
   
• Individual tuition and feedback
   
• Digital learning resources
   
• Project briefs and supporting notes
   
• Group critiques and progress reviews
   
• Final exhibition participation
   
• Certificate of completion

Personal art materials, framing and exhibition printing costs are not included.

A staged materials list will be provided so that participants do not need to purchase every material at the beginning of the programme.

Places are limited to maintain meaningful individual tuition both in the studio and online.
 

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Participants who engage with at least 80% of the programme content—through live attendance, recorded sessions or a combination of both—and complete the principal programme projects will receive the:

BORGIAS FINE ART  Certificate of Completion

ART OF BECOMING

Drawing, Painting and Creative Development

 

THE ART OF BECOMING

Eight months can change the way you see—and what you believe you are capable of creating.

Learn to see. Discover materials. Develop your ideas. Create work of your own.

October 2026 – May 2027
Entirely in English | In Studio and Live Online