How I used CtrlPaint (Patreon)

Warning: long post!
 

A few weeks ago I realised I had a reprieve in my work queue and decided it was time to work on my illustration skills. I had heard about CtrlPaint from many different sources over the years and decided to create a curriculum.

Matt Kohr's CtrlPaint is a massive online library with almost thousands of videos, and one could possibly spend months watching them. The best thing is that the videos are about 5 minutes long.

 

Study Technique

I had my trusty notebook and wrote down keywords and sometimes did a sketch to illustrate the point in action. 

Key to learning is repetition. So I copied what I had written in my sketchbook into OneNote, where they are now organised and always available. 👍 

I also gave myself drawing assignments, some of which I've done - some which I've not yet done. Watching the videos and knowing the theory is only the beginning. Gotta put that theory into action! 

My Curriculum

 
I wanted to go easy and not cram tons of learning into a lesson - I know myself and procrastination often gets the better of me. By dividing it into many but small lessons I made it more manageable for myself. 

The first portion of the curriculum on the mental side of art and learning, and the rest are varying subjects such as fundamentals of design, colour, perspective, creativity, costumes and the like. 

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Some of the assignments and study techniques I wrote down.






 

Conclusion: Worth it. It’s free and you learn!

Watching the "Theory, Mindset and Study Habits" section first was really beneficiary to get me into the right headspace for studying and retaining information. 

The fundamentals of design videos were a huge help to me. Others, not so much, mainly because I already knew the subject or because I felt they didn't apply to my style (robots and cyber monkeys yelloooo). But this is all up to personal preference and you can mix and match videos as needed.  

Learning also had an unexpected effect: it renewed my motivation. I know new things now and I want to put it into action. I want to experiment and learn more! 
 

However, with a big library comes issues. At a glance CtrlPaint looks neat and tidy, but once you start watching the videos you realise the layout was an afterthought. Subjects sometimes repeat and overlap, which doesn't help with my short attention span. 

However this is a minor inconvenience and doesn't affect the lessons you learn. 

In the end, Matt acknowledges his own artistic shortcomings and recommends books and masters to follow and learn from. He is also very clear the videos are introductions, and that he covers the main information you need to get started. It's up to you to continue your learning and delve deeper. Which I'm doing next with Color and Light by James Gurney 👍