Milan Art Mastery Program Section 2 Review
It's been 10 months since I first joined the Milan Art Institute Mastery Program and I'm finally able to sit down and write my review of the second section of the program which explores mixed-media and finding your voice as an artist.
This section is the part that initially drew me to the program and I was excited to get started. Why has it taken me so long to get to this part you ask? First off, I want to mention that while the program is advertised to take a year, it is also go-at-your-own-pace. It's more important to me to be able to write a thorough review and do the assignments well than to rush through something for the sake of timing.
I've been so thrilled by the amount of artists who have commented on these blog posts or reached out to me directly though instagram to ask more about the program. I'm happy to have been able to give them more clarity on whether the program might be a good fit for them or not from my perspective.
I want to just mention again before I launch into my review, that I'm not being compensated by the Milan Art Institute for these reviews in any way. I also want to note, that while I'm giving my opinion on this program you ultimately have to decide if it's right for you on your own.
Ink effects and mark-making study. © Barb Sotiropoulos
Some Housekeeping Notes
Since my last Frequently Asked Questions blog post the cost of the program has increased significantly and they are also moving away from their self-hosted ArtSocial app in favour of a new app platform that is hosted through Mighty Networks still called ArtSocial but under the app name Milan Art.
The app move has been positive so far from my perspective. I found the previous ArtSocial app a bit buggy at times. The downside is that your previous progress that was made through the program, posts in the forums, and followers are not transferred over to the new platform. For example, it doesn't show that I have completed the first two sections.
This change will be for the better long term, but some people who have more difficulties with tech may struggle with the transition. I've been in the process of reposting some of my assignments on the new platform again in the meantime. I do find people are more engaged on this new platform, but it is yet to be seen whether that keeps up or not.
Supply Considerations
Jumping right into the second section review, let's talk about art supplies. Admittedly, it felt like I spent a small fortune on supplies in addition to the cost of the program in the first section. Oil painting is one of the most expensive art mediums to get into so honestly, I wasn't surprised.
Thankfully, going into the mixed media section I already had a lot of the supplies that would be needed which gave me a bit of cost savings. The assignments in this section are less prescriptive in terms of the specific colours you need to achieve certain results. If you find you're on a strict budget this means you could easily just buy a set of 5 or 6 good quality acrylic colours and mix the other colours you need.
This package that they sell is probably still the best value for US-based students. © Milan Art Institute.
If you're still pretty new at painting and aren't confident in colour mixing, you may want to invest in a bigger set but at a price point that is affordable to you. The bottom line is that creating art is an expensive pursuit. While there are ways to save money, lower-quality supplies often don't perform very well and have more fillers, synthetic pigments, and less overall longevity.
You have to assess where you are skill-wise and decide if you want to save money. This will give you the luxury of not feeling wasteful as you learn the techniques. You'll make a lot of not-so-great art before it looks amazing.
For this reason, I wouldn't buy your supplies for this section until you have finished the first. By that point you will be able to assess your comfort level with painting and whether you need more practice before you invest in more expensive products.
I also want to stress that painting in acrylic is not the same as painting in oils. While there are similarities, the feel of the paints is different and so are some of the application methods. It also dries A LOT faster. While this might be a welcomed trait for some coming out of oil painting, artists less experienced with painting, in general, might find the transition a bit jarring.
I didn't end up using all of the recommended supplies for this section but you may want to if you want to explore. Because I already had some experience with some of them I just made a decision not to use them.
Related: Milan Art Mastery Program Section 1 Review
Mixed-Media Exploration
One thing I did differently with this section was that I went through and watched all of the videos first and then went back to do the assignments. There were a few reasons that I did this. One of the reasons was that at the time I was extremely busy preparing for a big art show and a few artist markets so I didn't have time to fit the projects in as well.
The second reason was that I wanted to take in all of the information before I did the assignments. One of the things that I found looking back on the first section was that I sometimes felt so caught up in trying to do the assignment while watching the videos that I had to watch them over and over again anyway.
This new approach allowed me to watch the video, take notes, think about what I wanted to create for the assignment and see how all of the modules fit together. This approach might not work for everyone but I felt like it worked better for me. The second section is much less intense from an assignment perspective but still requires attention and thought.
A highlight in the section for beginner and intermediate artists alike is the 50 Ways to Lay Down Paint video which can be useful for those looking to vary their brushstrokes and the overall look of their art. These assignments will take you through, collage, acrylic painting, inks, gold leaf, using rollers, mark making and much more.
Two mixed-media pieces that I created from assignments in this section. © Barb Sotiropoulos.
Art History and Taste
Elli Milan instructs a series of videos where she gives a VERY BRIEF overview of art history movements through time and some important artists within it. In art college, I took 4 semesters of Art History so when I say this is brief, by comparison, it is.
In the context of this program, it's not necessary to go into great depth with the subject but there is a lot to learn about how and why we got to the place we are now in the art world. In that sense, any additional reading on the subject you would have to do on your own.
Elli also does a series of videos in this section of the program talking about what "good" and "bad" taste in art is. This is where I think things can get a bit weird for some. She starts by saying that we all have bad taste in art. While I largely agree with a lot of the sentiments made, there were a few times I didn't necessarily agree with her.
Learning to Critique
Having the ability to critique your art and identify what areas need improving and why is an important skill. I still believe that one of the most valuable aspects of my art college experience was the group and instructor critique portion. It's extremely important to know how to take constructive criticism as an artist, especially if you plan to take commission or commercial work.
Again, this was a section where I felt like Elli's bold and straightforward approach may rub some people the wrong way. I do think a lot of what she's saying is valuable, but I found the delivery of it at times harsh paired with the examples she was showing.
She mentions that she's coming from the perspective of a piece being successful or unsuccessful but often uses words like terrible, awful, disaster, contrived and crafty when critiquing the example works. Some may not be bothered by her delivery at all and her reasoning behind her comments is valuable once you can get past this.
Image © Barb Sotiropoulos
Finding Your Voice and Personal Aesthetic
This part of the section takes you through a variety of personality tests. The results are later used to determine factors and traits that you will later use to craft the process you are attracted to in making art and even the themes and subjects you gravitate toward. You will need your textbook for this section of the course as part of the exercises are continued in there.
If you have never done any of these types of tests before, it can be very valuable information to take into multiple areas of your life. The self-discovery found in this section is not something that I did in art school, but I also went through the Visual Communication and Design program. To my knowledge, however, this is not something that is commonly taught in fine art streams of art education either.
This section also takes you through an exercise using Pinterest as a way of determining your aesthetic. I won't give away the exact method, but this is something I was already doing. Their explanation of it however gave me a better way to categorize the information that I was collecting.
Additional Learnings
For those who are attracted to creating abstract art, the videos dedicated to this subject were particularly helpful. It explained abstract art from a technical perspective that made it make more sense. If your current understanding of abstract art is limited to thinking it's just random splashes of paint and mark-making, their explanation will give you new insight into the nuances of this genre of art.
Current abstract artists who don't have any formal instruction on this subject will likely find this extremely valuable. Elli does a side-by-side comparison of abstract works that work and don't work by the rules they suggest make for great abstract art and I found her delivery in this a lot less harsh and more informative.
There is also a section on composition that has a lot of incredibly valuable information in it and is likely the area that many artists will struggle with the most. Composition is one of the technical elements of art that isn't affected by opinion or preference. That said, the rules can be broken in some circumstances, but you need to know them before you can break them.
Example slide of bad vs good abstract art comparison.© Milan Art Institute Mastery Program
The lessons on sources (or reference photos) is extremely helpful and Elli breaks down how to identify if a photograph has too much of the photographer's voice in it. Once again, I want to caution anyone against using reference photos that they didn't take themselves for their artwork. It's a good practice to only use those that are royalty-free or that you have written permission to use.
The laws may vary in the country you live in, but generally speaking, you are not able to use a copyrighted photo someone else took, no matter how much you change it. Transformative, as determined by the law, typically states it needs to be used as a means of parody, education or criticism. If you haven't heard about this already, you can read more about the recent Andy Warhol Supreme Court ruling. While these images could be classified under the "education" category in the context of this course you still should not be selling the works you create with them.
Overall, Elli's guidance on choosing source photos in the section is very helpful. In the best-case scenario always endeavour to take your own photos. Most art competitions and even galleries will want your work to be 100% yours. I'm not sure if they will be updating the sections of the program that refer to how to find sources in the future, but I hope that they include not using copyrighted images, even for lessons. Since they tend to encourage students to sell the work they make through a program, this feels a bit in conflict with what the laws may be.
My advice to anyone taking the program is to look at the images they suggest as sources for assignments on their Pinterest boards and find royalty-free images with similar attributes to base your artwork on. That way if you do want to sell the work you create you can do so without worrying about infringement. This section of the program encourages you to start using your own sources anyway, but I wanted to mention this here again for anyone who might be reading this before my other reviews.
Artwork from collage exploration assignment. ©Barb Sotiropoulos
Things That Were Awesome
Overall the mixed media and voice section was really great and super helpful for digging a lot deeper into the reason why you create art, identifying what you are drawn to, and determining the media that you best create in. If this is something you are struggling with you will likely find the self-reflection part of this section a valuable exercise.
There were some videos and lessons in this section that I thought were super valuable and not something that I have learned anywhere else before. I was happy to see the pace slow down a bit and a mix of theory and hands-on assignments in this section. This made it feel a lot more like what I experienced in college, in a positive way.
Things That Could Be Better
Toward the end of this section, there were two lessons taught by two recent graduates (at the time of recording) of the program. One was how to photograph your work outside and another was how to build canvases. To my knowledge, these students are not currently Milan Art Institute employees, so it felt weird to all of a sudden switch gears by having different people teach these things.
I found the former student who teaches you how to build a canvas a bit hard to learn from. The information is sound, but at times delivered awkwardly. Given that they are charging a premium price for this course and people sign up to learn from the Milans, this felt like an odd choice.
Elli starts the video by saying she knows how to do it and has done it a million times before but it going to get the student to show you how. She's likely done everything taught in this course a million times before so why now? I understand that I'm coming across as a bit critical on this point, but it came across to me as if she just had no interest in teaching that part.
A way this section could have been improved would be to add a downloadable instruction sheet on how to build a canvas for those who may find step-by-step written instructions with diagrams more helpful.
Assignment from mark making section © Barb Sotiropoulos
Final Thoughts on Section 2
The Mixed-Media and Voice section of the program delivered exactly what I was hoping for and challenged me to use some mediums that I was already familiar with in new and creative ways. I felt like I came away from this section with a clear sense of what I'm drawn to in my work and how I can elevate what I'm currently doing.
There are certainly some things that I think could be improved about this section of the program. My understanding is that it sounds like they are re-recording some or all of the content so I think it's fair to give them some latitude for improvement.
As a course and content creator myself, I am making critiques from my perspective it's just my opinion. The amendments that I would love to see are things that I think would make a great program even better.
In general, I've been very happy with this program and I think what they are trying to achieve with it is valuable. I'm looking forward to launching into the portfolio section next. For those of you following my reviews please note this section does take a while and I will post as my schedule allows. I will be updating the FAQ post as the need arises as well.
As always, I hope you have found this valuable and please feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to me on ArtSocial through the Milan Art Community or on Instagram @barbsotiart with any questions you have that are not answered in any of my other posts.