From Strong Portraits To Fully Resolved Contemporary Paintings

COMPLETE is a self-paced program that takes you from realist portrait foundations to paintings where background, composition, colour, and figure truly work together.

Most realist schools teach you how to paint a strong portrait — proportions, structure, likeness, colour, form. But when it comes to the rest of the painting, you’re often left guessing.

How do you solve the background?
How do you create powerful compositions? Generate ideas?

How do you use these realist skills to create paintings that actually move people? How do you move beyond painting accurately, and begin painting expressively?

COMPLETE is the program where all these questions get answered.

You learn the realist techniques that give your portraits depth and emotional impact. And you learn how to take those very same skills further — experimenting, taking risks, pushing boundaries — creating work that feels exciting, original, unique. Not just perfectly executed images.

_{“Rosso teaches all the classical foundations of portrait painting, then gives them a contemporary twist. I went from stiff portraits to contemporary work with ‘crazy’ backgrounds.”}
_{Sharon Blake, UK}

_{"I'm definetely finding my own style thanks to you! ... I always feel stuck with the background but creating texture and patterns with stencils spoke to me. Also, simplifying my palette realizing that just a touch of right colour could cool everything down changed my approach"}

_{Saniya, France}

_{“After years away from the easel, I thought my painting days were behind me. Rosso’s guiding presence, experimental approach and focus brought the painter in me back.”}
_{Paula Michele Wagoner, Florida}

COMPLETE is for painters who:

✔ Love portraiture and want to learn how to capture likeness, proportion, and personality

✔ Struggle with backgrounds and don't know how to make them work with the figure

✔ Want to introduce mixed media into their work

✔Are curious about how paintings are actually made — from the first idea to the last brushstroke

✔ Want to explore and develop a personal style

✔ Are ready to experiment — mixing traditional techniques with contemporary, unconventional approaches

COMPLETE is probably not for you if:

✔ You want quick recipes or “paint-along” projects and aren’t interested in strengthening your drawing, structure, and observation

✔ You only want a traditional classical realist portrait course with no interest in contemporary approaches, experimentation, or mixed media

✔You’re looking for pure abstraction with no figurative or portrait elements

Why I built this program...

Portraiture is my truest passion. After training briefly at a classical atelier, I realised that if I wanted to create the kind of paintings I was drawn to — bold, contemporary works that spoke to a wider audience — I would have to figure the rest out for myself. So I locked myself in my studio, pushing my practice further. It took years of experimentation, dead ends, and breakthroughs before things began to click — and when they did, my work changed radically.

Collectors started buying my paintings. Thousands of artists began following my work on Instagram and asking to learn from me. So I translated years of intuitive, studio-based practice into a framework I could teach. Students told me it changed the way they approached painting — they began taking more risks, seeing differently, and creating stronger work.

COMPLETE is the distillation of that process — a method crafted over 15 years of intense practice and refined through the feedback of hundreds of artists I taught.

I know it works for me. I know it works for them. And this is why I created this program.

A sample of my work — and how it changed when I pushed portraiture further:

I structured COMPLETE to closely mirror my own artistic journey— which is why the first half of the program is dedicated to mastering realist principles. The second half is where we start experimenting:

1 · Realist Portrait Drawing

Learn the fundamentals of head anatomy and classical drawing so you can construct solid realist portraits in pencil, charcoal, pastel, or any dry medium. Includes in‑depth demonstrations with different subjects and angles, downloadable references, and practical exercises to help you master structure, proportions, and likeness.

2 · Mixing Realistic Skin Tones

Discover a simple, repeatable method for mixing believable skin tones for a wide range of complexions. You’ll learn how to balance cool and warm tones, keep your palette tidy, and avoid muddy, lifeless colour, with focused demos covering pale, olive, brown, and deep black skin.

3 · Realist Portrait Painting

Watch full, start‑to‑finish portrait demos with different models, so you can see exactly how to start, develop, and finish a painting to a high standard. You’ll also learn how to design original compositions and use colour and backgrounds to enhance the portrait. The process is demonstrated in oil, but can be applied to acrylics as well.

4 · Abstract Grounds In Mixed Media

Learn to create expressive, layered mixed‑media grounds using acrylics, spray paint, gold leaf, gilding, and more. We cover materials (canvas vs panel, preparation, sealing, priming) and multiple layering techniques so your grounds add depth and structurally support the figure instead of competing with it.

5 · From Creative Block To Original Ideas

Learn how to brainstorm, overcome creative blocks, and stay inspired. You’ll see how to manipulate and combine references, move from doodles to sketches to original compositions, and develop ideas that naturally evolve into powerful, personal paintings. Includes lectures, slides, and a studio tour.

6 · Scale Up Your Work

Learn how to work on a larger scale and combine realist portraiture with abstract elements. You’ll see how to transform small sketches and studies into fully accomplished paintings, with detailed demos that walk you through every stage of the process, from first sketch to final varnish.

Extra - Bonus Modules (included in COMPLETE at no cost)

How to Paint Hair (which colours, brushes, and approaches work best)

Mediums, Brushes & Surfaces (how to choose and use them, and prepare canvas or panels), and

Zoomed‑in focus demos on key features like eyes and hands.

Each module builds on the last to guide you step by step, but you’re free to pause, repeat, or skip as needed.

Click below to see every lesson and demo inside COMPLETE

Explore the full curriculum

Some of the work students have created after learning my method:

Sabine R.

In their words:

“Rosso teaches all the classical foundations of portrait painting, then gives them a contemporary twist. I went from stiff portraits to more alive, contemporary work with ‘crazy’ backgrounds, lost edges, and bolder colour. I can’t believe how much I’ve learnt so far and how motivated I feel to work hard and experiment” (Sharon Blake, UK)

“Rosso teached me the human form but also the hidden colors - all the colors out there that you cannot see with a quick glance, and that opens your eyes to a whole different way of looking at the figure...It's nice to have a community where you can go and share ideas. Put yourself out there, you can grow, it's pretty amazing” (Justin S, US)

“It has been an amazing experience. I have learned so much. Her method is mind blowing. What I learned is also the brush work, the patience, experimentation, not to be afraid" (Sabine R., Hawaii)

Curious to see more paintings and stories from students?

Visit The Student Gallery

If this feels inspiring, join COMPLETE today. Here’s what you’ll get :

✔Instant access to 60+ hours of step‑by‑step video lessons and demos

✔Downloadable references, guides, and checklists you can keep

✔Assignments and exercises to help you apply each concept

✔A certificate of completion at the end of the program

✔Access to the artist community

✔Subtitles in multiple languages

✔Alumni discounts on future programs

✔Email support

✔Lifetime access to all current and future content inside COMPLETE

ENROL TODAY,

MOVE THROUGH THE CURRICULUM AT YOUR OWN PACE

PAY monthly

$165

6 monthly payments

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One-time Payment

$895

Questions I get asked often:

What skill level is this for?

How long do I have access to the program?

Is it good for acrylic painters?

I mostly paint abstractly — will this still help me?

What makes this program different than any others?

How do I know which program is right for me?

Can I upgrade to the Master Path later?

Can I enrol now and start later?

If you prefer to receive feedback and live interaction with me persoanly and other students, check the MASTER PATH.

It offers the same curriculum as COMPLETE with live monthly sessions, personalised critiques, and extra topics.

Explore the Master Path

Ready To Enrol?

It’s time to start creating work you truly love, and people respond to.

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