Workshop reviews by participants
Grue Shackelford“The three days spent with Mashiul might as well have been an academic semester - the amount of learning, instruction, and work were enough to give us all the 'jump-start' we needed. It's been years since I studied the figure within an academic setting and this course was such a lovely breath of fresh air after not focusing on the figure. Thank you Mashiul and thanks to Cerulean Arts.”
Jenny Cardoso“Wonderful class, instructive and rich with material, concepts, observation, practice, and critique. Mashiul's generosity, honesty, and eye are gifts each time I take a class with him. Thank you!”
Jean Clarke Fisher“Mashiul’s workshop was an eye-opener for me. I’ve been oil painting for a while and have focused on texture and color. Mashiul made me see again the beauty of line. I hadn't realized that I was using charcoal like a pencil. Mashiul beautifully demonstrated how to vary line with charcoal. I had an “ah ha” moment. Overall, the pacing of the workshop was excellent. I feel like Goldilocks as I say that the segments were not too short, not too long. They were just right! The huge, unexpected outcome for me is that I want to draw again. Thanks, Mashiul.”
Janice Hudes“Thank you Mashiul for sharing your passion and knowledge about drawing the human form. You were engaging, generous, and welcoming of all questions and of so much information that you provided throughout the three half days. It was a wonderful experience taking the small group class and I hope that with continued study, I will expand my awareness of anatomy and be better able to connect anatomical structures with how they give form and contour to the surface of the body. I also appreciated your treatment of the various charcoal and earth color pastels (thick and thinness of lines, shadows, and where you want the emphasis to be placed). Contour and gestural drawing, and warm-up activities and so much more went into the learning experience. The model was excellent. I hope to take in-person classes from you as well. It was a pleasure. Thank you.”
Mario Menezes“I was with this group and it was an amazing experience! Mashiul truly knows the subject and his passion for art is conveyed in his words describing the art, history, and philosophy. I learned a lot and am going to spend a lot more time looking at these subjects which did not interest me earlier. Mashiul is an inspired teacher. Thank you!”
S A Zaman Chandan“For someone like me, who has no education in Art, who only likes to go to art museums to look at the pieces and become awed, this is the beginning of a new experience. I have seen most of these paintings before, but Mashiul opened my eyes to a different perspective. Knowing the history of the evolution of art, and development of the techniques of painting, and how the thinking of the painters changed over centuries certainly makes the paintings more than a beautiful object. I became part of the history, with my ancestors, who lived in different parts of the world many hundred years ago. I hope that Mashiul will find time for a continuation of this experience for us. An amazing time with an inspirational teacher.”
Jessica Chapman“I loved the workshop so much! I’m going to be looking out for your next urban landscape class.”
A.J. Nesselord“You’re going to have an amazing experience with Mashiul’s workshop… he’s a fantastic teacher! Thank you Mashiul! I’ve been wanting to take a workshop from you for a very long time! The last one was sold out.... very excited!”
Jannice Balson“I really enjoyed having a class with Mashiul as he encourages interactive engagement in his teaching, so you don’t get lost in understanding if the basic concepts of composition and structure. You can apply these components by understanding anatomy, gesture, volume, tonality, and perspective He starts by getting to know everyone in class, building their comfort level should others be more advanced. Mashiul treats everyone equally, providing feedback in what is working for them, and where to go from there. If you work on his exercises you will be more successful, however, he recognizes struggles and simplifies things. I find he increased my ability to observe what is happening in my paintings and drawings and to trust my spontaneity and build from there. He reinforces it can be a suggestion and that can be more interesting than a finished product.”
Shamarukh Billah“Art friends if you have been thinking of taking a figure drawing class, I highly recommend this one! I took Mashiul Chowdhury’s online class recently and while I have no talent for drawing human figures (and going to stick with my landscapes) I learned a ton! He goes step by step and is super easy to follow on zoom. Figure drawing is super intense but I found it way easier to do this online. So, do sign up before it gets full.”