This course is the first of six notan units that will help you build and refine your skills in this critical topic. Nothing else will contribute more to the success of your composition than planning the notan correctly. Just about every painting that I have had win a competition, or got published in a book has had a very strong notan structure.

The subject of this course unit is mass notan. This is a small sketch that captures the notan structure of your final painting very quickly. I do anything between two and six mass notan paintings for almost every painting I do, whether it is a small outdoor color sketch, or a large studio painting. I have learned by experience (the hard way that is), that if I do not do this stage correctly, my final painting is usually disappointing.

The material in these two mass notan course units is usually what I focus on in the first day of my plein air workshop. Students are nearly always delighted with what they learn and how it helps them.

P.S. This looks simple. It is not.

In this course you will learn:

• the difference between mass and contour notans and when to use them
• the five types of notan compared and why and when to use them
• how to create a mass notan and which are the best materials to use
• tips, techniques and common problems you are likely to run into when doing mass notan paintings
• the pros and cons of using graphite versus brush pens

Total number of assignments: 5

Total number of pages: 19