Watch Intro Video

Language of Design

The Art of Seeing

Are you...?

  • Fearful of the blank canvas?

  • Needing to build more confidence in your studio practice?

  • Searching for your own stylistic voice?

  • Struggling with knowing “When is it done?”

  • Stuck and looking for new sources of inspiration?

  • Eager for knowledge to assist your intuition?

  • Ready to learn about the guiding principles for creating successful designs and compositions?

We’re so glad you’re here!

The very moment one picks up a tool and enters into the empty space, the blank canvas as it were, the adventure begins. Agnes Martin wrote, “The essential feature of adventure is that it is a going forward into unknown territory.” This “unknown territory” can be exciting for some, yet confusing and frustrating for others. It is in this spirit that the Language of Design was created: to provide artists with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the empty space. In our studio, we do our work to lose ourselves, but we also do the work to find ourselves. This is our invitation to you to come and discover what’s possible.

 - Mark Eanes



What you’ll learn

...or what this course can help you with:

  • Learning to see

    Developing a critical and objective eye in order to “read one’s own work” becomes the difference between “looking” and “seeing”.

  • Building your foundation

    Knowledge, guidance and strategies inform our intuition. Skillful practice is a result of hard work and patience.

  • Finding inspiration

    Being exposed to new possibilities and sources of inspiration will open the door for your own creative expansion.

  • Making connections

    We learn and thrive by connecting with other artists - through contacts with peers or knowledge of art history. This is the lineage of art.

  • Gaining confidence

    Overcoming fear and doubt involves understanding and embracing this simple idea: so-called missteps are just steps towards the (re)solution.

  • Having fun

    The experiential part of this course is a diving board for a lifetime of exploration. We encourage a playful attitude and an adventurous spirit.

Course curriculum

Six Chapters of self-paced materials

  • 1

    Chapter 1 - LINE

    • Welcome to the Workshop

    • Tools and Materials

    • Lecture - Guiding Principles of Design and Elements of Composition

    • Lecture - Defining the Pictorial Space

    • Lecture - Three Types of Lines

    • Demo/Exercise - Structural Lines

    • Demo/Exercise - Linear Design (3-5-7-9 etc.)

    • Demo/Exercise - Gestural Lines

    • Demo/Exercise - Pushing the Work (Construction + Deconstruction)

    • Slide Show - LINE / Art Survey

    • Discussion - Chapter Overview

    • Live Q&A Session

  • 2

    Chapter 2 - SHAPE

    • Lecture - Always and Everywhere We See Shape

    • Demo/Exercise - Geometric Shapes

    • Demo/Exercise - Division of the Pictorial Space

    • Demo/Exercise - Figure / Ground Relationships

    • Demo/Exercise - Spaces in Between (Figure / Ground cont.)

    • A Peek into our Workshops

    • Podcast - Intellect vs Intuition

    • Slide Show - SHAPE / Art Survey

    • Discussion - Chapter Overview

    • Live Q&A Session

  • 3

    Chapter 3 - VALUE

    • Lecture - Value Relationships

    • Demo/Exercise - Creating a value scale

    • Demo/Exercise - Arrangement in Grey, Black and White

    • Demo/Exercise -Analysis of Value Pattern

    • Lecture/Presentation - Photography as a Tool for Seeing

    • Slide show - VALUE / Art Survey

    • Discussion - Chapter Overview

    • Live Q&A Session

  • 4

    Chapter 4 - COLOR

    • Lecture - The Role of Color in Design

    • Lecture/Slide Show - Color Perception

    • Demo/Exercise - Creating the Color Wheel

    • Demo/Exercise - Understanding Color’s Value and Saturation

    • Demo/Exercise - Random Mixing

    • Lecture/Demo - Seeing Value and Saturation in our Designs

    • Lecture - Color Strategies

    • Slide Show - COLOR / Art Survey

    • Discussion - Chapter Overview

    • Live Q&A Session

  • 5

    Chapter 5 - SPACE, TEXTURE & VOLUME

    • Lecture - Space

    • Slide show - SPACE/ Art Survey

    • Lecture - Texture

    • Slide show - TEXTURE / Art Survey

    • Lecture - Volume

    • Slide show - VOLUME / Art Survey

    • Discussion - Chapter Overview

    • Live Q&A Session

  • 6

    Chapter 6 - THE ART OF SEEING

    • Lecture -Three Phases of the Creative Process

    • Slide Show - A Peek into my Painting Process

    • Demo - A Painting in Progress

    • Presentation - Reading the Work / A Group Critique with Six Artists

    • Final Project Presentation - Emulation, Transcription and Synthesis

    • Podcast - Where and how do I locate my Style?

    • Discussion - Chapter Overview

    • Closing Statement

    • Live Q&A Session

  • 7

    A little something Extra

    • Podcast - When do I call myself an Artist?

    • Bibliography, Glossary and Inspirational Quotes

    • Bloopers

    • Library of Community Check-In Sessions

Instructors

Professor Emeritus

Mark Eanes

Mark Eanes is a painter, printmaker, photographer, curator, and educator who has spent the last fifty years as a dedicated and devoted artist. He lives and works in his studio in Richmond, Virginia. Mark is a Professor Emeritus from the California College of the Arts (CCA), where he has taught for over thirty years. Mark has also taught at numerous art institutes such as San Francisco State, CalArts, Dominican College, to name a few. Mark has shown his paintings throughout California where he lived for over fifty years, as well as nationally and internationally. He has had solo exhibitions at the Parsons School of Design in Paris, the Triton Museum in Santa Clara, the Patricia Sweetow and Michael Dunev Galleries in San Francisco, the Fairfield Center for the Arts, Dominican College in San Rafael, the Mill Valley Arts Commission Gallery, and the Hanford Center for the Arts. Mark’s works have been included in selected exhibitions at the Applied Arts Museum in Belgrade, Serbia, the San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art’s artist gallery, the Etra Gallery in Miami, the Ruth Bachofner Gallery in Los Angeles, the Cumberland gallery in Nashville, and the San Paulo Biennale, among many others.

Assistant Instructor

Marija Eanes

Marija obtained her BA (Hons.) in the Applied Arts and Restoration of Works of Art, at the University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia. She is the co-creator of the online courses, assists Mark with the technical aspects of teaching online, and is happy to play the role of the student and give voice to any questions you might have for Mark.

Student Reviews

5 star rating

For an immediate improvement in your art - Take This Class!

Debra Coleman

Mark and Marija are a dynamic duo. They produce fantastic content at a very reasonable price. In addition to her other roles, Marija does an excellent job ...

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Mark and Marija are a dynamic duo. They produce fantastic content at a very reasonable price. In addition to her other roles, Marija does an excellent job of playing the student demonstrating exercises and asking questions that would naturally come up with students. She has a great eye for design. Mark is a gifted treasure trove of knowledge with a passion for teaching to match. His way of explaining material and not only helps me better understand the ideas but how to immediately implement them in my work. In this class, I have come to better understand not only the tools used in design but a different thought process in how to use them. It is like playing chess with design tools. Thinking of the design as a whole and using the tools in your the next move. A more deliberate approach to making art. This is the 2nd class I have taken and both are an excellent value for the money. Thank you Mark and Marija!

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5 star rating

Terrific Course!!

Patricia Bowman

This course provides a wonderful balance between assignments that improve your skills and your eye, and also spark experimentation and inspiration. The class...

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This course provides a wonderful balance between assignments that improve your skills and your eye, and also spark experimentation and inspiration. The class taught me to ‘read’ an artwork—to see how and why something ‘works’. The assignments are open ended in a way that makes it seem like the possibilities for finding beauty and balance are endless.

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5 star rating

Thank You!

lucia anderson

You cannot imagine how much I learned from both of you! This online workshop was one the BEST I have ever had for my own learning process. I’ve been studying...

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You cannot imagine how much I learned from both of you! This online workshop was one the BEST I have ever had for my own learning process. I’ve been studying Art by myself at my middle age because I always wanted to be involved with arts. I could not ever study that before because I was not allowed to, but finally my dream came true. I want to applause hard both of you for this brilliant, amazing class you made, and you guys did terrific and I felt you put all your effort and heart in doing so. I will love to meet both of you, but I’m on the other side of the US-Illinois, Chicago. Anyway, I’ll be following all you. Big hug and keep making and helping emergent Artists. Lucia Anderson

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5 star rating

Everything I expected!

Deborah Hall

This is everything I've come to expect from a course with Mark. New perspectives! Wonderful challenges! Erudite conversations about and evaluations of art...

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This is everything I've come to expect from a course with Mark. New perspectives! Wonderful challenges! Erudite conversations about and evaluations of artists' works throughout history! In other words, a wonderful smorgasbord of ideas and exercises to apply to my own art practice.

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5 star rating

Let's keep dancing

Pamela Shelley

The manner in which you both present the material has burst my pre-conceived ideas of design, but more importantly soothed my need to follow old rituals in c...

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The manner in which you both present the material has burst my pre-conceived ideas of design, but more importantly soothed my need to follow old rituals in creating my paintings. Mistakes and disappointment no longer take a front seat, but excite me with possibilities of where I take them in a new direction. Love the rhythm of your presenting other artist examples, demos and lecture. Let's keep dancing. I may just find my new style yet.

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5 star rating

A Gift to Any Artist Who Aspires to be Better

Deborah Webster

Mark Eanes and Marija share the best of everything in their heads & hearts in this art course. Of the hundreds of art-related courses and books I've rea...

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Mark Eanes and Marija share the best of everything in their heads & hearts in this art course. Of the hundreds of art-related courses and books I've read in my life, this is #1 in terms of practical and inspirational content. Their generousity in sharing is humbling. Yes, I've enrolled in their next class: The Language of Drawing!

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5 star rating

Mind Blowing

Anne McGrath

I've never mixed colors until now! What a world of playful experimentation this has opened up for me, especially given the tips about using the color wheel t...

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I've never mixed colors until now! What a world of playful experimentation this has opened up for me, especially given the tips about using the color wheel to figure out what colors work well together. Endless thanks, Mark!

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5 star rating

Amazing course

Fabienne Herbert

LOD is the best course I have ever taken. The lectures are very interesting, and I learned a lot from the exercises, Q&A and discussions. Mark's teaching...

Read More

LOD is the best course I have ever taken. The lectures are very interesting, and I learned a lot from the exercises, Q&A and discussions. Mark's teaching is clear and engaging, while Marija offers insightful guidance. They are both very generous, and their collaboration adds depth to the content. I enjoyed every aspect of the course, which I often revisit. It has transformed my way of seeing and approaching my art - it makes sense now. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to grow their art practice.

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FAQ

  • When can I enroll?

    This course is all pre-recorded and self-paced so you can join whenever you wish.

  • When does my course expire?

    Relax and take your time - this is the digital advantage. You have unlimited access to all of the content.

  • Can I ask questions during the course?

    Yes! You will find discussion rooms throughout the course where you can ask written question. We are constantly monitoring and providing answers.

  • What about social media?

    We created a closed Facebook group for participating artist only. The link is provided in the Welcome letter after you register. If you prefer to share on Instagram and see what other participants are doing - follow the hashtag #markeaneslod

  • Any other ways to connect with Mark?

    Yes! We periodically offer Q&A sessions on Zoom. You can participate live or submit your questions beforehand. Mark will provide the answer even if you cannot attend the session so you can hear it in the recording.

The Art of Seeing

The inquisitive eye needs no recipes or formulas. The art of seeing stems from a willingness to experiment with what may be possible.

Language of Design

Begin your exploration today!