Commonly asked Questions for beginner Artists

Do I really need to know How to draw before I paint?

If you were to attend a university, you would spend a year or two learning to draw before you touched paint. Learning to draw correctly is part of teaching your eye and your hand to work together. How often have you wanted to draw something and then it looks totally different.

Learning to simplify every image in basic shapes and drawing using ‘negative space’, teaches you to really look. Students make the mistake of thinking that painting is all about the color and the paint. That is incorrect. To paint is to use tonal values, the dark and the light to create shape.

What brand of paint Should I buy?

It depends on your budget is. Try various brands and see which you like using.

I recommend to my students to rather use a cheaper, but good blend like Zelcryl, which has a good reputation, and is a good quality local (South African) paint. Rather start with cheaper paint until you are more confident, and don’t waste as much paint.
Leonie.e.Brown Artist at www.lifeart.co.za

There are two basic types of paint: student-quality and artist-quality. Student-quality paints are cheaper and they may not be as rich in hue as more expensive paints. This is because there is less pigment in such paints and more extender or filler.

Can I mix Different brands?

Yes of course, and so you should. Some brands might have a specific colour based on their pigments buys, that another brand might not have.

What colours should I get?

Get the primary colours in hot and cold.

Hot Colours

Cadmium Yellow
Cadmium Red
Ultramarine Blue

Cold Colours

Lemon Yellow
Alizarin Crimson
Phthalo Blue

Additional Colours

White
Paynes Grey
Burnt Sienna
Yellow Ochre

With these additional colours you can also paint in a limited palette like the old masters. This is also recomended for beginners.

Leonie.e.Brown Encaustic Artist

Art Quote

Every painting should be divided into values of 2/3, 1/3 and a little bit. Leonie.e.Brown Artist at

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Leonie.e.Brown Artist / Teacher / Writer / Blogger

EXCELLENT rating
Based on 16 reviews

I'm about 65% done with my course and I just have to say that Leonie Brown has explained certain things in a way that I've not heard from any other artist. For example, I was blown away by how she explained how to mix the primaries and secondaries to make tertiaries and thus to make a color wheel and how to keep mixing until you get the right shade. I've done it before in another art class but not like this. It sounds so simple but it's mind blowing actually. It's such a basic ability to have that lays the very foundation of color mixing. And she walked me through it in the video she made so I could see how it's done. Wow! Thanks Leonie! - A.R. Posted for Astrid Reeves

Leonie.e. Brown ARTIST

Leonie was the best art teacher, I ever had. She pays equal attention to every student in class, making sure to teach or give advice to one after the other while taking their different skill levels into account. She is always friendly and respectful and is not only interested in her student's progress but also in them enjoying what they do. No matter what skill level you are, even if you're beginning from scratch - I would definitely recommend LifeArt School.

Denise Reisenbauer

If you’re looking for an art school this is the best place to be leonie is a fantastic teacher and amazing person. It doesn’t matter how good you are at art, lifeart school is the best place to learn or expand your knowledge of art.

Oliver Bradley

This is where I go to Art School on Friday mornings. For me, this is a dream come true, a second chance to do what I love, and do it well. Leonie Edna Brown teaches a complete art curriculum that starts you off with the absolute, and fundamental basics, and takes you all the way through to becoming a professional artist. I am still early in my journey, and I can tell you that my eyes have been opened in new ways, to see more clearly. Not only that, but being in class with others at different stages, you learn via " osmosis" just by watching Leonie teach, demonstrate or encourage others. One of those " Leonie sayings" that has impacted me has been... " it doesn't have to be perfect, it's a rendering." I have to say this often to myself and it helps me remember that it's art, not a photograph! My biggest advice is to be patient in the beginning of the journey with Leonie's classes. Whatever is worth it cannot be rushed. Be patient with yourself, and with the process. Enjoy the learning, the TIME it takes to learn. Take a break and have a coffee and a rusk, walk around and look at other's artworks and progess, make new friends and sing along to the music...it is such a wonderful atmosphere. At times quite noisy, and other times intensley quiet as everyone is focused on their work. For those who are now sufficiently envious but cannot get to actual physical classes, Leonie has NEW ONLINE CLASSES! So you too can learn in your own time! Go check it out! And thank you, Leonie, for being the wonderful teacher you are!

Belinda Mesecke

About 10 years ago, after a significant change in my life and with basically no experience with drawing, painting or art in any way at all, I started attending classes with professional artist, Leonie E. Brown. When I say basically no experience, I am talking about literally only being able to draw stick me and colour in colouring books. Talk about going in blind! A few lessons in (just the very basics really), the class at the time had the awesome opportunity of going on a 5-star weekend getaway at Angala Boutique Hotel for a portrait painting workshop. Here she taught us a special recipe using just four earthy colours being: burnt sienna, burnt umber, payne’s grey, yellow ochre. With just those four colours, one could play with the concepts, dark versus light and warm versus cold. Focusing on blending and adding one concept at time, we were taught to add as per our portrait picture we wanted to paint, blended shades of darks, matching warm (e.g. burnt sienna) and cold (e.g. payne’s grey) darks. Then we would add all the blended shades of white, warm and cold lights by mixing in titanium white, yellow ochre. I was amazed that in no time without much effort a portrait appeared! With this technique one really does not even have to draw the face first exactly in pencil, placing the dark, light, warm and cold in the right places, the picture just magically appears. Exceptional! To this day, regardless of all the other lessons I had with Leonie after, I absorbed this recipe in every art piece I do. I even use this recipe to lay the ground work or base layer for my more colourful work, as a guide for the warm, cold, dark and light colours. Sometimes, I just use those beautiful colours in my entire work and maybe here and there add another colour to make the piece pop!

Riny Versfeld

If you wanting to rekindle or explore your creative side I highly recommend that you contact Leonie at Lifeart Studio and school . Leonie offers short courses as well as weekly art classes. Leonie is an amazing teacher as well as a accomplished and very talented artist . I attended one of her short courses and absolutely love it and will definitely be attending another one soon

Ann Mari Fletcher

Thanks to Leonie E Brown, I now have a workable website! Her dedication to help others at great sacrifice to her personal time, as well as the wealth of experience she has gathered over the years, has been such a great source of help, direction and focus for me. Thank you Leonie for supporting unselfishly, other artists who are just starting out.