About Caitlin All Courses

Big Stories:  Painting Large Scale from Photo References

$549 USD

Live course begins October 9, 2025

This course is for painters who want to make bigger work, tell personal stories, and move beyond just copying their photos.

Together, we’ll build a composite image, create a drawing guide, and get our reference scaled up on a big canvas.

You can work in oil or acrylic. All sessions are recorded, so you can follow along live or at your own pace.

Registration closes October 1, or when spots fill. 

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What We'll Do Together

We'll down the big, scary painting into doable steps:

1. Take photos (with your phone!)
Capture people in a scene that feels meaningful to you. No fancy gear or perfect lighting required.

2. I’ll help you create your reference collage
Before the first live session I'll help you build a reference collage to work from in this course.

3. Create a drawing guide
Learn my Photoshop method to create a custom drawing guide from your reference.

4. First Pass
You’ll get your first layer down using accurate color.

5. Layer in drawing
Add structure, form, and detail step-by-step.

 

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

  • Create a composite image from your own source photos
  • Create a drawing guide in Photoshop 
  • Confidently scale up to a large canvas
  • Paint believable volumes, without formulas
  • Trust your instincts and correct without overworking
  • Get through the 'valley of despair' to finish your large-scale painting

Hi! I'm Caitlin

If you've been following my work, you probably already know I make large-scale narrative paintings from my own life. In this course, I'll show you exactly how I do it.

 

âś… This course is for you if...

  • You want hands on help composing your paintings
  • You have (or have had) an active painting practice
  • You’ve been painting from photos or life but your work feels flat or too literal
  • You want your paintings to tell personal stories

⛔️ This course is not for you if...

  • You can’t make time to paint 8-10hrs a week this fall
  • You’re looking to watch but not practice
  • You want a technical realism course with academic methods (this is not that)

Testimonials

Nina R.

Trying out Caitlin’s drawing guide and transfer method was an absolute game changer.

Cat J.

Caitlin does just the right amount of prep work, her course felt challenging but was set up in a way that it felt accessible, and like I could jump right in.

Erin M.

I love the way Caitlin talks about composition in relation to historical paintings and the ways in which a composition is working.

Kathy W.

If there's one word to describes Caitlin's course, it's "generosity." Thank you for sharing the tricks of your trade. 

Frequently Asked Questions