iLia Fresco teaching fresco workshop at the Getty Institute — iLia Fresco at JP Getty Museum

Hi,
I am iLia Anossov (fresco) the founder and head instructor of the Fresco School. Welcome to the FS OnLine Apprentice Program! Together with the fresco school experts, I will help you through your learning curve with online interactive Live Stream workshops and demos and on the phone. As well as through in-person private hands-on fresco and sgraffito workshops and support you with your own fresco projects after the class.

FSOA Program (frescoschool.net) provides followup support, vocational programs and academic resources for students/members of the Fresco School. We offer livestream fresco painting & sgraffito workshops, classes, online courses & fresco TV channel to artists and general public.

What is Fresco Painting and Sgraffito?

In it’s essence, fresco or fresco painting is – an application of natural mineral pigments to a surface on which a following chemical reaction takes place:

Ca(OH)2(s) + CO2(g) —-> CaCO3(s) + H2O(l)

Calcium Hydrate (burned lime stone or marble mixed with water) combined with carbon dioxide resulting in the formation of Calcium Carbonate – lime stone, marble. The pigment gets trapped within the newly formed calcite crystal. It is like “Painting with molten Marble”.

The Lime Cycle and Fresco Painting time chart. — Lime Cycle Diagram and Fresco Painting Time Chart.

These elements naturally surround mankind from the beginning of time. Most importantly, Calcium Hydrate – at first, moist lime stone walls of the caves, later – plaster walls and ceilings of the buildings. In addition, natural pigments made of minerals, earth oxides and clays mixed with water used to prepare paints. Therefore, painting in Fresco results in a painting being a part of the newly formed stone/wall rather than being a “film on a surface”.

Similar to Fresco, Sgraffito on walls has been used by all civilizations that have used plasters in their building systems. For example, in Europe we find examples of sgraffito since classical times as early as ancient Rome. Fresco Sgraffito was greatly popularized in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries. In combination with ornamental decoration these techniques formed an alternative to the prevailing painting of walls. The technical procedure is relatively simple, and the procedures are similar to the painting of frescoes.

How To Paint a Fresco?

Meanwhile, you can find online a number of “guides”, which will briefly outline and even illustrate main steps of the fresco painting process, such as:

Making of the Fresco Plaster
Application of the Fresco Plaster
Transfer of the Drawing
Selecting of the Natural Pigments
Making of the Fresco Paint
Steps in Painting a Fresco
Touching up in “Secco” fresco
Brief History of Western Fresco

Most of these guides are the record of school research, or transcripts of a fresco painting experiment, or an introduction workshop performed by a fresco enthusiast and a lot of guesswork. Very few are written by a professional artist and even fewer by a practicing fresco artist. Authors are just scratching the surface of the fresco painting and often misinform the reader. Consequently it usually ends right there – at the end of the article. As a result, there is no follow-up option or support to answer more in-depth questions on the technique of the fresco painting.

Fresco School History

ilia fresco lecturing at the fresco school We did start in the same way about 30 years ago – a 600 years old “articles” from the Cennino Cennini’s “Treatise on Painting” and early 20th century book by an unknown author found at the yard sale. Plus some prior introduction to fresco from a Russian Art School.

Since then, there were several large scale frescoes and numerous smaller ones. Hundreds of students have attended our workshops enrolling from US, Canada, Europe. Fresco School is the only Art School that offers ongoing fresco curriculum throughout the calendar year. Our buon fresco technique programs have traveled to many US cities. We teach our outreach classes in major museums, art colleges and at the professional art industry events.

iLia Fresco teaching fresco workshop at the Getty Institute Our fresco video tutorials were created by our founder after over 20 years of practicing buon fresco on a large and small scale, plus teaching fresco painting to all levels of artists. Our fresco tutorials enable artists to begin the study with a clear understanding of the medium, terminology and process. You will be able to take full advantage of our advanced fresco programs after watching the tutorials (yes, tutorials enable you to work on your own successfully and with confidence).

Above all, our methods and approach are style independent. Every student receives a personal curriculum based on their work and aspirations. We use a variety of traditional fresco styles to illustrate the principles and technical details. Our goal is to enable and assist you in adapting your own style to a new medium, to propel your career, and to enhance your art through fresco. Because our goal is “To see fresco being painted in every town!” – we don’t want them to look the same 🙂

Fresco School – How it Works? (new window)

List of Curriculum Subjects:

Foundations of the Fresco Plaster
Form and Value Range Principles, Fresco Cartoon.
Fresco Pigments & Paint Foundations
Foundations of Fresco Verdaccio
Fresco Color Foundations
Worldwide History of Fresco
Byzantine Fresco Iconography - Canon
Forms of Art in relation to Fresco (mural, ceiling mural, painting-panel, sculpture)
Styles in relation to Fresco - their affect on the technical application of the medium of fresco
Fresco Plaster Variations and Sgraffito
Fresco Cartoon for Sgraffito
Opaque, Transparent and Combined Fresco Methods
Fresco PLASTER - for Opaque, Transparent, Airbrush and Combined (Renaissance) methods
Fresco Cartoon for Opaque, Transparent, Airbrush and Combined (Renaissance) methods
Transparent - fresco method (Rivera/Pompeii)
Opaque - fresco method (Modern/Byzantine)
Combined - renaissance fresco method
Airbrush - fresco method (Siqueiros)
Mezzo Fresco Techniques
Support for Frescoes - Walls, Panels, Tiles, Clay Lath and 3d
Strappo - fresco removal methods
Secco Fresco methods

Fresco School OnLine Apprentice Program

At last, we have launched our Fresco School OnLine Apprentice Program. As a result, everyone has now an opportunity to receive a continuing support and guidance throughout their “Fresco Journey”.

How does it feel to be backed up by the years of experience from our practicing fresco artists and plasterers!?