Surrealist Illustration Inspired by Nature
A course by Marco Mazzoni , Artist and Illustrator
Use colored pencils to illustrate animals and natural elements with mood and symbolism
The animal kingdom has always been a potent source of inspiration for artists, with surprisingly accurate metaphors of human emotions found in each animal’s characteristics. Artist and illustrator Marco Mazzoni is fascinated by flora and fauna. His work is filled with depictions of human emotions inspired by nature, and in this course, he invites you to try his own methods to create surreal illustrations of animals.
Forget the structure of academic drawing and the use of visual references. Instead, discover fun techniques to refine the message behind your animal illustrations. This is Marco Mazzoni’s second course. In his first course, he teaches how to use Chiaroscuro with pencils to achieve striking color use and contrasts in your pencil portraits.
What will you learn in this online course?
15 lessons & 21 downloads
- 99% positive reviews (522)
- 12,255 students
- 15 lessons (2h 36m)
- 21 additional resources (8 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish (Latam), French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create a surrealist illustration of an animal with natural elements using Marco Mazzoni’s original techniques.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
For drawing enthusiasts of all levels who want to explore the symbology of animals and create original illustrations filled with metaphors.
Requirements and materials
To take this course, you will need colored pencils (non-water soluble), paper, and a love for nature.
Reviews
Marco Mazzoni
A course by Marco Mazzoni
Marco Mazzoni’s passion for drawing began at the age of five, when he would sketch on any piece of paper he could find while waiting for his father to finish work at the paper mill. Experimenting with the boundaries of fine art has been a passion of Marco’s since he was a student. His artwork tells a compelling story, drawing inspiration from Sardinian mysticism and the plants and animals he sketched as a child.
Marco’s recent achievements include working on an illustrated version of the Hans Christian Andersen classic Poucette for the French publishing house Albin Michel Jeunesse, where he takes the reader on a captivating journey through his use of color and texture. His work is also exhibited in galleries and museums across Europe and North America.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Introduction
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Influences
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What Will We Do in This Course?
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U2
Preparation (Materials and Concepts)
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Materials
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Shading and Color Techniques
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The Symbolic Meaning of Animals
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Sketching
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U3
Stretching
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What Is Drawing Through the Window?
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Draw Without Looking
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Shape Shifter
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Create the Palette
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U4
Coloring with Little Windows
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Let’s Do the Lines
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Starting to Color Our Animal
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Color the Rest of Our Animal
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Finishing Touches
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FP
Final project
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Surrealist Illustration Inspired by Nature
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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FAQs
What are Domestika's online courses?
Domestika courses are online classes that allow you to learn new skills and create incredible projects. All our courses include the opportunity to share your work with other students and/or teachers, creating an active learning community. We offer different formats:
Original Courses: Complete classes that combine videos, texts, and educational materials to complete a specific project from start to finish.
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What do Domestika's courses include?
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
Have you been given a course?
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
I love Marco Mazzoni's courses. He is a great lecturer and artist with a gentle soul and endless imagination :-)
this was a lovely course. Lots of insights to the medium of colored pencil.
I found the "little windows technique" was good for me. It stops me from randomly retouching and overworking my drawings.
Es ist sehr verständlich und anschaulich. Man bekommt auch eine Vorstellung über die symbolische Bedeutung von Tieren z.B. und deren Einbindung in die Zeichnung. Techniken von Grafit und Farbstiften stehen im Vordergrung.
Exclente trabajo, muy bueno