Mike Hernandez Workshop
Perspective and Depth for Painters
Instructor: Mike Hernandez
Medium: Any Medium
Location: Zoom (Your Home/Studio)
Dates: June 21–22, 2025 (Sat–Sun)
Class times: 9:00–4:00 PST (Noon–7 pm EST)
Skill Level: Appropriate for all levels
Fee: $295
Join artist Mike Hernandez for a two-day workshop where you’ll learn how to create depth and dimension in your paintings using simple, easy-to-understand techniques. This workshop is designed for painters of all levels who want to approach perspective in a straightforward and practical way so you can immediately apply it to your art.
In this workshop, you’ll:
- Master the basics of perspective: Learn how to create depth using easy-to-follow methods for one-point, two-point, and three-point perspective—perfect for everyday scenes and compositions.
- Explore light and shadow: Discover how to use light and shadow to add volume and realism to your paintings, helping your subjects feel more lifelike without getting bogged down in theory. Learn to cheat the use of shadows for a stronger focal point and framing.
- Use color to build depth: Understand how simple color choices can help create the illusion of space, giving your paintings a natural, three-dimensional feel.
- Practice through exercises: Work on practical painting exercises that allow you to apply what you’ve learned, with plenty of personal guidance from Mike along the way.
- Receive individualized feedback: Get helpful, one-on-one support from Mike to refine your technique and make sure you feel confident with each new skill.
By the end of this workshop, you’ll feel empowered to use perspective and depth in your artwork, whether you’re painting landscapes, still life, or anything else. Mike’s approachable teaching style ensures that you’ll leave with a solid understanding of these techniques—without feeling overwhelmed by complicated rules.
A native of Los Angeles, CA, Mike Hernandez is a plein air painter skilled in gouache, oil, and acrylic. His works have been featured in several online publications as well as galleries. His process began as a young child, painting still-life images. Influenced by the likes of Edgar Payne, Joquin Sorolla, and Franz Bischoff, Mike soon explored the foundations of color and light in the outdoors—striving to find the beauty in the ordinary. With a palette that resides at the crossroads between industrial and landscapes, he finds inspiration anywhere from the Eastern Sierra range to the muddy concrete banks of the Los Angeles River.
Mike studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA graduating with a B.A. in 1998. Mike was a Production Designer and Art Director as well as a concept artist at Dreamworks Animation and worked on such films as Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Turbo, Penguins of Madagascar, and many other films. Mike is also a member of a limited group of the finest painters in the US called PAPA (Plein Air Painters of America) as well as a nationwide sought-after workshop instructor.
