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Field to Frame: Composing Your Masterpiece
$27.00
Design your own unique floral compositions for use with any medium! Follow artist Annie Mertlich into the field as she sources local materials, then learn all the rules of composition to make your artwork “frame-worthy.”
Please Note: This class was included in the Wildfield Collector's Pack.
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Description
Do you ever wish you could create your own unique floral paintings? Maybe ones that incorporate all your favorite flowers and leaves, or maybe ones that represent your own local flora? Now you can, with the help of Utah-based artist Annie Mertlich!
This unique online class is NOT a follow-along painting tutorial. Instead, you’ll join Annie “in the field” as she collects local inspiration for her next painting, learning her tips and tricks along the way. Then, you’ll go back to her home studio where you’ll learn all about composition and the steps you’ll need to take to arrange natural or foraged elements into beautiful compositions for painting with a variety of mediums.
MODULE 1-2: Introduction & Materials
Let’s head up into the mountains with Annie! She’ll share what she’s looking for, what to bring on a foraging adventure, and what to do if you’re not able or not allowed to forage somewhere.
MODULE 3: Elements of Design
Annie walks you through the key elements of design that you’ll use in your future compositions, such as line, form, and texture, plus she shares examples and breaks them down by each element.
MODULE 4: Principles of Design
Now you’ll learn how the elements of design translate into certain principles, like pattern, movement, and balance. Again Annie will give you lots of examples and show you why these principles work in paintings.
MODULE 5: A Few Rules to Remember
In this module, Annie shares a few more examples to keep your paintings from having too much awkwardness or “tension,” plus tips for handling those awkward situations!
MODULE 6: Creating Thumbnail Sketches
Learn why Annie thinks thumbnail sketches are the most important, but overlooked, aspect of drawing and painting! In this module you’ll see how Annie explores a variety of composition ideas without a big commitment, how she edits along the way, and how she incorporates the elements and principles of design you learned earlier.
MODULE 7: Arranging a Composition
Watch over Annie’s shoulder as she arranged and manipulates her foraged pieces to align with concepts from her thumbnail sketches. You’ll see how she makes decisions on the fly, when to deviate from a plan, and how to get a nice variety in your compositions.
MODULE 8: Translating to Paper
As a final step, you’ll see how Annie roughly sketches her arranged composition onto paper so that she can apply whatever medium she wants. You’ll also learn how she makes small additions or edits along the way to create a more harmonious sketch.
Note: This class was originally included in the Wildfield Collector’s Pack.
Additional information
Medium | Acrylic, Colored Pencil, Ink, Oil, Watercolor, Gouache, Drawing |
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Level | |
Length | 1 hour 15 minutes |
Instructor | |
Audio | English |
Subtitles | English |
Frequently Asked Questions
Video so good, it's better than being there in person.
With multiple camera angles and the ability to pause and rewind, our classes get you up close to the action so you don't miss a step.


You were made to create.
We believe anyone can be an artist... even if they never went to art school. The need to be creative is built right into our DNA, and sometimes it just takes the right medium and a little practice to light that creative fire!