Course "Mastering Venice: from a Detail to a Bigger Vision" with Konstantin Sterkhov

A New Course by Konstantin Sterkhov

Painting Venice,

One Detail at a Time

Most courses ask you to see the whole scene at once. That's why so many painters freeze in front of Venice. Here you start with one door – and Venice builds itself from there.

Decode any complex scene – see the structure others miss
Master the warm Italian palette – with terracotta, greens, and all shades of blue
Bridge studio practice to plein air confidence

6 finished paintings • 2 sketch studies • 9 hours of HD video • Lifetime access

Most Venice courses begin with a panorama. This one begins with a door.

A weathered green door. Two striped mooring poles. Water lapping at the steps. That's Lesson 1 – and that's the whole logic of the course in one image. You paint one thing in Venice – and learn the structure that holds it together. By Lesson 2, that structure is already working in your hands.

"Usually the learning process goes from general to a detail. In this course I decided to proceed vice versa – because I believe it will help to break through many fears" – Konstantin Sterkhov

(01)

You're stuck on a plateau.

You've been painting for years. You've improved. But lately your work feels the same – and you can't figure out what to fix next. You don't need another tutorial. You need to understand what's actually missing.

(02)

You can copy a tutorial – but not your own photos.

Step-by-step works while the video plays. The moment you try a scene of your own, you're lost. You want to understand WHY a painting works, not memorize HOW one was made.

(03)

Your cityscapes feel flat.

You want light, depth, atmosphere – the things that make a watercolor sing. Yours come out grey and tired, and no one has ever told you exactly why.

(04)

You dream of plein air – but you're not ready.

You'd love to paint outdoors. The thought of standing in front of a real Venetian canal makes you put the brush down before you even start.

KONSTANTIN'S METHOD

Why "general first" stops most painters cold You can't simplify what you don't yet understand.
Why starting from a detail breaks the fear Master one door, one gondolier, one reflection – and the next layer stops being scary. Each lesson removes one specific block before you put it all together.
Why this method transfers beyond Venice By the end, you have 6 paintings of Venice. But, what’s more valuable, you have a way of seeing that works anywhere. Venice is the laboratory. The method is the product.

YOUR PATH THROUGH VENICE

6 paintings. 2 sketches. Each one removes one specific fear – in the right order.

Stage One – The Detail

Lesson 1 · Green Door · Paint a weathered door in sharp Italian sunlight – your introduction to tonal range and the warm terracotta-vs-green palette that runs through the course.

1 lesson, 1,5 hours

Stage Two – Figures and Movement

Exercise · Gondolier Sketch · 10 minutes Work with a direct brush, no pencil. Your goal in this exercise is to capture a figure in the fewest strokes possible.

Lesson 2 · The Gondolier · 1,5 hours Paint a figure, his boat, and the water around him – integrated into one cohesive scene.

Exercise · Across the Canal · 21 minutes A short tonal exercise that will teach you one of the hardest things in painting – depth.

3 lessons, ~2 hours

Stage Three – The Bigger Vision

Lesson 3 · Salute in the Distance · 1,5 hours Learn to work with three planes of depth, explore aerial perspective, and master the art of choosing which details survive.

Lesson 4 · High Tide · 1,5 hours Paint restless water, moored gondolas – and create an artwork where loose washes meet precise shape modeling.

Lesson 5 · Waiting for Customers · 1 hour Paint a group of gondoliers in striped shirts. Make a composition built entirely around figures and see that it is easier than it seems.

Lesson 6 · Breakfast in Venice · 1,5 hours The synthesis lesson with a figure, a setting, and the city behind, all in one painting. Practice everything you have learned at the course.

4 lessons, ~5,5 hours

Conclusion

Summary of techniques learned, feedback, and creative assignment.

This Is What You Will Paint

Meet Your Instructor

@sterkhovart 77.7k followers

«Konstantin paints Venice for real – and brings other artists there.

"I've been painting for over 30 years and teaching for 20. In that time I've watched hundreds of artists try Venice for the first time – and almost all of them freeze. They look at a canal full of light, water, gondolas, palaces, and they don't know where to begin.

I built this course around the way I wish someone had taught me when I started: one piece at a time, from the smallest detail to the bigger vision. By the end, Venice doesn't feel impossible anymore. And neither does anywhere else".

– Konstantin Sterkhov

30+ years painting · 20+ teaching · 200+ international exhibitions · 10 solo shows

Repin Academy graduate · UK Global Talent visa as an artist · jury member at Fabriano in Acquerello

Permanent museum collections in Italy, Mexico, Finland, and Russia – including Museo della Carta in Fabriano, Museo de la Acuarela, Erarta Contemporary Museum

Brand ambassador for Daniel Smith and Roubloff · author of 11 watercolor books, including the Masters of Watercolor series