"In order to succeed in fresco, the one should understand it's medium."
Michelangelo

Our curriculum explores The Medium of Fresco where pigment is bound to the surface via the process of carbonation of calcium hydroxide in the wet plaster. It is focused on the traditional buon (true) fresco technique (What is Fresco? - Fresco Painting Introduction article). Fresco School offers a full spectrum of boun fresco workshops and classes from introductory level lessons to advanced fresco programs and private fresco tutoring as well as DVD Video Fresco Painting Tutorials. Our curriculum also includes supplemental fresco restoration and mural painting seminars.

Buon Fresco Painting Foundations DVD Tutorials Set is a prerequisete to all our workshops and programs. This set is designed for Self-Study of the medium. It is required that you watch all available videos of this Set prior to any workshop or program (demos and seminars excluded.). To purchase this DVD Set click Buon Fresco Painting Foundations DVD Tutorials Set.

Alternatively you can call your Local Library and ask them if they have a copy. If your library does not have one, have them call Fresco School (310) 779-5079 and order a Library Special Set



I asked iLia why I couldn’t simply sign up for his workshop at the Fresco School and learn what is needed to create a fresco during a week in class, enjoy a bit of professional networking and "fill in" with online resources? His explanation is worth repeating and reflects the many advantages of our digital world as compared to the now out-of-date limited opportunities for education. continue about prerequisite...

The True Green & Organic Method of Painting. As modern society and paint, Applied and Fine art industries move more toward the use of green products, fresco stands as the original and truly pure "organic" method of painting. Fresco painting uses no petroleum-based solvents, glues or man-made materials, therefore, none of the toxic fumes associated with volatile organic compounds (VOC's) are created. True frescoes are made of slaked lime (calcium hydrate) and paints prepared from natural pigments of oxides, ochres, umbers and made of minerals and various clays. Calcium hydrate, or lime patty, is not only a crucial element for proper functioning of the human body, but also has been used in agriculture as fertilizer since the beginning of written record. Any plaster and paint debris from fresco painting can be dispersed safely and harmlessly into the ground since it contains a natural chemical composition that directly benefits the earth and came from the earth.

All Fresco School programs and seminars taught by highly accredited working professional artists and craftsmen. Fresco programs lead by iLia Anossov (fresco painting) and Ian Hardwick (fresco plaster). Supplemental seminars conducted by Nathan Zakheim (fresco restoration) and Kent Twitchell (large scale murals) of Mural & Fresco Painting Academy. Student Relations handled by Anatoly Valushkin.

Enrollment is open year around for everyone, class limits, schedule, descriptions, fees and availability are listed on corresponding pages of this site (see menu on the left). You can choose from:

• Private Programs - predefined sets of private (one-on-one) classes and assisted studio sessions spread over time with customizable schedule.

• Workshops - grouped together sets of consecutive classes offered periodically with fixed schedule.

• Classes - segments of programs and workshops that can be attended individually.

• Supplemental Seminars - conference style lectures on fresco painting related topics conducted by expert professionals.

Paintings as well as drawings created in oil or other non-fresco mediums have a relatively short life time and examples can be traced back only several hundred years, reproductions and photographs even less. Historically frescoes were the only remaining "records", references to the techniques, methods and styles used by the artists of the past becoming the ultimate "test books" serving artists through tenth of thousands of years. Since the Renaissance Fresco is referred to as "The Mother of All Arts".

Even a brief experience in fresco will dramatically improve your work in other visual arts mediums. The fresco experience an artist receives using our "Buon Fresco Foundations" video tutorial and/or attending a fresco workshop is invaluable for a better understanding of the classic principles of visual arts as it applies to painting and drawing. During just a few days of fresco study, the intricate and refined technical details of any medium become evident to the student, while it can take years to understand the same principles when using other mediums.

The most efficient drafting and painting methods and systems ever known were ultimately discovered through fresco techniques because of the precision necessary and the time constraints dictated by the chemical reactions that occur during fresco painting. Known as the Classic Painting system/technique, these are the most efficient and refined painting methods in visual art.

To contact Fresco School use Contact Form or call:
(310) 779-5079 10 AM - 6 PM PST

Our studios located in Downtown Los Angeles, please call (310) 591-8028 for directions.