Finest Miniature Painting Workshops with Roman Lappat

"Not so long ago I had the great pleasure to visit a „private coaching“ with Roman. Due to the fact I did not have the opportunity to visit his Advanced Class before, but was interested in its main themes (atmosphere with a focus on skin and metal), I asked Roman to align his coaching consequently. So this review is in a way also a summary of parts of the Advanced Class, which I can recommend to anyone who generally mastered the basic techniques and wants to add the certain something to his or her projects.

To be honest I underestimated depth and extent of this course, thinking I would be going to have a nice, relaxed time with a great teacher and then go home with some new knowledge, much motivation and a nicely painted miniature to put in my cabinet.

It was all quite different: 
my miniature was NOT finished (but already a nice sight), therefore I got EXTREMELY much new knowledge and VERY much new motivation. So here's my review:

Though I came to Roman as a „customer“ of his services, he greeted an treated me like a dear friend from the beginning, what approved once more the common knowledge in our painting society, that he's a very kind and cordial (and absolutely trustworthy) guy. After a short pause to regenerate from the travel, in which I visited the really cool MV studio and had a look at various projects, we started the coaching. Instead of grabbing the miniature our first steps were of a theoretical nature like in the Adcanced Class. Base building was covered as well as the preparation of a mini and, although not the main theme of the coaching, I already learned some details.

Aferwards: Advanced colour theory - learning to „read“ colours and paint them. At least then it became obvious that Roman is a qualified painter and teacher, who is as well able as willing to exactly explain why and how colours work. Previously I was pretty confident of my choice of colours, but this course led deeper into the matter than any beginner's class. Skipping the details I was surprised how easy and logical it is to mix any colour from the three primary colours red, yellow and blue and also to lighten or darken it, to saturize oder dampen – very useful knowledge, as any painter will recognize.
The theoretical part concerning 'atmosphere' was also as well interesting as inspiring and led to the painting of a little potrait of a wolf's head in a dark forest at sunrise – merely mixed from primary colours!

Leaving mere theory behind us we went on to the miniature, an female Elf with a Bow in 54 mm, which I wanted to place in a frowningly dark forest. We considered the colour of her surrounding and of the light and went on. As I told before, I didn't manage to finish the miniature, for its main assignment was to serve as an practice object on which to apply various techniques, tricks and knacks. The development on the miniature was accompanied by theoretical parts from the Advanced Class now and then, what enables me to use the techniques I used on the Elf on other projects as well and to finish the miniature at home.

Technical infirmnesses of mine (e.g. I always had problems with shadows on fine skin) were taken up in detail and conscientously and there were some light-bulb moments. Roman was focused on my personal advance all the time what was very effective. Summarizing it is to say that it was more intensiv and challenging then I had expected and both of us were rather weary at the evening of the second day. But it was also a lot of fun and talking nonsense. This was definitely not my last seminar/coaching by Roman and I can absolutely recommend it to everybody of you who enjoys painting no matter how good you are at it."

- Paul 

Finest Miniature Painting Workshops with Roman Lappat