Click on the link to receive the Free 20-minute video “Mastering Composition: Four Fundamental Principles to Dramatically Improve Your Paintings.” Plus, you will receive these RU-vid videos monthly in your inbox: masteringcompos...
Thank you, Ian! You're the only art teacher I've ever had. I've started selling my paintings, thanks to your videos and book. Most importantly, I've gone from a wannabe painter who deeply disliked her own art to a painter satisfied with her artistic path forward. There are no words to describe how grateful I am. Thank you. And god bless.
Thanks Ian for your great generosity. I have loved watching your videos and have learned much from them. Good luck and take care. Looking forward to your new communications.
What a story of inspiration. I am happy for you and jealous at the same time. I hope to get to the point where I too can be satisfied with my own art. Good luck to you.
That's precisely where I am. At 74, I've never felt more drawn to the absolutely essential nature of silence and time alone in finding one's true work. I support you wholeheartedly in taking this step Ian. It says a great deal about your integrity as a teacher that you have created a continuing teaching resource to help aspiring painters, without thought of personal gain. A breath of fresh air at a time when everything that moves is deemed fit for commodification. You've more than earned your new direction. May it be as fruitful as you hope. Well done!
Ian, we discovered you at the start of lockdown. You were such an important part of that strange time. We still follow you, and discuss you and your work regularly. Quite simply, you have become part of our day to day conversation and how we engage with our art. Thank you for being an encouraging and warm person. It always felt in those 2020/21 days that you were here with us. Take care. Best wishes Helen and Pete Brookes, Birmingham UK.
OMG, I was so scared by the thumbnail, afraid that something sad is happening.............now is's such a relief to see and hear your message. I wish you prosperity and succes in your art and thank you for all videos!
Oh Ian- when I saw that ‘Last video’’ comment, my heart sank because I love your videos and they’ve helped me so much! Thank you for doing this and I can’t wait to receive and see these incredibly helpful videos in the future. Good luck with your own artistic progress! Julie
Ian, you are tremendously generous offering free videos to people like me who are mere hobbyists. I am reminded to "make yourself available to the muse..." Your kindness and generosity is so beautiful in this clamorous world. May you listen to your muse in peace and quiet and leran much.
ROBERT- I started my painting journey when covid hit. In the past 4 years you've helped me understand things that could take other artist years to grasp. I'm more a portrait painter now, however your lessons apply to the " structure " of art itself. Thank you for your everything you've shared with the community. It's people like you that make the world a better place given these uncertain times. Best of luck on your future endeavors
Ian, From day “1” throughout the four years on RU-vid you never wavered once from your authentic creative self, expressing and sharing all that you know about painting, drawing and being an artist. I value every lesson I took and all of them have empowered me to take more risks as well as share what you have taught me whenever I can. I respect your personal decision to honor your time needed to dive deeper into your artistic journey. It shows that there is always more to learn at any stage in our development. I wish you well and can’t wait to see what develops! Thank you!
Thank you Ian so much for imparting so much knowledge and good will. We are not worthy, but thanks for making us feel that we are! Good luck with your new endeavors. Yvonne
Dear Mr. Roberts, you will be sorely missed, but we all love you and what you have most generously shared with us as an online community of subscribers. Not only have you given us insights into the artistic process, but also your musings touch a deeper core within us all as people learning to express ourselves through art. The monthly themed video packages is a great idea. Even though my interest is in watercolour painting, your videos help me understand composition in a way I never imagined before. You are also a lovely, calm and sincere man who has my utmost respect. Thank you.
What a very heartfelt message Ian. Your courses have made all the difference for me. I so appreciate your kind, cerebral approach that has made a difference for so many of us. I totally understand this new direction you are going in and applaud you! All the best going forward!
Thank you for your generosity. I first became acquainted with you through your book. I hadn't painted in 30 years. My sister was in treatment for cancer. During her sessions, I went walking in town, stumbled on a little art store and found your book. I haven't stopped painting since. I look forward to your videos each month and look forward to seeing where this journey takes you. Happy travels.
That is a good story and thank you for telling it to me. It makes me feel good I could helped in such a meaningful way. My very best wishes to you on your artistic journey.
This is another warm and appreciative message. I do believe I have been getting these incredibly helpful you tube videos by email for a number of years. I would like to share with you - I just completed a painting and at the end I said YES that is what Ian Roberts is talking about. I entered it in a local show and took second out of 88 entries. Thank you
I completely understand and appreciate all you have done to grow my art practice. I only recently discovered in your channel and have been working my way through them. I look forward to your emails. Blessings to you and your wife.
Not to worry, I'll be reposting an old video each month and you can sign up to receive the 4 themed videos each month as well at ianroberts.com All the best and hope you find them helpful.
Dear Ian, I’d like to thank you for your generosity to share your knowledge with all of us. I had the privilege and pleasure to attend one of your painting classes in Provence years ago, and have been enjoying your precious videos on RU-vid ever since you started them. I wish you the very best for your new endeavors, and I look forward to what you will be sharing with us in the future. All the best for you! You are such a great and passionate teacher! Thank you. Petra
Thank you for your generous time to teach us. One cannot blame you for stopping these videos and using the time to explore new directions for yourself to grow even more as an artist. I’ll miss you. Enjoy your new direction.
Ian, it is YOU who have been unbelievably generous with your wisdom and encouragement. I have looked forward to every video and have tried to apply so much of what you've shared to my painting. For you to have thought of all of us first before embarking on the next step in your artistic journey is remarkable. You are one of a kind and I feel so fortunate to have participated in two workshops with you and now to have had you again in my life for the last 4+years through your videos. Thank you and God Bless!
Oh my goodness, I've only just found you recently.... but I will also watch your advanced paintings with great interest. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. My adoptive parents did not encourage my art. So I actually hid it from them. My dear husband eventually took pity on me and he and a friend bought me a box of Pelikan watercolours, with a few brushes and a watercolour pad, back in 1974. So my interest in colour started and I've never looked back. I use all media, but my go-to is watercolour. I am 77 years of age.
Well I am glad you are painting now! All my videos will be there if you want to watch them. They are not going anywhere and I will be reposting one every month. Best wishes.
I shall miss the new videos. I thought I was going to have to rely on your wonderful books alone. Thanks for the new format of the older material coming. And most especially Godspeed to you in your journey into new discoveries for your own work and creativity. Know you have helped this guy lots.
Thank you Ian. I appreciate all you have shown us. Loved all your videos and will miss you. In another time and place, I would like to be your friend. Have a great painting time.
Many thanks for being a big part of my art journey. You are an inspiration and I love how generous you are to the betterment of so many artists. Time for yourself and your own art sounds ideal, best wishes to you.
Thank you Ian for your generosity and kindness! It was truly a pleasure to follow your calm and clear advice. I'm looking forward to receiving your emails. Best of luck on your new creative endeavors! Warm regards, Mia
This is such a much needed video right now. I recently lost my job, and instead of rushing into looking for a new one, I decided to focus on my art, really push myself, improve the technique, and focus and fidning my voice. It's great to see a master artist taking some quiet time to focus on his art. Definetly will sign up to the email and will include Ian's lessons in my studying.
I have worked as a graphic designer for over 40 years. As I put away my digital tools I had the need to use my hands, pick up a brush, and smear some paint. I also needed to re-inform myself of things that became intuitive. Your clarity in presenting information has helped me to revision what was intuitive and to think in a different way. Thank you and all the best on igniting your own painting. I am sure you will be successful.
Ian, I’m short for words to tell you a thousand times thank you for all you have done and do for your followers on RU-vid. You are an unusual human being, generous, humble who is willing to to continue guiding us in the right path of Art. I began my oil painting journey with your book about composition, then another book and then your videos, together combined a golden guide filled with inspiration. Each time I watch a video, I find new information to help my painting. You will be missed dearly physically and temporarily but you will continuously be present in my heart and thoughts as an extraordinary master of composition! I wish you all the best and thanks again for gifting us with monthly challenges and new ways to continue improving. You are jut the best! Blessings, take care and be safe. Looking forward to continue the journey. ❤❤❤ At 68 soon to be 69 I will continue watching your videos over and over!
Ian, thank you so much for your generosity in giving us free access to a methodical program of learning through your videos. I always look forward to them and have learnt so much. I pray your time in exploration is richly rewarding and that you will be blessed as you have blessed us. Enjoy it, and thanks again. Sydney, Australia.
I just discovered your book on creative authenticity (via a reading list generously shared by Krista Harris), and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite art books of all time. What a wonderful work about the inner life of the artist and why it’s so important. Thank you!
Dear Ian, I discovered you during the pandemic. Your videos helped me survive that troubled time by giving structure and beauty to life and painting. A million thanks for all your kindnesses to people whom you have never met but appreciate the unselfish gifts that you have given. Truly a special gift of generosity.
Hello Sir, when I saw " my last video " , I felt my heart sinking... You are a genuine teacher from whom I learnt a lot... I wish you very best in your endeavor Sir.
Hello Ian, you are so sweet! I want to thank you for all your engaging, inspirational videos! I have learned so much! Enjoy your time painting and all your adventures! 🎨
Good morning Ian [from down under, Melbourne, Australia], May I say how grateful I have been to watch your videos and instructions and HAVE LEARNT AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT and will be forever indebted. I started to learn watercolour 4 years ago and your techniques and principles (composition etc) have been invaluable. You have been immensely generous with the free information that you have shared - very few artists do so. It was a blessing to discover you. No thank you can be enough. Very sad that that you are going but I totally understand your position and agree with your decision. It is necessary for all artists to step back, take a break, regroup and re-energise. I am certain that you will be back in the near future and look forward to that. Look forward to the themed videos that you will be sharing. Again so generous. Wishing you all the very best . Kind regards Guy
Holy Cats, Ian!!! Amazing! I absolutely wish you and your wife the best in this new adventure! We will all miss your videos, but, WOW!!! This sounds great 😊 Super happy for you !! I hope you can tell that we are grateful for what you have taught us -- also, love this idea of newsletters!! Signing up right now!
Thank you, Ian, for the time you have given in all of the videos you have done for us. They have been so helpful to me and I have saved each link in a file. I am so excited that you will be sending the emails of themed videos each month. Once again, you are so generous. I sincerely thank you. Best wishes on your new journey. I can't wait to see where it leads. Beverly
Oh! I’ve just discovered you!!!❤❤❤ I hope your channel will remain available! You are wonderful. Art is a personal and individual journey and you are a special teacher. Thank you ❤
Thank you for helping me step back from picking and poking at my pictures. I came late to your channel but appreciate and watch your early videos when I need a talking to. Bon Chance.
Dear Ian, thank you also for your engagement in sharing your knowledge. I wish you the best in your new creative path. And thank you in advance for keeping us as your students by e- mail, I appreciate it. 🙏🏼Greetings from Mexico city! I hope one day there is the opportunity to take classes on site.
So sorry to hear this! But you leave us a treasure in already existing videos, thank you for that… I “adopted” you as my teacher last year when I began drawing and painting, and still after all these months, when I look critically at something I have just created, I put on my Ian Roberts glasses and think, what could I have done differently? Great teaching, great art… thanks for sharing both with all of us!
As a self taught painter, your RU-vid videos were a part of my ‘classroom’ studies and were so valuable! Wishing you a successful journey into your own growth!
Thank you so much, Ian, for all you have given, and for all your plan to give in the future. Wishing you all the best as you explore and deepen your own practice. May your discoveries be filled with joy!
I just discovered your wife’s work recently and have been watching your channel from your beginning . I love your channel and will miss it immensely. Thank you for your explanation. I understand how distracting social media can be. Please know you are a wonderful teacher and I have learned so much from you. Thank you! I look forward to your emails.
I love watercolor painting. I enjoyed watching your video on photographic composition. This was something no one talks about. Now I can see what I need in the image to keep the viewer, me or others, on the page. I now look at my images differently and I think that insight is a game changer for me. Enjoy your art. Teaching is hard. Doing videos is even harder. You have made a difference. Thank you.
Your audience is kind and generous because you have been so kind and generous. You will be dearly missed. Good luck on your explorations and come back soon!
I have said this many times, you are the best teacher I have ever had. My painting has improved because of you. I have all your books. And especially the composition book. I use it all the time to remind me, not to copy, of what elements I should consider in my creative process. Thank you. I am looking forward to the new system.
When I started oil painting, I knew I needed a guide. And you Ian Roberts have been an excellent teacher. You are calm, and you clearly understand art. Thank you for the journey into the world of colors, composition and art. Greetings from Finland, Kalervo.
Mr Roberts, Thank you for all your support for us starting artists. I have both your books and go to them constantly. I re-read Creative Authenticity many many times, every time I start doing the “avoidance dance” 😊. We artists love you and wish you the best in your new pursuits and look forward to receive any correspondence letting us know how you are doing. 💝
Ian, good luck on your new journey🤙 This body of great teaching and inspiration that you’ve created is awesome and will undoubtedly live on (line) forever…. You Rock
Ian, you have no idea on how much you have helped on my artistic journey, I only learned art from youtube, and your instructions always resonated deeply with me! I started doing digital art and now I'm learning oils, gonna do my first plen air tomorrow! I hope you find what you are looking for going forward, all the best!
I’ve watched only a few of your videos, but each one was game changing even as an artist of 20 years. Wishing you the best of luck on your personal creative journey 🙏🙏
Thanks Ian for your lessons. I restart my paintings after many, many years and, for my happiness I found yours videos and teachings. Now, based on what I learn from you, I am looking for my own form of expression. It's difficult but a lot of fun. I will always be attentive, looking forward to new videos. Have a good time.
Talk you, Ian, for all the helpful (& entertaining) videos you have shared. I too have reached a point where I need to re-evaluate where I am in my painting progress. I’m really looking forward to the new monthly themed videos. Thank you for your generosity.
Oh no and I just discover your great videos today. Please comeback when you accomplish your art desires. I will be waiting for your come back, and absorbing knoledge from your videos. Thanks a lot for your generosity to teach Art on line!!!
Oh Ian. I’ve been following you for a number of years now. You have been my constant teacher for my art journey. I often looked up your past programs when I needed some guidance. As an example I had to watched again the video on perspective and shadows on that stacked boxes in the lounge room … your teaching were amazing and very 7:39 systematic. I will miss you 😢 thank you for sharing your work with us. You’re very inspirational 🙏🙏🙏
Thank you for sharing your love and knowledge of the artistic process. I have loved watching your monthly videos and developing my own processes along the way.
My appreciation is beyond words, not only your clear teaching style, but your demeanor is so welcoming, as if you are a dear friend who will just walk in our door. Thank you for the grouping of videos you will curate each month, it will be something to inspire us to continue with our practice, and I look forward to seeing the direction your new creative journey takes you. All the very best. You have quite a loyal following, hopefully you will "pop in" during the future and let us know what you are working on.
Thank you for all your work over these past four years in putting together these wonderful videos. They have been instrumental in encouraging me to pick up a brush and have a go at painting. I love it and I have you to thank. Best wishes for your new adventures. Lesley.
Mr. Roberts THANK YOU MUCH!!! You are such master painter, teacher and a very especial person. I have learned so much and got inspired also by you. Watching you, little by little because of you painting has become my favorite hobby. Come back soon!.
Enjoy your travels and new journey. I started watching you a year ago and you were a godsend to me, you made life worth living, I was unable to move and some weeks in bed after a fall. I so looked forward to those moments and the short condensed videos and hearing your wisdom and creativity and calmness. I can’t express how grateful I am to have had the privilege of listening to you. Wishing you all the best and enjoy your relaxation and search. Xxx
Wisdom waits upon the Muses… May their rich blessings reward and grace your journey as you trust and abide with faith in the process… your generosity is inspiration itself… thank you Ian… we love you.
Good for you Ian! Stepping back to focus on your own practice may be one of the greatest lessons you've shared with your audience. We ALL need to stop, reevaluate, examine, explore, and dive deeper now and then and you're leading by example. The phrase I've always heard is that we all need to "sharpen our saw" now and then. Creating these themed videos is another example of your generosity. Thank you. Enjoy your journey! I can't wait to see what you uncover.
I respect and admire your decision to pursue a new chapter. As a watercolor painting hobbyist, your videos instruct on a different level, that of composition indeed, and you are a great teacher and artist. Thank you for your generosity. I'm struck by your continued commitment to instruct aspiring artists, only via a different vehicle. That too is extremely generous as you go down a new path. Wishing you the best!
Ian, thank you so much for your kind, generous and sincere message. When I read that this was your last video, I thought, 'Oh no!' - but you have not left us comfortless! Rather, as the great teacher you are, you have very generously - and supportively - invited us to join you on a new, exciting journey of artistic growth. This is wonderful for me! I went from feeling sad to inspired. 🤗 Thank you so much again and all the very best with your own creative jouney! With warm greetings from Australia, Dianne 🤗🎨💐💕
More power to you Ian. Your composition lessons help me improve my watercolors so very much. Thanks for that. I look forward to your 4-packs of themed videos - what a good idea. Hope you find what you seek - success, quietude & peace. Wishing you all well and THANK YOU again & again. Stephen Strand in Colorado (& Maine)..
Thank you for your generosity Ian. You were the first instructor to teach me how to paint plein air when I studied your tapes; well before you began posting on RU-vid. I was so thrilled when I found out you were on RU-vid and my education continued. I so appreciate you helping advance my painting skills over the years. Best wishes as you make new discoveries in your own art journey.
So glad you have found a way you feel will support your own creative growth, while continuing to be a beacon to those of us who have learned so much from you. May your next chapter be filled with joy!
Dear Ian, Thank you for all of your guidance, kindness and generosity these past four and a half years. I have grown, and will continue to grow in my art because of your wonderful videos and composition book. Cheers to you for finding what you need and seeking quiet to explore your practice. Cheers!!
Kind of sad...you have helped me and others out immensely. Looking forward to when you post some things about you and your wife's traveling and the direction you will go. It must be wonderful to paint together. Thank you so much for all your generous work.
Thank you for explaining so well, Ian. When I first saw "Last video" I was sad, but now I'm happy to know you're giving your full time to develop as your heart guides you. That benefits us all, as we learn so much from just looking at your paintings, not to mention the enjoyment you share through them. Blessings and good fortune in your explorations, and I look forward to the program you've so thoughtfully arranged.
When I saw the email and video title my heart dropped! Now I am saying Whew! Just temporary, he will be back. I am loving the idea of grouping the videos into themes. Fantastic! You are my guru for composition like NO ONE else! Thank you for all you share and I hope you find your new muse without too much of an uphill climb. Your groupies all support you! 🎉
Hi Ian I am really appreciate your teaching and your sincere heart. I am watching your videos can’t stop and keep on watching until tired my eyes. I understand for your quiet time and new directions. Come back soon!
With such heartfelt appreciation for all you have given to those of us who have wanted to learn how to create, in whatever medium and genre we have chosen. Thank you so much. I look forward to this next stage of learning with you and your wife. Best to the two of you!
Thank you so much for your insight and patience. I have learned more from you about composition than from any of my other teachers. I read your book over and over. I am so glad that Alain Picard introduced us. I wish you all the best in your exploration and look forward to this new program.
