Feedback DITS

There is a great deal to love about the online art class, Drawing in the Soul.

For me, it started with Juna’s captivating art work, specifically her portraits. Ethereally beautiful portrayals of not just a face, also an inner quality. (The course is aptly named).

Then there’s Juna herself. Patient, generous, knowledgeable, thorough, gentle and firm, she is an accomplished artist and a talented, committed teacher.

The structure of the course is superb. Classes are delivered in manageable chunks, just a few steps at a time. Easy to find, they are all contained in one eBook per week. Support material in the form of notes, reference photos, and materials lists are also easy to access.
Then, for those who want it, Juna provides comprehensive, personalised feedback. This may be the part I appreciated the most. It caused me to reflect not just on the work submitted, also my perception of it. As the weeks went by, I came to see patterns of thought and attitudes. Some of them, I found, were not serving me well, in terms of progress and enjoyment.

Art is a mirror. In the hands of a good teacher, it can further the willing student’s journey immeasurably. For me, the course was instructive in more ways than one. Thank you, Juna, for making it, and yourself available – even to me, half way around the world here in Australia. Much appreciated.

I can fully recommend Drawing in the Soul for anyone wanting to further their portrait skills. Juna takes you through a raft of techniques and gives fantastic, supportive feedback, with sample ways to improve if needed. During these 12 weeks a bond is formed between the members of the group, who love to support each other, and nobody feels intimidated in posting their projects. It teaches people to actually look at what they want to paint or draw, and you find yourself looking at faces in a new light wherever you happen to be. I would have no hesitation in joining another course if Juna was involved.

12 weeks of intense studying, facing challenges and being chuffed about the results are over – alas. Drawing in the Soul is one of the most comprehensive portrait courses because it covers lots of different styles and art supplies. The videos are pure pleasure to follow, always getting straight to the point and professionally made. The self-evaluation of our work (what we liked and didn’t like), and the need to phrase questions correctly and in relation to the topic when submitting for feedback in the lovely Facebook group, was a great learning process and kept me alert. Juna’s feedback was first class, with lots of helpful analyses and comments and interactive versions too. She taught me to loosen up, to think and experiment further and stick to my work, even if I am not happy with it, because there is always something that can be done to make it better (and sometimes the best faces emerge after you have wiped away everything 😉). I enjoyed every minute with my fellow students in our virtual classroom, and I hope Juna will release many more courses in the future!

The Drawing in the Soul course was so much more than I can describe in a few sentences. Juna is so positive and informative and patient as a wonderful art instructor. Her lessons are precise, detail oriented and focused. She offered feedback on almost every project and that was immeasurable. I’m sorry that it’s over, I will miss the other students and of course the teacher! Highly highly recommend for anyone who would like to paint portraits!

Drawing in the Soul is the second online live art course I have taken with Juna. It has enriched me and stretched me in so many ways! It is an intense course but Juna guides you and encourages you every step of the way! I loved learning how to use collage in my portraits and also glazing with colors. I definitely feel like a better artist for having done this course and I couldn’t have asked for a better instructor than Juna! Her professionalism, creativity and attention to detail, and the excellent way each lesson was structured made me feel that I was getting taught by a Master – without the need to travel to Amsterdam! Juna encourages one to take risks, and the idea that art is personal and subjective means that you can always be proud of your learning – no matter how your self-critic may feel! I wish there were more live courses of Juna’s – I would take them all!

In Drawing in the Soul I learned to loosen up, just what I was longing for. This process was very challenging for me and still is. But I made a start now. Working with charcoal and pastel was very new (and scary) for me, so I was hesitating long time for starting this course. I also was in doubt about the level of the course, the work I had seen, if I was capable to it. But Juna’s teaching is so very soothing and clear that it all went naturally. It made me push my boundaries.

The lessons where we combined charcoal, hard pastel and soft pastel I loved the most. Working in layers, to see a face appear with emotion, feels great. I also learned not to give up quickly, take distance, start over again another moment. Making mistakes is not the end of the world. You can always change, erase or start over your drawing. Juna’s feedback was always very extensive, I was never left alone with questions.

This course changed my life, which I did not expect. When I wake up in the morning I want to rush to my easel! Drawing became my daily habit. I organised a little studio in the corner of my livingroom, it’s like a holy place for me. I highly recommend this course to everyone. It brought me so much more than I expected! Juna, thank you so much.

Juna is the best teacher of portraits I know! I have learned more from her in these past weeks than I ever could imagine. Juna is very professional and her critique is so thorough and helpful in every way. She is kind, honest and helpful and you can always ask her anything you are worried about. I liked every lesson because they were all different and exciting to try something new. I recommend Drawing in the Soul to anyone,  young or old. You will never be bored and Juna will be your guidance along your journey, which you will love. I can’t wait to join a new class!

I loved Drawing in the Soul and learned a lot. I had never drawn realistic faces before so I had to start with learning proportions. The detailed lessons and useful feedback helped me gain more confidence in my drawing abilities. I also really enjoyed learning how to use new (to me) media like charcoal and pastels. My favorite lessons were the ones about line because I want to incorporate that in my future art making. The Facebook group was also very supportive and that was appreciated.
Thank you for a wonderful 12 weeks of art making, Juna! I have already recommended this course to my artists friends.

I have taken many online art courses using a variety of mediums but Drawing in the Soul is the most comprehensive and enjoyable course I have taken. Juna’s style of teaching is gentle, suggestive and organized. There is so much content in the class, printable instructions, reference photos, so much valuable information that I now have a whole binder for future reference.

It is apparent that Juna has invested many hours in preparation of the material and demonstrates her processes in real time so we can see exactly how she does her work and all the iterations she may have to go through to achieve the result she wants.

Her feedback process was extremely valuable to me. I was able to submit my work and my analysis of it so that she could provide a step-by-step guide for improvement. She was very gentle with her critiques and yet always provided detailed instruction for improvement. The hours that she must spend in providing such detailed feedback is unlike any instructor I have had to date.

Not only was the 12 week course enjoyable but I am walking away feeling like I have actually learned about technique, color, value, composition, materials and more. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who really cares about learning how to paint portraits. I will miss having this class to look forward to each week.

Drawing in the Soul exceeded all my expectations! Juna is a knowledgeable, inspiring teacher. Her expert instruction allows success for even a beginning artist, but will challenge seasoned artists as well. The projects were many and varied and provide a great opportunity to try out many mediums. Juna gently guides you through a series of well-planned lessons to learn how to create portraits using value, line, color and then the ultimate, “drawing in the soul”. In addition to the lessons, Juna provides the opportunity for detailed feedback through an incredibly effective online, interactive method. This benefits both the individual student and the entire group because it is provided for everyone in the Facebook group. I highly recommend this course if you want to learn to create portraits in many mediums, but especially if you want to learn to create that “extra” something to really capture the “soul” of a portrait.

I had 12 great weeks with Drawing in the Soul. The clear instructions and the incredible amount of information, hints, tips, and the use of different mediums and methods, were amazing. I have learned so much! I made artwork I never knew I could do!
Juna Biagioni is a great teacher… With her friendly tone of voice she explains, encourages and provides detailed and constructive feedback! I was also happy to be part of the dedicated Facebookgroup. Therefore I also learned from the artworks of the fellow studentes, and I feel I made artfriends from all over the world.
I will definitely take other courses from Juna. Warmly recommended!

Your class Drawing in the Soul surpassed all my expectations. Thank you so very much. Your instruction suited those who were just beginning as well as the students, that by their own right are truly artists.

The instructions were easily understood and included fascinating projects to enjoy. One of the eye openers for me, was to use line to create values in a portrait. Enjoyed the squiggly line exercises the most. I had two favorite exercises. Painting a portrait in monochromatic black with white and later using acrylic glazes was almost like magic to me. I had never used acrylic glazes before and I plan on using them in the future. The profile portrait done with one color using the style of pentimento “without regret” was so freeing for me. I enjoyed it immensely. In fact this project developed into the one that I am most proud of.

Your feedback was fantastic. Not only were you supportive with your remarks, you were honest. The video feedback that was provided became another learning tool for me. I read the feedback you posted for all the other artists as well. Very informative.

I have suggested your class to others. Some are just starting and others are artists. No one could take your class without learning something to use in the future.

You should be complimented for wanting to teach but not to place others in a box. You always encouraged us to find our own style through our own art journey. Thanks again for a wonderful experience.