For more examples of William's work, see his website at williamcochran.com

William Cochran  Teaching
Trompe L'Oeil Mastery Program LEVEL I

Internationally Acclaimed Trompe L'oeil Master William Cochran, Creator of the Community Bridge in Frederick, MD and other high profile public art, will be teaching a week long trompe l'oeil mural course in *Placerville, CA at Big Oak Arts (the studio of The Mad Stencilist.) This workshop will be held November 13-17, 2006 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.

March 26-30, 2007 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.

...and stay over: April 2 to 4, 2007 for "The Technical Secrets of Mural Making"  • Click here for more information

• Pricing information at bottom. 50% deposit required. Click Here to register, or contact Sheri Hoeger at (888) 882-6232 or e-mail Sheri@madstencilist.com

The art of trompe l'oeil is nearly as old as humankind, yet it retains tremendous appeal. Trompe l'oeil painting is about fooling the eye into experiencing three dimensions where there is really only a flat surface. Even in the digital age, photography has never been able to rival the mind-blowing power of a trained trompe l'oeil artist to create convincing illusions of depth and dimension. Yet high quality painted illusions remain quite rare, not because extraordinary talent is required but because the mechanics of trompe l'oeil are so poorly understood by most practicing artists, who often attempt to learn ineffective tricks, stunts and "secrets" to make paintings appear real

Student at Work
an example of Mr. Cochran's work Now, for the first time on the west coast, one of the leading trompe l'oeil artists in the nation will teach a week-long hands-on workshop focusing exclusively on the mechanics of trompe l'oeil -- the fine art of illusion. This five-day workshop will allow a small group to learn directly from a master illusionist how to create painted illusions that truly fool the eye. The methods are straightforward and no-nonsense, although self-motivation is required to truly master them. The instructor states that there are no "tricks" to this process, and if there is any "secret," it lies not in learning how to paint but in learning new ways to see.
Breaking this fine art form into four simple, easy to understand fundamentals (value, temperature, edges, color), trompe l'oeil master William Cochran will train a small group of artists in the basics of illusion. He will teach them to see anew, and to understand the mechanics of trompe l'oeil painting in ways that will provide a firm foundation for successful illusionism.

Work in progress
William at work on the Community Bridge

This is a class in illusionist painting and will only tangentially cover issues of painting materials, drawing, composition and perspective. Extensive knowledge of these subjects is not necessary to derive full benefit from the class

The class includes some lecture-style presentations with examples from art history and the artist's own work, but most of the class time is spent working hands-on under the direct supervision of the artist, who will lead the class through a series of carefully planned painting exercises. The small class size will allow for extensive one-on-one instruction. Students will complete the class with at least one trompe l'oeil sample panel and a stable foundation of understanding upon which all of their future illusionist painting will be built.

 
  • Tuition: $1,595.00  Deposit: $795.00
  • Lunch is provided.
  • Students must provide their own brushes for this class.

    1 - #2 Flat Brush Princeton Best

    1 - #4 Flat brush Princeton Best

    1 - #6 Flat Brush Princeton Best
    1 - #2 Filbert brush — Winsor Newton

    1  -#4 Filbert brush — Winsor Newton

    1 - #6 Filbert brush — Winsor Newton

    1 - #8 Filbert brush — Winsor Newton
    These are available at better art supply stores, or online at DickBlick
    Princeton Best brushes: http://www.dickblick.com/zz053/61/
    Winsor Newton  brushes: http://www.dickblick.com/zz052/71/

  • 50% deposit required. Click Here to register, or contact Sheri Hoeger at (888) 882-6232 or e-mail Sheri@madstencilist.com

*Placerville is located 45 miles east of Sacramento in the beautiful Gold Country of the Sierra Foothills. This is a resort area with excellent restaurants, shopping, B&B's, numerous year round outdoor activities and more, and is less than 90 minutes from Lake Tahoe. Plan on spending on extra day or two if you can. Click Here for tourist information

 

 The Faux Finisher magazine featured William on the cover as well as a 6 page article about the artist and his work. As featured in The Faux Finisher Magazine