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Courses 2025-2026

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DEEPEN OBSERVATION & MASTER DRAWING-CONCEPTS

Are you a beginning student and wish to improve your drawing skills? Or do you already have extensive experience with drawing and painting and wish to deepen your knowledge of classical drawing techniques? You are welcome to participate in our program.

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Just like great masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo, we focus on model drawing. The human body is one of the most complex subjects to master. It challenges us to study drawing concepts, such as the correct rendering of proportions and tonality, but it also trains our perception. Therefor the lessons you learn are universal and can later be applied to other genres, such as landscape or still life.

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In recent years, we have had the opportunity to mentor many people and saw inexperienced draughtsman grow into college-level students. This has strengthened our confidence in our course offerings. So it is with great enthusiasm that we start the new academic year.

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ACADEMIC TRAINING IN CLASSICAL DRAWING

Our academic training in classical drawing consists of two years: a first year (model drawing) and a second year (portrait drawing), each divided into three courses. Experience shows that students make the greatest progress when the course is completed in chronological order. However, if you wish to follow only one part of the program, this is also possible (with the exception of the first two portrait courses).

 

New to the program is the introduction course and the preparation for portrait part three. During these short courses we will teach you all you need to know about our program so you will start your journey prepared. 

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(Besides the two annual programs Ilse organizes Art Retreats, private workshops and tailor made programs, and masterclasses.)

BOOK YOUR COURSE

TEACHERS

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Ilse
Nass

Ilse has been teaching drawing techniques since 2017. She has offered master classes at several places, such as ‘Figura (Dutch Academy of Figurative Sculpture)’, the ‘Classical Academy in Groningen’ and DARA (‘Dutch Atelier of Realist Art’). She also organizes Art Retreats and has developed her own drawing program in Maastricht.

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Ilse studied photography at ‘Sint Lucas Brussels’. Her passion for drawing and painting was further developed during her subsequent studies: the first three years of the ‘Classical Academy of Painting in Groningen’, and then the three-year program at the

‘Florence Academy of Art’.

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Michelle Faaij

Michelle works as a visual artist, and uses two disciplines to express her ideas: painting and sculpture. In both disciplines her work revolves around the human being.

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After her training at the art academy in Maasmechelen, she followed a master class with Xenia Hausner, in Austria. In the summer of 2024 she completed the two year sculpture program at Figura (Dutch Academy of Figurative Sculpture) in Amsterdam.

 

Michelle's work has already been nominated four times for the

Dutch Portrait Prize and recently for 'the Painting of the year 2023'. Her authentic, expressionistic way of working seems to appeal to the viewer. Michelle says about her work: it is realistic, sometimes confrontational, but always done in a way that it honors life and/ or the subjects it depicts. Michelle will be teaching the sculpture lessons from the annual program.

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Michelle provides sculpture classes during the year-long programs so that students also learn to understand the human figure spatially. 

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For more information see:

www.michellefaaij.nl

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Merlijn Groenen

Merlijn works as a designer and brand strategist in Maastricht.

 

She studied fashion design at the Fashion Academy in Arnhem (ArtEZ) and art history at Utrecht University and Sorbonne University in Paris. She also completed the master's degree in Design Cultures at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

 

Her drawings show powerful lines. From fascination with the human figure and through knowledge of the human body, she manages to capture the model beautifully in a few lines.

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Merlijn teaches the workshops together with Ilse and organizes the Art Retreats.

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For more information see: www.merlijngroenen.nl

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Frank
de Vreeze

Frank was always drawn to music and drawing. 

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After his combined conservatory studies of music teacher and keyboard light music (Maastricht), he continued his education at Codarts (Rotterdam conservatory), where he studied composition/arranging Film music. This was followed by the Sweelinck conservatory (Amsterdam), where he took master classes in orchestral conducting for several years.

 

In 2008 he developed 'ChorusOnline', a sheet music publishing company. 'ChorusOnline' has since grown into a global player with as many as 80+ professionals that he is privileged to lead.

 

In 2020 Frank decided to further develop his interest in drawing, and entered Ilse's drawing program. His development went beyond expectations. He became Ilse drawing assistent during the model drawing program 2024/ 2025. (And 2025/2026.)

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During the academic year 2025/ 2026 he will share his love for drawing with great enthusiasm during the introductory courses 'the introduction course' and 'preparation for the portrait course 03'. 

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For more information see: www.chorusonline.com

TESTIMONIALS

“We practice a step by step approach and

Ilse instinctively knows when you’re ready for the next step”

 

- Mieke Noël

 

“Lessons from Ilse are always interesting and fun. She is a really good mentor that each time teaches you ways to improve your drawings. Ilse is able to inspire and motivate groups of 10+ students. Nobody is left behind, she does not hesitate to point out areas in your drawing that can be improved but this is always done in an respectful manner and in combination with a review of the good parts of the drawing. Ilse is fun to be around with and creates a very pleasant atmosphere in her groups”.  

 

-Godard Hazeu 

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"Lessons from Ilse are very inspiring! She is very enthusiastic and teaches exactly that part of craftsmanship that I missed while studying at the academy of Arts. Learning to see and learning to draw in a way the classical master painters worked has slowly been fading away since the start of the 20th century. It is really great that this is now possible in our community. Ilse has a positive mindset and always knows to discover a nice area or piece in your drawings. She stimulates you to push through no matter what level you are working at. Lessons are well prepared in advance with good examples and clear instructions. Bottom line: lessons from Ilse are a must for anyone who wishes to improve his or her drawing skills."   

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-Paul van Mil 

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"I really enjoyed these model drawing courses. The lessons are of high quality and unique in the Netherlands: while art academies are focusing on conceptual art mainly, this is a place where the classical drawing technique is re-thought! I was so inspired by these teachings that I decided to do a follow-up course at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy. Ilse’s lessons proved to be an ideal preparation for this program. "

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-Joyce

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