Course Description

In this inspiring workshop, Lucas Bononi invites you to explore how academic principles of form and dynamic symmetry can serve as the foundation for a deeply expressive and personal approach to painting the human figure.

At the heart of the course lies the study of form: learning how to sculpt volume through light, shadow, and structure. Through lectures, demonstrations, and guided practice, Lucas will introduce key concepts in the physics of light, optics, and dynamic symmetry, a timeless design principle that brings harmony and proportion to composition.

Over five days, you will work from a live model, beginning with preliminary drawings that evolve into finished paintings on canvas. The course offers the best of both worlds: academic rigour balanced with creative freedom, encouraging each artist to push beyond imitation towards genuine expression. Lucas provides personalised instruction to help you integrate skill-based techniques with creative intuition, giving you the tools to strengthen your visual language and discover your unique artistic voice.
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About his approach to Form Expressionism, Lucas shares:
“The balance of Realism and Expressionism is something I’ve always pursued. To do my best work realistically, I studied at Grand Central Atelier, while also immersing myself in abstract art over the last decade. Both extremes, like dynamic symmetry itself, grow stronger when nurtured together. I love both equally, like they are my two kids.”

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Key Learning Concepts

• Understand and apply academic principles of form to create dynamic and lifelike figure paintings
  
• Learn the physics of light and optics to model form through conceptual understanding
  
• An academic approach that takes you from drawing to painting encourages you to design a strong pictorial composition
  
• Integrate technical skill with personal expression, finding your own balance between realism and creativity
  
• Strengthen your visual language by combining technical precision with emotional and expressive depth

Lucas Bononi

​Lucas Bononi (b. 1991, Los Angeles) is a contemporary painter living and working in New York City, USA.

Lucas reflects the sensation of nature through the lens of the modern world in his paintings, with nuance and visual splashes of color and light that tell the story of living in a city while expressing nature's unrepeatable beauty. He invites us to question the relationship between beauty and chaos, as well as figuration and abstraction.

Lucas was awarded 1st Place in the 2018 Portrait Society of America Annual Members Competition, and his work can be seen in major museums, galleries, and publications worldwide.

@lucasbononiart

Artist Bio >

​Traveling to DARA from far away? Visit our FAQ for travel tips like where to stay, and all you need to know before you book.

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Supply List

The following items are required to participate in class. We carry most supplies for sale directly in the studio (accepted students receive a detailed PDF with further information.)

Transferring your drawing to canvas:

​You will begin with making a preliminary drawing, and then transferring it to canvas. There are two options for transferring:

OPTION 1: Draw on canvas, then painting directly on top
Students working with this method will start their model drawing on oil paper, seal the drawing, and then paint directly on top. This is Lucas’s preferred method. If choosing to work with this approach, the following materials are needed:
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Acrylic Fluid Matte Medium, by Golden Artists Colors (This is used to seal off the drawing)
1 oil paper panel – any size between 35 x 45 cm and 45 x 60 cm will be suitable.​

OPTION 2: Draw on paper, then transfer to canvas
Students working with this method will start their model drawing on paper first, then transfer the drawing to canvas. With this method, the original drawing is preserved, and is separate from the painting. If choosing to work with this approach, the following materials are needed:
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Smooth white drawing paper – any size between 35 x 45 cm and 45 x 60 cm will be suitable.
1 sheet of tracing paper (the size should match the size of your drawing paper)
1 primed and stretched canvas or panel (the size should match your drawing paper)
1 stick of charcoal
1 roll masking tape
1 blue ballpoint pen​

​Additionally, the following supplies are needed:

DRAWING TOOLS
A few HB drawing pencils
Charcoal pencils (H to HB)
Sandpaper pad
Pencil eraser, such as Tombow MONO Zero Refillable Eraser (round or rectangular)
Kneaded eraser
Utility knife
Metal clips (to hold paper on the drawing boards)
Knitting needle or long metal skewer (used for measuring)


OIL COLOURS
This is Lucas's personal palette. Feel free to substitute or omit colours as needed. The only colours he asks to not substitute are Gamblin Raw Umber and Gamblin Van Dyke Brown.

Van Dyke Brown (Gamblin)
​Raw Umber (Gamblin)
Ivory Black
Burnt Umber
Burnt Sienna
Ultramarine Blue
Phthalo Green
Neutral Tint
Alizarin Claret
Transparent Red Ochre
Transparent Oxide Yellow
Cadmium-Free Scarlet
Cadmium-Free Orange
Cadmium-Free Lemon
Blue Ridge Yellow Ochre
Transparent Marble White
​Permalba White

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PAINTING MEDIUMS
Gamsol Odourless Mineral Spirits*
Refined Linseed Oil or other painting medium (optional)
Small container for storing solvent (either metal palette cups or a glass jar with a secure lid)
Airtight brush washer for brush cleaning (optional)

Note: Gamsol is the only solvent permitted for use inside DARA classrooms. There are no exceptions. We sell Gamsol directly in the studio, including in small bottles suitable for short-term use for students who cannot travel with solvent after the course ends.

BRUSHES
Lucas mainly uses long handle synthetic brushes that range from a soft to medium firmness such as:

• Soft: Rosemary & Co Evergreen Brushes, medium-sized flats and filberts
• Soft-med firm: Plaza Richmond large flats with the “Long Handle
• Soft-med firm: Trekell Legion Synthetic Mongoose, in a variety of shapes
• Soft-med firm: Utrecht Manglon Brushes rounds, sizes 4, 6, 8
• Medium firm: Rosemary & Co Ivory Brushes, medium-sized flats and filberts

He notes:
"I recommend having a couple of sizes ranging from small to large. It may be useful to have a couple brushes in a variety of sizes, such as a half centimeter, 1 cm, 2,5 cm, up to even 5 cm brushes."

PAINTING TOOLS

• Palette

• 1 palette knife
• Metal palette cups
• Paper towels or rags
• Clamps to better secure your canvas to the easel (optional)

Tuition Fee & What's Included

INCLUDED  |   The tuition fee includes 30 hours of studio instruction, model fees, complimentary lunch served daily, coffee / tea / light refreshments served during all hours, basic studio equipment (easels, stools, drawing boards), and an end-of-workshop borrel (alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks and light bites.)

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NOT INCLUDED  |   Accommodation, airfare, transport costs, and drawing or painting supplies are not included with the tuition fee.

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WHAT'S FOR LUNCH?  |   We serve a complimentary light lunch, prepared daily in house with love. Typical lunches include sandwiches, soups, salads, wraps, and other light and healthy fare. Menus change daily. We are happy to accommodate vegetarian & vegan diets.

Payment Deadlines

Acceptance when there is more than 1 month before the start of the workshop:

To keep your place on hold, a deposit payment must be made within 14 days of your acceptance letter:

• Option 1: The entire tuition fee is paid in one sum.
• Option 2: You pay in two parts: the first half is the deposit, and the second half is paid one month before the first day of class.
• Option 3: You sign up via our ecommerce platform to pay in monthly instalments, of between 4 to 6 instalments total according to your preference. The first instalment is considered the deposit. A 5% surcharge is added when you select this option. Monthly billing is available for Spring workshops before March 2026, and for Summer workshops before May 2026.

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Acceptance when there are 4 weeks or less before the start of the workshop:

The full cost of tuition is due within 5 working days of your acceptance letter. Tuition fees must be paid in full before the first day of lessons in order to participate.

Discounts & Financial Aid

To support artists in our community, DARA has several discounts on offer for our 2026 workshop roster - please see terms and conditions below. Additionally, you may be eligible for third-party subsidies to help fund your education at DARA.

Please note that the following offers apply to our Workshop Programme only. Available discounts may differ for our Trimester Programme & Bootcamps.​

Early Bird Discount

You are eligible for this discount if you register between 10 to 30 November for any workshop scheduled between the months of April to September 2026 and you reserve your space by paying a deposit within 14 days of your letter of acceptance.

Terms & Conditions:

• If you enrol in multiple courses, this discount applies to the workshop with the lowest tuition fee.
• If you cancel your enrolment and then decide to join the course at a later time, the discount is void.
• If your deposit payment is not received by the deadline (within 14 days of your letter of acceptance), the discount is void.
• If you enrol in a workshop at the Early Bird rate, and then later decide to transfer to a different workshop, the discount is void.
• This discount does not apply to the workshop "Drawing the Portrait: Structure & Form" with Kevin Muller-Cisneros, scheduled in January 2026. Kevin's workshop has a separate special discount on offer - see here for details.

Artist Discount

Registering for multiple workshops? The more courses you take, the more you save!

As a show of gratitude to our dedicated students, DARA offers you a €50 discount for each additional workshop you join in 2026, for maximum savings of up to €200.

What you save:

• Any 2 Workshops: save €50 off the combined total of tuition fees;
• Any 3 Workshops: save €100 off the combined total of tuition fees;
• Any 4 Workshops: save €150 off the combined total of tuition fees;
• Any 5+ Workshops: save €200 off the combined total of tuition fees.

Terms & Conditions:

• You can combine this discount with the Early Bird discount. Register early and maximise your savings!
• If you cancel your enrolment in one or more workshops, the full discount will no longer apply.
• This discount only applies to our Workshop Programme. If you enrol in only one workshop, but also join some other type of course (a trimester course, bootcamp, etc.) you are not eligible for this discount.

Subsidies & Financial Aid

Career Development for Creative Professionals: Funding up to €2.000
If you work in the creative sector in the Netherlands, either for a company or as a ZZP'er, you may be eligible for third-party funding from Werktuig-PPO when you enrol in courses at DARA.

Please check terms & eligibility here.


Volwassenenfonds Sport and Culture
This fund provides support that enables those from low-income households to be involved in the arts. You must have a registered address within the Netherlands. You can apply to the fund in your own region through the website.

Please check terms & eligibility here.

Cancellation & Studio Policies

See all Studio Policies >

• Policies if I cancel >

• Policies if DARA cancels >

• Credit tuition fees to something else >

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• If you cancel your enrolment, you may be eligible for a full or partial refund. DARA is not liable for the cost of accommodation, airfare or travel, or any other student expenses associated with the workshop.
  
  Full Refund
  1) If you cancel within 14 days of paying your first instalment of tuition fees, you receive a full refund, even if the course already began.* (*In this situation, you are required to pay the cost of services rendered. This is calculated by the number of lessons that were completed at the time you cancelled, regardless of whether or not you attended class. The remaining balance is refunded.)
  
  2) If you cancel more than 6 months before the start of the workshop, you receive a full refunded.
  
  3) If you cancel at any time before the workshop, and either you or DARA is able to find someone else to take your place, you receive a full refund 14 days after the alternate student has paid to reserve the vacant space.
  
  Partial Refund
  1) If you cancel when there are more than 4 weeks, but fewer than 6 months, before the start of the workshop, DARA retains 50% of the total tuition fee. If you have paid more than 50% of the tuition fee, than the remaining balance is refunded to you.
  
  Please note that if we are able to find someone else to fill your place in the workshop, we will refund you in full 14 days after the alternate student has reserved the available space.
  
  Situations where you are not eligible for a refund
  1) You are not eligible for a refund if you cancel when there are fewer than 4 weeks before the start of the workshop. However, please note that we will waive this policy and refund you in full if we can find someone else to take your place before the workshop begins.
  
  2) You are not eligible for a refund if you are absent from class, or you withdraw from the workshop for any reason after the course starts. You are also not eligible to credit your tuition fee to a different course in this situation.
• If we have not reached sufficient levels of student enrolment for the course to go forward, we will notify you two months in advance of the scheduled start date.
  
  In this circumstance, you can opt to:
  
  

  • Keep a space reserved to attend the course at a postponed date;
  • Transfer your enrolment to another available course;
  • Receive a full refund of tuition fees.

  
  ​Please note that DARA is not liable for students' accommodation, airfare, travel costs, or other expenses affiliated with the workshop.
  
  If a single lesson is cancelled (for example, due to the instructor falling seriously ill or other exceptional circumstance), every effort will be made to schedule a make-up session at a time convenient for the majority of students. A refund for the lesson is offered to any students who cannot attend the make-up session. DARA reserves the right to substitute in another qualified instructor or model in a class if necessary.
• Crediting your tuition fee to a different workshop is permitted in the following circumstances:
  
  Conditions of eligibility
  1) There are more than 6 weeks before the start of the workshop you were originally accepted to.
  
  2) You will transfer to a specific course which is currently open for registration at DARA. We are not able to keep tuition fees on hold for a hypothetical course at some unfixed time in the future.
  
  3) The course you would like to transfer into has places available, and if there are any eligibility requirements, you meet them. (Please note that there are no entrance requirements for workshops or bootcamps, however there are requirements for our Trimester Programme.)
  
  4) If there is a price difference between the two courses, such that the tuition fee of the course you want to transfer into costs less than your original workshop, DARA will refund the difference in tuition fees up to €300. Any amount left over is retained by DARA.
  
  If all four conditions are not met, it is not possible to credit your tuition fee to a different course. Please refer to the Cancellation Policy.
  

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