Dimitri ROSS Fine Art

04/12/2025

Why do academic artists fear charcoal? In this tutorial, I compare graphite precision against charcoal emotion using the same figure reference, and the results reveal something controversial about contemporary drawing.

Why do academic artists fear charcoal? In this tutorial, I compare graphite precision against charcoal emotion using the same figure reference, and the resul...

30/11/2025

I went to Valencia, Spain to see an exhibition by one of Spain's greatest artists of all times – Joaquín Sorolla. They call him "the painter of light". He is known for his amazing impressionistic seascape sceneries, happy families and children playing and having a good time at the sea on the beach. But in 1899 he painted something that almost ruined his career. He made a painting that Spain wanted to hide and forget....

I went to Valencia, Spain to see an exhibition by one of Spain's greatest artists of all times – Joaquín Sorolla. They call him "the painter of light". He is...

29/11/2025

In this graphite drawing study I show how I design dramatic shadows, just like any Baroque painter did. I'll show you the tenebrism technique Caravaggio and Rembrandt used to design light and shadow before painting – creating theatrical, emotional impact instead of just realistic rendering. This is shadow planning, not shadow copying.

The figure in this study is inspired by my Baroque painting "Lo Scorrere del Tempo" (The Passage of Time) which I created for an exhibition in Florence. In this video, I'm taking the same approach I used for that painting – designing where the drama lives in the light and then letting everything else disappear into shadow

In this graphite drawing study I show how I design dramatic shadows, just like any Baroque painter did. I'll show you the tenebrism technique Caravaggio and ...

07/11/2025

My REAL fear was not about nudity at my very first Life Drawing session...

My real fear was not about nudity at my very first Life Drawing session... It was something very different...

22/10/2025

I started a new Youtube channel – The Notes from the Travelling Painter. Starting basically from zero (again). – Be my first subscriber :)
https://youtu.be/EDBgGjO6wN8?si=NBb5bZyPLu5iQm1g

Honestly, Youtube makes it very challenging for figurative artists to show their art and to talk about figurative art openly. So, this new channel is, yes, about art and my artistic discoveries while travelling. And no tutorials! (There are way too many of them on Youtube anyway).

If you believe that art still matters – subscribe and stay tuned.

I’m Dimitri Ross, a figurative painter living in Amsterdam. Here on Notes from the Travelling Painter, I share what I see and feel as an artist: the quiet be...

11/10/2025

I’m exploring The Hague and discovering stories of art, history, and memory that often remain hidden.

Today I’m exploring The Hague and discovering stories of art, history, and memory that often remain hidden.🎨 First, I visit t...

22/09/2025

All artists do it. Unless they are abstract artists. But even for them – it won't hurt :) To simplify the shapes, to get rid of details and to see better the zones of light and shadow we simply squint our eyes. This rule is not optional! :)

All artists do it. Unless they are abstract artists. But even for them – it won't hurt :) To simplify the shapes, to get rid of de...

21/09/2025

The very last thing I do before I snooze at night is drawing in my sketchbook. Try doing the same for at least a week and you'll see how it will help you relax, get creative ideas the next morning and improve your drawing skills!

The very last thing I do before I snooze at night is drawing in my sketchbook. Try doing the same for at least a week and you'll s...

02/09/2025

I am test-drawing with Panduro soft pastels. This pastel is made in Sweden, I bought it in the Netherlands and I am using it for the very first time. Let's draw a simple flower and a Dutch landscape. Two different subjects on two different papers – just for the diversity in art! I am excited! What the results would be?

In this video I am test-drawing with Panduro soft pastels. This pastel is made in Sweden, I bought it in the Netherlands...

23/08/2025

I love sketchbooks, I buy sketchbooks, I almost never use them though. This time I thought I get one and start really drawing something in it....

20/08/2025

I wanted to try making an oil painting in the technique of early Italian Renaissance. Here I show the final result of this week-long art challenge.

I wanted to try making an oil painting in the technique of early Italian Renaissance. Here I show the final result of this...

19/08/2025

I have only six days to make an oil painting. I am going for the technique of Tiziano/Titian. This video is Day 6 of my Diary of One Painting. The last day of this diary and the finished painting reveal.

I have only six days to make an oil painting. I am going for the technique of Tiziano/Titian. This video is Day 6 of my Dia...