I’d like to know more about the difference between attending the Ani Academy (online) versus going with the Lod, and Lop dvd material on my own.
I live in Denmark and attending the Academy is a bit difficult, although I have seen that it’s possible to attend online, but you have to visit the instructor, but in which European country does the instuctor live? And is it $150/month?, and for how many months?
I hate the word “benefits”, because everything today is about the benefits for someone. But, that being said, how much would one “benefit” or improve by attending the online Ani art academy, compared to following one’s own pace with the lop, lod material? Would the dvd’s be enough?
First off, welcome to our community here! I hope that the resources in our forum/archive prove very useful to you.
Second, The ÀNI Art Academies does not technically offer a specific online curriculum, rather some of our senior students engage in a Long-Distance Mentorship (online and in person) with some distant learners who are driven to utilize our curriculum for their own development. Tuitions charged by mentors vary based on a number of factors including time and workload.
As to benefits, I would ask to know exactly what you are trying to achieve with your training to best offer useful advice here. In the same manner as the aforementioned “benefit”, goals like “getting better” and “improving my art” are equally nebulous. Let’s talk about what you would like to do, in as much detail as you feel comfortable with, and I’ll do my best to see if any of our resources might be a good fit.
Again, welcome and best wishes for a happy, healthy, and successful 2025!
I have thought about what I want. I am reading George Leonard’s “Mastery”, and I realize that mastery is not a destination, but a journey.
I’d like to paint realism. To be able to capture an object with paint, and to narrow the gap between what I intend, and what I am capable of. Almost everything is hard with oil painting for me. My paintings looks flat, and, 2d-like. Also, I am having trouble with color.
I also need to better handle the “plateau”, when I am not having leaps of progress. Because the plateau is really bothering me, and it makes me quit. And then come back, and quit…etc.
Handling this, I decided to read up on Mastery, and deliberate practice. I read the article “8 practice hacks”, and I think I am on to something going that way.
I have let go of my ambition of being able to live off my paintings, because that really kills my joy, and makes me want to quit, when the gap is too big between my vision and reality. If someone wants to buy a painting in the future. Sure, why not. But I am not having it as a goal in itself.
Sometimes I get the thought: “Who am I kidding, trying to learn how to paint?”. But then I remember my reaction (“I want to do that!”) to Paul Foxton’s plums, and here I am … again.
Currently, I am doing the free K12 material, and will eventually move on to LoD, and LoP.
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful response and such a candid insight Mattis.
Your specific experience with development is one that I honestly hear all too often. Any worthwhile path of development will indeed hold much frustration but please know that being able to perceive the areas that are wanting (which it seems you can do) is an incredible advantage. Believe it or not, there are many with such performance deficits that are mired in a Kruger-Dunning driven view of their efforts that stifles much of their potential development.
The main difference between a self-guided journey through our curriculum and the Academy experience really comes down to how effectively and efficiently you can remain in the “Zone of Proximal Development. (ZPD)”
First introduced by psychologist Lev Vygotsky, the zone of proximal development (ZPD) refers to the difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with support (e.g., guidance or assistance.) In his own words, Vygotsky writes, “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86).”
The term “proximal” in the ZPD refers to skills or abilities relatively “not too far” outside the learner’s current abilities. The ZPD ensures challenge is not too hard, and not too easy, serving as the region where instruction is often considered the most beneficial. This zone is where deliberate practice takes place. You may have read about or seen my video on deliberate practice that uses a dynamic or flexible fishbowl metaphor. In that case, the ZPD is the “moveable” edge of the fishbowl.
It’s important to understand that effective and efficient skill development requires the learner to be presented with tasks just outside of their current ability range. Engaging in such tasks allows learners to effectively “grow” skills.
In the end, the speed and quality of your development will always be tethered to the quality of information one has access to, the quality of your practice, and your ability to hold yourself within in the ZPD. Evaluating the self-guided experience, long-distance learning, and Academy attendance learning with this lens would be most beneficial to you in my opinion.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have further questions~~~
Thank you for your answer. I remember Vygotsky from school.
I haven’t been around, but I was looking into Ian Roberts way of drawing. He’s doing value mass, and talking a lot about shapes.
But I realize that his way will not teach me how to paint, because there isn’t a way to take it a step back, since there are no steps! It’s just YT video upon YT video.
You have an actual course with graded steps (sort of, I think (without having taken any of your courses)), and that is beneficial, because when things get hard, I can take a step back to an easier point, and work it out from there. Just like with the ZPD.
But how do you know when something is good enough, and move on to the next exercise?
I think I will ask for a long distance apprenticeship, because when I do something, I think, that it’s the best in the world. And I know its far from that. Pushing myself is difficult, though not impossible, but I really have to look hard, and say “No, this and this could be better.” And then do the exercise again.
That touches on a fundamental challenge in skill acquisition. Knowing when to move on is not always a matter of intuition or feeling, especially early in one’s training. In structured systems like our curriculum, criteria for progression are often externally defined to mitigate subjective bias. For example, exercises are typically repeated until a set of clearly observable benchmarks (e.g., pressure control, edge resolution, gradation continuity) is consistently met (e.g., an particular set of alignments with a target or model.)
Your experience—where completed work feels like the best in the world, even while intellectually you know it’s not—is a well-documented phenomenon. It’s part of what Anders Ericsson calls the limitation of “naive practice” in his research. Without clearly defined goals and immediate feedback, we risk reinforcing habits rather than refining them.
Deliberate practice—a core tenet of expert training—requires a continuous loop: attempt, feedback, correction, repeat. In this loop, the role of a coach or mentor is often indispensable because they can provide external feedback and help calibrate your internal sense of “good enough.” If you’re self-training, a rigorous use of reference comparisons and objective checklists (like those in the ANI LOD/LOP guides) can function similarly.
So when do you move on? Simply speaking, you do so when your results consistently meet specific benchmarks that align with the objective function of the exercise and your confidence is reasonably high.
There are a number of high-res exercise examples available here:
If you’re unsure what those benchmarks are or how to assess them reliably, then a long-distance apprenticeship or structured mentorship might be exactly what you need—not because you lack drive, but because you are smart enough to recognize the inherent blind spots in solo development.
The difficulty you describe in pushing yourself isn’t a flaw—it’s a reflection of what nearly all developing experts face. You’re not alone in that. But recognizing this and seeking strategic scaffolding—like external review or structured goalposts—can make all the difference.
In addition-a word on confidence moving forward (written for a post not long ago.)
Training Tip: Advancement: When Should You Move to the Next Exercise?
In skill-based learning programs like the Waichulis Curriculum, each step builds on the last—this is called Hierarchical Skill Development. Advancement is typically determined by an evaluation of both performance and learner confidence. While early performance assessments are fairly straightforward, many students ask:
“How much confidence is enough?”
On a scale of 1 to 10, a minimum confidence level of 7-8 is recommended before moving forward. Here’s why:
7 (Competent) → You feel you understand the exercise, can execute it with minimal errors, and correct mistakes independently.
8 (Proficient) → You feel you can perform the exercise with consistent control and accuracy, though you still see areas for fine refinement.
At this stage, you’ve built the core skills needed to take on the next challenge without major setbacks.
Why Not Wait for a 10? While aspects of our program align with Suzuki’s “perfection policy,” perfect confidence isn’t required for progress! In fact, waiting for a “10” can sometimes lead to stagnation or diminishing returns. It’s also important to note here that as your skills grow, so does your ability to perceive higher-resolution errors—sometimes exceeding the target resolution of the exercise itself. This can create a misleading sense of regression, even when actual performance is improving.
This is why moving forward at 7-8 confidence is advantageous —many refinements happen naturally over time, and significant growth comes from testing skills in new contexts rather than waiting for some perfect level of confidence that is likely shifting with continuing experience.
Thank you. I really appreciate it. I ‘get it’ much better when I can compare my work to something else such as the Bargue plates. I love those because I get that instant feedback, which I need.
I’ll compare my Origin destination Lines and my work in general with those in the folder and provided with the LOD material.
Also . It will be a long journey. Some time ago you said ‘dont rush’. I understand it now.
One last thing—I would encourage you to stop thinking so much about the length of the entire journey. Remember that the further you are trying to look ahead, the more likely it is for you to trip over things right in front of you.
. It will be a long journey. Some time ago you said ‘dont rush’. I understand it now. 
