All you need is an idea and a can of spray-paint
The “Spray-Painting & Abstract Art” MasterClass is all about diving into the world of contemporary art with Futura as your guide. But here’s the big question: Does this course live up to its reputation and actually make a difference in your artistic journey?
The idea of learning directly from a legendary artist like Futura in the fields of spray-painting and abstract art is undeniably enticing. You’re probably wondering if it can help you become a better artist –especially if you’re not already a pro.
As I navigated the course content, I couldn’t help but wonder if it strikes the right balance between theory and hands-on practice. Can it really take Futura’s expertise and turn it into practical skills and meaningful insights, even if you’re not an experienced artist?
So, here’s the bottom line: Is Futura’s MasterClass worth your time and money? Will it help you explore the world of spray-painting and abstract art in a way that’s both fun and educational, no matter where you are in your artistic journey?
Table of Contents
Overview of Futura’s MasterClass
In Futura’s MasterClass “Spray-Painting & Abstract Art,” creativity knows no bounds. Led by an artist who’s dazzled the streets and galleries, this online course explores the freedom of self-expression through spray-paint. Futura brings his wealth of experience to the table and breaks down complex art concepts into digestible nuggets of knowledge.
There are 15 lessons in the course, and each of them is between 5 to 15 minutes of videos. It takes just over 2 hours and a half to complete – but not including the time for trying out the lessons on your own canvas! Throughout the MasterClass, you can learn the techniques and mechanics of spray-painting, exploring how to use colors, shapes, and dimension to tell your own artistic story. Plus, you’ll gain insights into design principles and pick up some tips and tricks straight from the pro’s playbook.
Additionally, this class isn’t just about the freedom of creating art; it’s about making it in the art world. Futura will share his secrets on collaborating with brands, bridging the gap between art and commerce, and maybe helping you turn your passion into a career. Whether you’re a beginner itching to try spray-painting or an experienced artist seeking fresh inspiration, the course will likely have something for you.
About Futura
Futura’s MasterClass is your chance to learn from a living legend in the contemporary art world, and let’s be honest, it doesn’t get much cooler than that. So, who’s this guy, Futura, anyway? Well, his real name is Leonard Hilton McGurr, but he’s known worldwide by his graffiti moniker, Futura. If you’re into urban art, you’ve probably seen his work gracing walls from New York to Tokyo.
What sets Futura apart as an instructor is a blend of street cred and gallery acclaim. Leonard is not just an artist; he’s a visionary who’s been pushing artistic boundaries for decades. His trademark kinetic style, characterized by bold colors and abstract forms, has left an indelible mark on the art scene.
What’s more, Futura’s influence goes beyond his artwork. He’s been a game-changer in shaping contemporary art culture. Learning from Leonard isn’t just about mastering the technical aspects of spray-painting and abstract art; it’s about tapping into the mindset of an artist who’s been at the forefront of innovation and creativity.
Target audience of Futura’s MasterClass
Like many of the courses offered via MasterClass, Futura’s offering is structured to accommodate both experts and novices. Aspiring artists hungry to learn and experienced creators looking to refine their skills will both find something in this course. Or if you, like I am, are eager to explore the worlds of spray-painting and abstract art, this course is a great starting point.
For newcomers, prior experience isn’t necessary; curiosity and a desire to learn are enough. Futura’s accessible teaching style ensures that beginners can grasp the fundamentals. For seasoned artists, this course offers fresh insights from an industry trailblazer. In essence, it’s for anyone passionate about art and eager to expand their horizons.
Given the format of the course, it is less suitable for those looking for a comprehensive tutorial. While it manages to cover a lot of ground for its short duration, you’ll be diving into the artistry, passion, and philosophy that have propelled an artist to the top of his game – not necessarily taking a spray-painting 101.
Inside Futura’s MasterClass
This course takes you on a journey through the art of spray-painting. You’ll cover topics from controlling the spray-can’s nuances to executing intricate details. These lessons offer aspiring artists a strong foundational understanding of the craft. By the end, if you’ve been doing the lessons in practice, you’ll probably be able to translate your artistic vision onto a canvas, wall, or other media with some confidence.
In the context of spray-painting and abstract art, there is a certain degree of artistic freedom and expression. For instance, students are encouraged to think beyond traditional methods, fostering creativity and experimentation. For example, Futura uses cardboard as a makeshift brush or stamp.
Futura’s kinetic abstract spray-painting approach offers lessons about the fundamentals of color, composition, detail, and dimension. As he showcases his abstract skills while describing these concepts, students are given his real-time thought process behind why he does a certain thing and not something else.
Moreover, Futura’s experience in the business side of art offers a realistic view of how art intersects with commerce as he shares his early collaborations with smaller brands before collaborating with big brands such as Nike and BMW. These lessons can be useful for artists seeking to navigate the art industry professionally.
Key takeaways of Futura’s MasterClass
With the course covering aspects of arts such as artistic fearlessness, creativity unleashed, mastery of technique, art as expression, artistic community, and art as a lifestyle, there’s a lot to choose from, but here are some of my favorite lessons.
Inverted spray technique
Futura explains his technique of using a spray-can upside-down. I have used spray-cans to paint walls and metal before, using varying techniques like distancing the spray and applying different pressures on the nozzle, but never have I sprayed it upside-down. Futura explains how the level of paint in the spray-can allows you to get thinner and more controlled lines using what he calls the inverted spray technique.
Unconventional tools
While the inverted spray method was new to me, the use of unconventional tools to paint was not a surprise. Artists throughout history have experimented with different tools and media to create art. However, Futura’s lesson gets into the nitty-gritty details of how he utilizes some unconventional tools like an ordinary piece of cardboard. You can really tell the decades of experience, time, and effort behind his skills, even when creating abstract art.
Stylize your alphabet
The art of Futura was born in the graffiti scene on streets of New York. And as a graffiti artist, the alphabet is foundational to his art. While typography is important for many types of art, for graffiti artists – the “tag” is your identity.
In this lesson, he shares his typography journey to develop his “tag.” It is fascinating to have him dedicate an entire video lesson to the evolution of his tag into the globally known version it is today and how you can go about it yourself.
The customer is always first
The connection between art and commerce can seem perplexing, especially when considering abstract art. On the one hand, abstract art can look like effortless work that has minimal value. But on the other, certain art can carry what seems like ridiculously high price tags. As an artist, you need to make abstraction uniquely yours such that others recognize that an abstract piece of art is the product of a specific artist – to make it your abstract art.
But Futura also suggests that in order to be successful as an artist, it is sometimes necessary to consider your customer’s preferences for your art. Give them choices, and give them the best options that are catered to what the customer really wants.
BMW M2 by Futura
In this lesson, Futura shares his experience working with big brands, including on the BMW M2. To have a legendary contemporary artist speak about his dreams of certain projects and his fears and hesitations when approaching collaborations, helps bring him back down to the level of a regular human and make his lessons easier to relate to. To collaborate with brands like Nike, BMW, or Louis Vuitton is ultimately to work together with other, and even if you come at as a famed artist, you still have to approach it as a human being in order to be successful.
My favorite aspects of Futura’s MasterClass
I must admit, I have had experience doing graffiti on the streets and, therefore, have been exposed to some of Futura’s artwork when I was younger. So, while there are many things that I liked about the course, to be specific, I really appreciated the following.
Legendary artist
First of all, I’m guilty of being Futura’s fan. I would normally distance myself from praising the instructors on the basis of their fame, but in this case, the man is a living legend of the graffiti world. In a New York Times article, he was named a “king of graffiti” after all. There is simply no getting away from the desire to learn from your idol, and abstract and street art is no exception.
Practical techniques of spray-painting
Futura meticulously explains how to use a spray-can. From the different caps you can use to how to hold the spray-can, he talks about it all. There are many nuances that might be overlooked by other experienced spray-painters, and perhaps that is what distinguishes them from the legend.
Inspiring story of an artist
It’s no simple matter that a street artist becomes an artist whose work is in galleries around the world. When it comes to graffiti, there are only a handful of individuals who have been able to increase the value of their craft to six digits or more, and Futura is one of them. His artistic development story is not only unique but also worthwhile to learn from. It’s such a rare story and, with that, an invaluable opportunity.
Freedom of expression
A core idea in Futura’s MasterClass is the freedom to express using paint. Although most of what he shows during the lessons might seem as though it is something even a child could do, it is precisely that kind of freedom that young children have that truly allows for the free expression of art – a sense of deep abstraction. Not only does the course encourage learners to break away from whatever holds them back, but also to find their own sense of individual expression in that freedom.
Challenging aspects of Futura’s MasterClass
While I am a fan of Futura, there are aspects of his course I that I found less than ideal.
Unclear delivery of some explanations
Futura is no expert at public speaking, or at least he does not command the spoken language in the eloquent way that trained speakers do. He might be a master of expression using paint, but he is not a master of delivering spoken material. Thus, there are moments when his explanations lacked clarity, even if his painting techniques made up for it.
Rough course structure
Futura’s MasterClass is set in a way that each video lesson is teaching something different. It tries to encapsulate the theoretical, practical, and motivational. However, the transition between them was not seamless. In multiple video lessons, Futura explains practical techniques of abstract art, and in between, the course attempted to insert the theoretical and motivational aspects of the course. This did not help in learning since the continuity of the practical teachings was interrupted.
Repetitiveness of practical techniques
Going through the course, some practical parts of the lesson seemed repetitive. For instance, in the lesson about creating characters, most of the time was spent on Futura drawing and re-drawing the form of his character. As a result, most of the lesson was devoted to us watching him draw, as opposed to teaching us how we can create better characters. While it is helpful to see the process that an artist undergoes, this repetitiveness seems to have defeated the purpose of the lesson.
How much does Futura's MasterClass cost?
MasterClass is a subscription-based learning platform, and there’s no possibility to purchase courses individually. So, if you want to take Futura’s course, you have to subscribe to MasterClass.
The annual subscription to Masterclass costs $120 per year (down from the previous $180), or $10 per month. With the MasterClass subscription, you gain unlimited access to a catalog of 180+ classes.
If you want to take multiple classes, MasterClass subscription is certainly worth it. Thanks to their extensive catalog, you’ll surely find something that interests you. But if you are only interested in a single course, then the price becomes a bit steep.
Also, the platform also offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, so if you’re not happy with the platform and your learning experience, you can request a full refund.
Conclusion: Is Futura's MasterClass worth your time and money?
I already mentioned about the price for access to MasterClass. Of course, if you aren’t willing to pay, then you’ve already decided that it isn’t worth your time. So, let’s suppose you are willing to purchase the MasterClass subscription. Is Futura’s online course worth your time?
Futura’s MasterClass offers a unique and valuable opportunity for aspiring artists and enthusiasts alike. This experience can be well worth your time, provided you have a genuine interest in spray-painting and are eager to learn from a legendary artist.
One of the standout aspects of this MasterClass is the practical knowledge it imparts. Learning spray-painting techniques from an artist as influential as Futura is a rare privilege. His expertise can provide you with valuable skills that can enhance your own artistic journey, whether you’re a beginner looking to get started or an experienced artist seeking to refine your craft.
Moreover, the MasterClass goes beyond just technical instruction. It offers inspirational stories and encourages freedom of expression even though these takeaways are not structured in a seamless way. Hearing about Futura’s development and the challenges he has overcome can be motivating and help you find your own artistic voice. The emphasis on freedom of expression empowers you to explore your creativity without constraints, which is invaluable for any artist seeking to make a meaningful impact through their work.
Ultimately, the value of the Futura MasterClass hinges on your personal passion for art and your desire to grow as an artist. If you’re committed to honing your skills, gaining inspiration, and embracing artistic freedom, this class can be a rewarding investment. It’s a chance to learn from a true master, and the knowledge and inspiration gained may well propel your artistic endeavors to new heights.
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