How I Cracked Sargent's Brushwork (And Won an OPA Gold Medal) | Alla Prima Portrait Painting

Chelsea Lang • September 27, 2025
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Chelsea Lang

@chelsealang

About

I'm Chelsea - I'm a professional oil painter, sharing my love and knowledge of painting alla prima. Join me every week for new painting tutorials, time lapse videos, and talks about the habits and mindset of successful painters. FOLLOW ME: Instagram: www.instagram.com/chelsealangart Facebook: www.facebook.com/chelsealangart Tutorials, coaching and more: www.patreon.com/chelsealang www.chelsealang.com

Video Description

🎯 Watch the Free Masterclass: Learn to Compose Like Sargent 👉 https://painterly.work/48xzOXo (Open it in a new tab so it’s ready when you finish watching!) 👇 More resources for experienced painters: 🖼️ View & purchase available paintings: https://www.chelsealang.com/ 🧑‍🎨 Apply to work 1:1 & build a cohesive body of work: https://painterly.work/4gGuYZV 📥 Download the free expressive painting guide: https://painterly.work/46zPDud 🧭 Explore the program that helps painters go from tight to expressive: https://painterly.work/424cWuM Are you an experienced oil painter feeling stuck in a tight, mechanical process—desperate to paint more like Sargent but convinced that expressive brushwork is just something you’re born with? In this video, I’ll show you exactly how I broke that myth wide open—and won the OPA Gold Medal doing it. You’ll see a side-by-side of my before and after paintings as I walk you through the exact system I used to transform my style. It’s not magic, and it’s not talent—it’s a repeatable, teachable process. If you’ve tried all the tricks to loosen up and still feel stuck, this step-by-step framework is for you. 📌 In this video, you’ll learn how to: • Build a clear "North Star" to guide your brushwork • Reverse-engineer Sargent’s expressiveness without imitation • Practice like a dancer: break it down to build it up • Use simple, focused studies to finally see growth • Shift your mindset from perfection to process 💬 Comment "Sargent" below if you’ve ever been told expressive painting can’t be taught—or if you’re ready to prove otherwise. 🖌️ Want to use the exact same materials I did? • If you'd like to use the same paints I used to make this painting, you can purchase my palette at Vasari! http://vasaricolors.com/products/a-set-chelsea-lang-core-portrait-palette — Use code PAINT at vasaricolors.com for 20% off • If you'd like to purchase my official brushset that I used to create this piece, visit: https://www.rosemaryandco.com/brush-sets/teachers-sets/chelsea-lang-set?u=CHELSEA 📖 CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:40 But here's the twist 1:26 So what changed? 2:24 setting the stage 3:59 Step 1 – Build your North Star 5:29 Step 2 – Learn from the dancer’s playbook 8:05 Step 3 – Reverse engineer, don’t just admire 10:06 Step 4 – Practice in bite-sized exercises 10:39 Step 5 – Mindset M U S I C All music courtesy of Epidemic Sound! If you want to get royalty free music too, use my referral link to support me, at no extra cost to you: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/zdldb6 DISCLAIMER: Some of the above links (those marked with a "*") are third party affiliate links, meaning I make a small amount of money off your purchase.

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