What if...
Instead of painting the subject… You painted the space around it?
Are you ready to discover the magic of negative painting?
I've always been drawn to the beautiful balance of yin and yang, dark and light, positive and negative space.
In painting, negative space is the area around the subject rather than the subject itself. When we begin painting this way, something wonderful happens; images slowly emerge from the background through color, layering and intuition.
In this playful course, I’ll guide you through three vibrant mixed-media lessons where we explore the joy of revealing imagery through negative space painting.
Together we’ll allow a butterfly to emerge from colorful layered marks, reveal luminous birds through contrast and negative space, and discover flowers and vase shapes hidden within richly textured surfaces.
This technique is one of the most loved processes I teach in my workshops and retreats around the world. It’s approachable, freeing and often leads to those magical moments when a painting suddenly clicks into place.
This class is perfect for you if...
- You love working with color, texture and layered mixed media.
- You often create beautiful abstract backgrounds but feel unsure what to do next.
- You’re curious about discovering imagery hidden within your paintings.
- You want to loosen up your process and learn a technique that helps paintings evolve naturally.
- You sometimes feel stuck or overly attached to a layer and would love a way to move forward with confidence.
- You’d like to explore a process that feels playful, intuitive and full of possibility.
If this sounds like you, I would love to invite you to join me and discover the magic of negative space painting.
“Tracy's gentle kind approach to putting marks on paper has helped me to grow my art and stretch outside my comfort zone!! And with great success!!! I feel more confident to sketch... paint... and just have fun without judgment or fear of making a mistake. I learned that I can fix something I don't like or sit with it and either let it go or continue to work on it.
I highly recommend Tracy's online courses and have since purchased more because they are fun and her style is easy to learn. And it's also very affordable which is important ! Thank you Tracy!!”
- Nancy Barkhous
lesson one
Blooming from the Layers
In this lesson we explore a playful way to work with negative space painting using simple vase and flower shapes.
We begin by creating a vibrant floral underlayer from scratch using oil pastels, acrylic inks and acrylic paint. Once the surface is alive with color, marks and texture, we begin painting the surrounding areas with acrylic paint, allowing the vase and flowers to gradually emerge from the layers beneath.
This process invites us to look at our paintings with fresh eyes and discover imagery that may already be hidden within the surface.
I’ll also demonstrate how this same technique can be used to transform an older painting that may feel unfinished or stuck, showing you how a few bold shapes and negative space painting can turn something unresolved into something vibrant and alive.
lesson two
Transformation
In this lesson we’ll explore the beautiful technique of negative space painting, where the image slowly emerges by painting the space around it. Beginning with a vibrant, intuitive underlayer, we’ll gradually reveal our butterfly through layers of colour and mark making.
The butterfly teaches us to be aware of our own unique beauty and potential, and to consciously work towards our highest growth. It reminds us that we will always encounter struggles during growth, and even more, that this struggle is a necessary part of the journey; “no mud, no lotus,” so to speak.
The butterfly encourages us to move out of our comfort zones. In other cultures, the butterfly is thought to bring luck and prosperity, to be a propagator of beauty and a symbol of balance.
lesson three
The Light in You
In this lesson we begin by creating a rich, kaleidoscopic under layer using oil pastels, collage and acrylics. From there we explore negative shape painting, gently revealing our vibrant birds by painting the space around them.
Over the years I’ve painted a series of these luminous birds inspired by the poetry of the 13th-century Persian mystic Rumi. His words often speak of the light that lives within each of us, something radiant, joyful and deeply connected to the divine.
The quote that inspired this particular image comes from Rumi:
“If everything around seems dark, look again, you may be the light.”
As our birds slowly emerge from the layers of colour, I invite you to hold that thought gently in mind. Sometimes the light we are searching for is already within us, waiting to be revealed.
In this online class I share with you what I have discovered that will help you learn how to...
- Create vibrant mixed-media backgrounds using oil pastels, acrylic inks and acrylic paint.
- Use negative space painting to reveal imagery by painting the space around your subject.
- Develop a relaxed way of seeing using our “magic eyes” learning to discover shapes and possibilities hidden within your paintings.
- Build confidence in layering and letting go, allowing your paintings to evolve naturally.
- Recognize and refine emerging imagery such as butterflies, birds, flowers and other organic forms.
- Transform paintings that feel unfinished or stuck into something fresh, vibrant and alive.
- Most importantly, this process helps you trust your intuition and enjoy the unfolding journey of a painting, one layer at a time.
In negative space painting we gently carve our imagery from the background, allowing shapes and forms to gradually reveal themselves through layers of colour and intuitive mark making.
In this mini-course we begin by creating playful, vibrant underlayers. From there we use negative painting techniques to gradually define our subjects, allowing vases, butterflies and birds to emerge from the surrounding space.
Each lesson explores a slightly different approach to building the under layers, giving you three inspiring ways to experiment with this powerful technique.
Negative painting is not only beautiful, it can completely transform the way you approach composition, layering and discovering imagery in your work.
Two of these lessons were originally created for collaborative online courses "A year of light 2025" and "PYHAS 2020" and are now being shared here as part of this special bundle.
“Thanks to you & your virtual classes, I shifted from struggling with representational watercolor to finding freedom, play & exploration with abstract acrylic painting. I have never looked back. THANK YOU for doing what you do and for sharing your heart through your work!”
- Erika Person Werner
How your world can expand with negative space painting...
Frequently Asked Questions
What supplies do I need?
We don't want you stressing too much about the supplies for this course. Many lessons can be adapted to be worked with whatever you have at hand. That being said, here are a few things Tracy uses throughout these lessons:
- Watercolor paper taped down with masking tape
- Various brushes
- Light watercolor pencil
- Your favorite acrylic inks and paints
- Gel pens in white, gold, black and other colors
- Oil pastels/crayons
- Bamboo skewer
How long do I have access to this course?
You can purchase these classes at any point in time as as a self-paced class. Once purchased, all lessons will be yours forever via our classroom website classes.tracyverdugo.com.
Are there captions/subtitles?
We suggest using Chrome to view these videos if you wish to view captions or translate them into another language. There are live caption and live translation settings automatically built into Chrome.
For a full tutorial on how to do this, here's a video!
Is this course suitable for any level?
Absolutely!! I have been teaching my in person and online classes around the world for the past nine years! Both beginners and more experienced painters have enjoyed epiphanies in creative process, shifted perspectives and enjoyed learning new techniques. Mostly though I have come to realize that what I am teaching is about how to see the creative possibilities inherent in every moment and then to learn ways to process and translate those moments in our own artistic voice….AND to FREE UP and not be STUCK!!
Can I exhibit or sell the work I create in this workshop?
One of the main intentions in my courses is to help you find ways to connect with a style all of your own. So, with this in mind, I’m happy for you to show and sell original, innovative work created. If, however, you feel that you want to follow along more closely and produce pieces very similar to those within the projects that is all good, but I would ask that you don’t put those pieces out to exhibit or sell if they are close copies of my work. I trust that your heart will tell you what is too close. We also ask that you understand that these are Tracy's copyrighted techniques and may not be taught or packaged as a class by any individual other than Tracy without express consent. ♥
Can I get a refund?
We're happy to offer a 7 day change of mind policy. If you are after a refund, please email us at info@tracyverdugo.com and let us know why this course wasn't for you 🙂
