"Dianna has a rare ability to work with everyone from beginners to skilled professional artists in a way that accepts where they are on their artistic journey and helps them take the next step on that journey. She has a gift for explaining artistic concepts clearly, in a way that makes me say "Aha! Now I understand it."

Cynthia R.

What If You Could Paint

Beautiful Portraits of the

People You

LOVE?

Creating a portrait is more than just making a painting. 

It's an intimate process. 

It captures a snapshot of a person's soul at a specific moment in time. 

Painting beautiful portraits is incredibly rewarding.

But...

Portraiture can also be difficult or even terrifying!

How do I get the proportions right?

What do I paint first?

How do I paint the form of the subject?

How do I paint loose and bold?

Thankfully,

You are in luck!

Award-winning artist, Dianna Shyne, has created a seven week

Portrait Painting Challenge

Dianna has decades of experience painting portraits. She has a gift for teaching strong fundamentals in a practical way. You'll have plenty of 'AHA' moments when learning from Dianna!

Okay, so what is it?

The Portrait Painting Challenge is a seven

weeks of artistic inspiration.

What you'll get:

• Seven Paint Along Lessons - Each lesson is an hour long and jam packed full of Dianna Shyne's portrait painting insights. You'll get one lesson every week for seven weeks. See huge growth in your artwork in a short amount of time!

• ​Professional Instruction - Learn from Dianna Shyne - a professional artist of 30+ years. She takes her decades of portrait painting and teaches solid fundamentals in a digestible way. Our students have 'AHA' moments all the time when learning from her! 

• Supply List - You may already have what you need, but in case you don't, we will provide you with an easy-to-order supply list

• Private Community - You'll be able to access one of the most FUN and ENCOURAGING art communities in the world!

• ​Lifetime access - Don't worry if you don't get everything done in the year. These lessons will be yours for life.

Stay Inspired All Year

You'll learn to paint seven gorgeous,

yet simple and approachable

portraits. You can decorate your

home with these beautiful works of

art or give them away as unique,

one-of-a-kind gifts.

Learn from a Professional

Get a new video painting lesson

from Dianna Shyne every single

week for 7 weeks! Stay inspired and

learn quickly as she shares insights

and expert tips from 30+ years of

experience. Plus, you'll receive

plenty of encouragement for your

painting journey!

Lifetime Access

Are you busy & worried you'll fall

behind? Have no fear. With your

purchase you'll gain access for life.

There's absolutely no risk of missing

out because you can revisit these

lessons for years to come.

How will you benefit from the Portrait Painting

Challenge?

You will OVERCOME these OBSTACLES to creativity:

#1: Lack of Time

Make the most of your time in a focused environment.

Each lesson is one hour long and packed full of expert

painting insights

#2: Not Knowing Where To Start

Each week you'll gain access to a new and inspiring lesson,

so YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE SOMETHING FUN TO PAINT!

#3: Fear and Insecurity

These simple lessons will help you move past fear of

portraiture into COURAGEOUS creativity. Painting portraits

will stop becoming intimidating and become

a joyful process!

Here are the paintings

you will learn how to paint:

"My try at Dianna Shyne's mini challenge. The grid technique was super helpful. Color mixing instructions were helpful ... I have always wanted to learn how to paint portraits, but was always super intimidated to try. I am so grateful for this mini challenge that has encouraged me to try. And yes Dianna, it was fun!!!!"

Elizabeth S.

"I was finally able to tackle Dianna's awesome portrait demo #6. With practice, I am learning a lot and am addicted to portraiture. While I struggle in achieving a 'likeness' in my paintings, I feel like I am capturing a bit of their essence. Thanks Dianna for sharing your artistic mastery, always with grace and kindness."

Laura-Lee T.

"This felt like a great practice. I am so glad I decided to follow this challenge! I have started to let go a bit and let myself do whatever I feel like with the strokes and color, stop being afraid to ruin something, little by little there is more freedom in it. I really like that feeling."

Maria F.

Will you join me for seven weeks of portraiture?

Pursuing her passion for art, Dianna Shyne has spent over thirty five years working in acrylic, oil and

watercolor. She studied 15 years with renowned

Russian Impressionist teachers including Ron Lukas,

William Reese and Del Gish.

Dianna has exhibited her work in over 40 solo and two person exhibitions, and won more than a dozen top National awards, Including first place in The Artist’s Magazine 2013 all media competition. Her work is included in publications such as The Artist Magazine, Watercolor Magic and Northlight Books. Dianna’s painting “Americana” was featured in the 2013 edition of “Acrylic Works the Best of Acrylic Painting” published by Northlight Books. Dianna is an incredible teacher and you'll learn so much from her throughout these lessons! 

45-Day Total Confidence Money Back Guarantee

Let us take the risk on this. If you're not completely satisfied,

we will give you a full refund. No questions asked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use acrylic paints?

The short answer is no. The vast majority of what's taught is foundational to all painting mediums. So, if you wanted to use oils, for instance, you would find all the main principles are totally applicable to you, but there would just be some differences in technique as the mediums have different properties.

The longer answer is that while you COULD use a different medium, there are SO many reason to paint with acrylics!

1. Water Cleanup: Acrylic paints clean up easily with water. You will never need to expose yourself or others to special solvents or thinners when you are using acrylic paints.

2. Fast Drying: I love the fact that I can touch my paintings after a short time and not worry about getting wet paint on myself or what's around me. This makes it much easier to store and transport paintings without all the headache you'd have if they were still wet. Also, when I want to make a change to a painting I can do it quickly.

3. Super Versatile: Acrylic paints can be applied to almost any surface because they adhere so well. They can also be applied very thin and transparent or very thick and impasto-like without having to worry about rules like "thick over thin" because of their quick drying properties. Acrylic paintings are easy to frame because they don't need to be protected with glass.

4. Cost Effective: Acrylic paints are fairly inexpensive when compared to other mediums. This means that you can paint and practice with freedom without being too concerned about cost.

5. Travel Easily: Because they are non-toxic and don't require fancy thinners, you can travel the world with your acrylic paints and never worry about boarding a plane with hazardous materials.

Are the lessons good for beginners?

Yes, but SOME EXPERIENCE is helpful! We want to be clear: this set of lessons is not primarily a beginner painting course. Some knowledge of your tools and materials and how to use them will aid in your enjoyment of this instruction.

Having said that, these mini-painting lessons are probably one of the easiest entry points for a beginning portrait artist. They are short and don't take too long, so they aren't scary. Plus, you don't have to figure anything out on your own. You'll be able to see each step of the painting process and more - starting with what supplies you want to have and why. The bonus is that by starting and finishing several smaller paintings you will grow so much more than if you had worked an equal amount of time but had only completed a couple larger paintings. Your growth will be exponential as you will be able to see paintings come together from start to finish and never miss anything because you can pause, stop & rewind as much as you need!

What do I gain access to when I join?

You will gain access to one high-quality, professional portrait painting lesson every week for 7 weeks, and you will keep access to those lessons for life, so you can come back and revisit your favorite lessons for years to come :-)

How will I access the lessons?

Your lessons will be accessible 24/7 through any computer or mobile device.

We built our site on a very user-friendly platform that anyone can navigate. And if you ever have questions or issues, you can contact us at support@acrylicuniversity.com. We are here to help.

What's the 45-Day Guarantee?

If, for whatever reason, you decide you aren't satisfied within 45 days, we will refund all of your money - no questions asked. We believe strongly in what we do and we want you to be thoroughly satisfied.