| HOME– Introduction and Upcoming Courses |
STUDIO ESCALIER is a private studio art school and international art colony in France, founded in 2001. Designed and directed by artists for artists, it is dedicated to the contemporary classical study of drawing and painting from life.
Offering courses in English in the heart of Paris as well as in Argenton-Chateau (Poitou-Charentes), we are an international point of contact for professionals, emerging artists and beginning art students too, attracting artists from more than 45 countries and 40 different US states.
Anyone may apply, there are no academic or artistic pre-requisites to apply as a student. It is an open admissions process, based mainly on portfolio submission – a review of artwork drawn or painted from life.
Admission to our Intensive Courses and Special Programs in drawing and painting in Argenton-Chateau — and to our various Paris Programs including our Winter at the Louvre 8-week program — is by online application only. Entry can be competitive.
Online application is required for every course, 4 to 6 months before the first day of class.
See our COURSE SCHEDULE page for the most current information on upcoming courses in all locations, and how to apply.
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Our student body includes: career painters, portraitists, illustrators, concept artists, animators, muralists, college art teachers, architects, sculptors, printmakers, graduate students, undergraduate students, serious beginners, and people who simply love to draw and paint the human figure.
To see our complete schedule of upcoming courses and application deadlines, visit the COURSE SCHEDULE page.
Every program that is currently accepting applications can also be found here on the HOME page.
Please pay close attention to the application deadlines below, and follow the links below.
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“Two Views of Cyrielle” by Nicole Michelle TULLY, pencil & chalk on beige paper, 2024
| 2026 SPRING PORTRAIT at the LOUVRE / 3-week Drawing Program |
| LOCATION: | Our next Spring Portrait at the Louvre – 3-week Drawing Program will offer portrait drawing sessions from life in our new Montparnasse Program Studio (75006 Paris), as well as offer weekly critique of ongoing student drawings at the Musee du Louvre. Please see our Facilities page for complete details on the Paris Program Studio. |
| CLASS DATES: | The program will meet as follows: Monday, 9 MARCH 2026 – Friday, 27 MARCH 2026 (3 weeks) |
| CLASS SCHEDULE: | Portrait sessions from life 14 hrs/week (Mon, Tues, Wed, Thu morning, & Tuesday afternoon) One-on-one critique of student drawings at the Louvre One individual Louvre critique per student weekly, with founding faculty Timothy Stotz (Wednesday and Thursday afternoon only). |
| CLASS SIZE: | 12 maximum + instructors |
| WHO is ELIGIBLE? | Anyone may apply – There are no academic or other pre-requisites. All students must enroll full-time for the course, held in our Montparnasse Program Studio (75006 Paris) and inside the Musee du Louvre. |
| TUITION PRICE: | 2000 EUR Cost of housing in Paris not included. Students required to find and contract their own housing in Paris. |
| APPLICATION DEADLINE: |
FRIDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2025 |
| ADMISSIONS DECISIONS RETURNED: |
SUNDAY, 30 NOVEMBER 2025 |
| TUITION PAYMENT DUE: |
SATURDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2025. |
| HOW to APPLY: |
Admissions for 2026 SPRING PORTRAIT at the LOUVRE are OPEN
Please review the ADMISSIONS page for general information about the application process. Desktop and laptop users can apply ONLINE.
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| 2026 WINTER ONLINE | COLOR for PAINTERS (5-week program) |
| INSTRUCTOR: | WINTER ONLINE | COLOR for PAINTERS will be taught by founding faculty N. Michelle TULLY |
PLATFORMS and FORMAT: |
Video demonstrations and video content will be hosted on Vimeo, and available only through the Studio Escalier website. In-progress slideshows will also be provided. Individual weekly critique (30 mins) and weekly group lectures will be delivered on Zoom. A private Facebook Group will be created for those students who wish to post their progress and share their work during the course. The Facebook group will be monitored by the instructor and participation is optional. |
| CLASS DATES: | Friday, 2 January 2026 – Friday, 6 February 2026 (5 weeks) |
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CLASS SCHEDULE: |
New course content ( video lectures, demonstrations, slideshows, assignments) will be be published online each week by 13:00 on FRIDAY afternoon (Paris time – GMT+1), making it available to all students worldwide. Weekly online instructor lecture held live once each SUNDAY, at 18:00 (Paris time – GMT+1). (A recorded version will also be available for those who cannot attend the live meeting.) Individual critique (30 minutes) will be offered once each week on THURSDAY or FRIDAY between 8:00 and 18:00 Paris time (GMT+1). |
| CLASS SIZE: | 18 students maximum |
| WHO is ELIGIBLE? | Entry by application only. Anyone may apply. |
| TUITION PRICE: | 1100 EUROS for 5 weeks |
| APPLICATION DEADLINE: |
FRIDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2025 |
| PAYMENT DUE: | SATURDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2025 |
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HOW to APPLY: |
Admissions for 2026 WINTER ONLINE | COLOR for PAINTERS are OPEN. Please review the ADMISSIONS page for general information about the application process. Desktop and laptop users can apply ONLINE.
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