Brief hello and introduction to the workshop, setting the stage for Dustin’s systematic approach to creating dynamic wildlife paintings through design principles and expressive techniques.
Stop Painting Stiff, Lifeless Wildlife Scenes
Unlock the Secret to Bold, Dynamic Art That Jumps Off the Canvas!
Discover the Design Triad Approach — Refined by Internationally Acclaimed Wildlife Painter Dustin Van Wechel to Create Museum-Worthy Paintings. No More Tedious Detail, No More Guesswork — Just a Proven System to Make Your Art Command Attention (Even If You’ve Struggled Before)
HURRY, LAUNCH DIscount ENDS soon
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Available in both Streaming and DVD Formats
If you think creating jaw-dropping wildlife art means slaving away over every last hair and whisker … think again.
In fact, obsessing over detail is the fastest way to suck the life and energy right out of your paintings — leaving you with stiff, overworked art that falls flat, no matter how hard you try.
This is the number one mistake almost every struggling wildlife artist makes.
They’re caught in the weeds, fussing over tiny details … while missing the one thing that truly makes wildlife art leap off the canvas.
If you’ve ever finished a painting and wondered, “Why doesn’t this feel ALIVE?” — you’re not alone. And it’s NOT your fault.
Your problem isn’t your skill or your talent — it’s your approach.
Internationally renowned wildlife artist Dustin Van Wechel discovered the real secret to dynamic, captivating animal art isn’t found in endless detail work.
It’s found in something far more powerful.
The bold design and dynamic composition hiding beneath every great painting.
“Painting is a series of problems to solve,” Dustin says. And the biggest problem most artists face?
Laying down a foundation that gives wildlife subjects the spark of life.
That’s exactly why Dustin developed his revolutionary “Design Triad Approach” — and why you’re about to discover a brand new way to paint animals that demand attention… without ever getting lost in the details.
Imagine creating wildlife paintings where every part is so interesting that even a small section could stand as an abstract painting on its own.
This approach has helped Dustin’s work earn places in prestigious museums like the National Museum of Wildlife Art and the Autry Museum of the American West.
The best part?
You don’t need to spend years figuring it out through trial and error.
In Dustin’s new course, Painting Dynamic Wildlife, he reveals his systematic process that makes creating compelling wildlife paintings feel less intimidating and more intuitive.
This course is special.
Dustin is sharing so much inside that you might have to watch multiple times to absorb it all!
You’re getting his best, and more.
The cherry on top is, you’re learning a painting method that’s going to last a lifetime, and that will be applicable to everything you paint…
…because this is about understanding fundamental principles that will transform your approach to wildlife art forever!
MEET YOUR NEW INSTRUCTOR:
Dustin Van Wechel!
For more than 20 years, Dustin Van Wechel has established himself as a master wildlife painter whose work captures both the power and the subtle beauty of animals in their natural environments.
His distinctive style — a blend of painterly realism with dynamic compositions, controlled light and shadow, and compelling textures — has earned him recognition in the most prestigious circles of wildlife art.
Dustin’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States in one-man shows, major art exhibitions, and museums including:
- The National Museum of Wildlife Art
- The Autry Museum of the American West
- The Buffalo Bill Historical Center
- The Briscoe Western Art Museum
- The Booth Museum
- The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
What sets Dustin apart from other wildlife artists is his unique background in commercial art and graphic design.
This foundation gave him a deep understanding of composition and design — elements he’s masterfully translated into his wildlife art to create powerful paintings that command attention.
Now, Dustin is sharing his systematic approach to wildlife painting, giving you the opportunity to learn from an artist whose work has earned places in some of the nation’s most respected museums.
Available in both Streaming and DVD Formats
Introducing Dustin Van Wechel’s Brand NEW Course:
Painting Dynamic Wildlife
In Painting Dynamic Wildlife, Dustin Van Wechel shares his proven process for creating wildlife paintings that captivate viewers through strong design, dynamic brushwork, and rich textures.
You’ll learn the complete framework that puts you on a solid foundation for success from the very beginning.
Inside this comprehensive course, you’ll discover:
- The “Design Triad Approach” that creates compelling compositions every time…
- How to use 10 design principles to tell your subject’s story effectively…
- A step-by-step process that makes wildlife painting less intimidating…
- Techniques for creating the illusion of detail through economy of brushwork…
- Methods for building visually interesting surface textures and paint quality…
- How to achieve dramatic lighting effects that bring your subjects to life…
“By taking a systematic approach that methodically establishes a strong compositional foundation through design theory, the artist can rest easy knowing the bones of their work is solid.” — Dustin Van Wechel
You’ll follow along as Dustin demonstrates his entire process — from concept to completion — painting Cantankerous, a powerful bison portrait that embodies strength and drama, even on a smaller canvas.
As you watch, Dustin shares insights on what makes wildlife paintings successful, including:
- Making critical decisions before you begin painting to avoid major errors…
- Creating drama through value contrast and composition…
- Achieving the appearance of detail through broken color and textured application…
- Developing expressive brushwork through economies of stroke…
- Using multiple techniques (scumbling, impasto, glazing, and more!) to create visual impact…
Whether you’ve struggled with composing effective wildlife scenes or creating realistic animals without overworking the details, or you simply want to bring more life and drama to your animal paintings, this course provides the guidance and techniques you need.
Get ready to transform your approach to wildlife painting!
Available in both Streaming and DVD Formats
Your Lesson Plan!
Video length: 7 hours (2 discs)
Introduction
10 Principles for Compelling Paintings
Discover the importance of starting with strong bones through good design and composition. Dustin reviews the 10 design principles (size, shape, color, texture, gravity, attitude, interval, position, direction, and movement) and demonstrates how to select dominant, subordinate, and accent principles for compelling compositions. Learn what approaches to avoid and how design serves as the building blocks while composition becomes the sum of those elements. This foundation creates paintings that successfully tell your subject’s story.
Tools & Materials
Learn about essential oil paints, mediums, brushes, and surfaces for wildlife painting success. Dustin emphasizes the importance of quality materials and keeping things simple with limited brushes and colors to help streamline your process and provide unity. Discover how your supplies may be limiting your progress and why strategic material choices create better results. This focused approach eliminates confusion and allows you to concentrate on developing your painting skills.
Block-In
Master Dustin’s systematic approach of working back to front, dark to light, covering the entire surface with large basic shapes that tell your story. Learn to paint in basic colors and values while providing a strong ground for subsequent paint layers. Experience the immediacy of transforming a sketch into something that looks like a painting without worrying about details. Discover Dustin’s key insight: Choose a brush large enough that it feels slightly uncomfortable — this is one of the keys to producing expressive brushwork.
Dustin will show you how to make your brushwork follow the form of your subject to create convincing three-dimensional form, plus techniques for holding your brush to achieve fluid, gestural strokes. Master the art of establishing shadows first for dramatic impact, mixing beautiful grays essential for nature paintings, and understanding that what the painting needs is more important than what your reference shows. You’ll also discover Dustin’s guide to where edges are key — when they turn to shadow, pass behind objects, in extreme highlights, and as objects run off the frame — plus learn how texture is defined through edges, meaning you don’t have to paint every hair on your bison.
Develop the Bison
Focus on developing the main subject by reestablishing shadows and adding richness of color through Dustin’s systematic approach. Learn to create subtle variations in temperature and value for visual interest, plus discover how variation within color makes areas of fur more compelling. Master the patchwork/tile application technique that creates more depth in your animal subjects without overworking. Learn Dustin’s “Anatomy Rule” — the painting is always king, meaning it’s OK to change anatomically correct features if they don’t work for your painting composition.
Discover techniques for painting the nose (Dustin’s favorite part) with richness and texture, plus learn transition colors between light and shadow that make your subject more convincing. You’ll also master the buildup of textured fur through layers of thickly applied paint using various brushes and palette knife work — a push-pull process that generates interest and texture without creating mud. Learn how to create drama in wildlife painting through strong lighting and interest across your animal’s form, plus tips for creating subtle movement in fur and achieving that convincing “wet nose” look.
Develop the Foreground
Master techniques for painting realistic foreground grasses through strategic layering — the key to realistic grass effects. Learn effective green mixing while discovering how to avoid the problematic neon greens that plague many nature painters. Understand Dustin’s important lesson about using the color yellow effectively in your mixtures.
Discover how to create natural variety in your foreground elements while maintaining visual harmony with your overall composition. Learn specific techniques for mixing greens that look natural and convincing, plus strategies for creating depth through thoughtful layering. These approaches help ground your wildlife subject in a believable environment while maintaining proper focus through compositional hierarchy.
Refine the Painting
Complete your wildlife painting with final refinements that bring professional polish to your work. Learn advanced techniques for layering grass to create convincing depth, plus methods for adding textured highlights that enhance rather than overpower your composition. Discover how textured drybrush on key areas creates beneficial glare effects that make surfaces appear naturally lit. Master Dustin’s brushwork techniques for laying down highlights effectively, plus learn to create subtle color shifts in shadow areas with softened edges for added dimension.
You’ll discover strategic ways to allow paint texture to create natural sparkle and visual interest — effects that make viewers feel they’re looking at convincing materials rather than just paint on canvas. Learn how to make final adjustments that bring all elements together into a cohesive, professional wildlife painting that demonstrates sophisticated understanding of light, form, and atmospheric effects.
Available in both Streaming and DVD Formats
What Dustin Van Wechel Will Share Inside
Painting Dynamic Wildlife
Create Dynamic Compositions Through the “Design Triad Approach”
Most wildlife paintings fall flat because they lack a strong compositional foundation. Dustin’s innovative “Design Triad Approach” eliminates this problem by helping you select dominant, subordinate, and accent design principles that work together harmoniously.
This approach takes the guesswork out of composition, allowing you to create dramatic wildlife scenes with confidence. You’ll learn how to use the 10 design principles (size, shape, color, texture, gravity, attitude, interval, position, direction, and movement) to tell your animal subject’s story effectively.
“Being ‘on the fence’ about anything in your work is a road to mediocrity,” Dustin explains. “From how you balance color temperatures, to value structure, to composition, you should never muddle what is dominant and what is subordinate.”
By making these key decisions before you begin painting, you’ll establish a solid foundation that sets you up for success — even when working on smaller canvases.
Achieve the Illusion of Detail Without Tedious Work
Say goodbye to painstakingly painting every hair and feature of your wildlife subjects. Dustin will show you how to create the appearance of detail through an economy of brushwork, broken color, and textured application of paint.
“Brushwork improves the less tight and tedious you get,” Dustin shares. You’ll discover how to hold your brush to achieve fluid, gestural strokes that follow the form of your subject, creating more lifelike animals without over-rendering.
Learn Dustin’s techniques for using edges strategically — where to keep them sharp and where to soften them — to create depth and move viewers around your painting. This approach prevents your wildlife subjects from looking stiff and unnaturally detailed, a common problem that plagues many wildlife artists.
Master Texture and Surface Quality for Visual Impact
The difference between an ordinary wildlife painting and one that captivates viewers often comes down to surface quality. Dustin will demonstrate how to build up paint texture to create a three-dimensional quality that enhances your painting’s visual impact.
You’ll learn to use various tools — bristle brushes, soft hair brushes, and palette knives — to create rich textures throughout your painting. Discover how to apply these techniques to different elements of your wildlife scene:
- Creating atmospheric effects like dust and distance…
- Developing rich textures for animal features (like a bison’s nose)...
- Building textural interest in background elements without distracting from your subject…
- Adding dimension through strategic use of impasto techniques…
“My intent is to make every little part of this painting interesting, so that if you were to cut out any piece of it, it would look like an interesting abstract painting in itself,” Dustin says.
This attention to textural quality is what gives his paintings their distinctive character and depth. And now, you’re going to learn how to do the same!
Here’s a small taste of what’s inside:
✅ The “Design Triad Approach” that creates compelling compositions every time — select dominant, subordinate, and accent principles for maximum visual impact…
✅ The 10 design principles and how to use them to communicate your subject’s story effectively (size, shape, color, texture, gravity, attitude, interval, position, direction, and movement)...
✅ Dustin’s key insight that makes every little part of your painting interesting (so interesting that cutting a piece would result in an abstract painting in itself!)…
✅ The two critical decisions you must make immediately to set yourself on the path to successful wildlife paintings — and why making these decisions early prevents major errors later…
✅ How to create more interesting brushwork by using a brush that feels “slightly uncomfortable” — this counterintuitive approach is one of the KEYS to producing expressive brushwork…
✅ The “Painting Is King” philosophy — learn when to prioritize what works for your painting over the technical accuracy of your animal subject…
✅ How to avoid the common trap of over-rendering that makes animals look stiff and less lifelike…
✅ Why “nature can be very gray, even when it’s vibrant” — and how to mix beautiful grays that create depth in your wildlife scenes…
✅ The secret to creating form through brushwork — how to make your brushstrokes follow the form of your subject for more three-dimensional results…
✅ Dustin’s guide to WHERE edges are KEY in your wildlife painting — discover the four specific opportunities that create visual interest…
✅ How to create the illusion of detail through texture — why you don’t have to paint every hair on your animal subjects…
✅ The patchwork/tile application technique that creates more depth when painting animal fur…
✅ Color temperature secrets that bring wildlife subjects to life — learn how to avoid chalky mixes and create rich color…
✅ How to inject color into areas where your reference photo shows none — the key to livening up your paintings naturally…
✅ A simpler approach to painting landscape elements without tedious detail work…
✅ How to create automatic interest and variation by using different tools within the same area…
✅ Dustin’s techniques for texture building with the palette knife — giving a sense of depth and detail without much effort…
✅ How to “open up shadows” so they don’t become black holes in your painting — adding life to the darkest areas…
✅ The key to making light look luminous on your wildlife subjects — using different temperatures of colors in the same value range…
✅ How working back to front, dark to light, and simple to complex creates a logical progression for your painting’s development…
✅ What to do when you get BORED while painting — Dustin’s strategies for staying engaged that actually improve your color and value relationships…
✅ PLUS: How to keep your process and materials simple while utilizing several painting techniques (scumbling, impasto, glazing, and more!) for maximum visual impact…
Available in both Streaming and DVD Formats
Discover Dustin Van Wechel’s Painting Secrets in
Painting Dynamic Wildlife!
If you’ve ever felt frustrated with wildlife paintings that lack impact despite hours of detailed work…
...or if you’re an artist who yearns to create dynamic animal art that captures not just appearance but character and mood…
...then you’ve already made a choice by reading this far.
You’re not just looking for another wildlife painting course; you’re seeking a transformation, a new way of seeing and capturing these magnificent creatures on canvas.
With Dustin Van Wechel’s Painting Dynamic Wildlife, you’re not just learning techniques; you’re embracing a whole new artistic identity.
Soon, you’ll become an artist who understands how design and composition create the foundation for successful wildlife art...
…an artist who can suggest detail through expressive brushwork rather than tedious rendering.
This isn’t just a course; it’s a journey to becoming an artist who creates wildlife paintings that truly connect with viewers.
Don’t forget…
Very few instructors have the same level of experience or museum recognition as Dustin Van Wechel…
There are two options for you now…
You can go back to what you’ve been doing — trial-and-error various approaches and techniques until you find the answer…
OR…
You can shortcut your way to becoming a better wildlife artist with Dustin Van Wechel’s proven “Design Triad Approach.”
You don’t even have to think or figure things out — just listen and absorb information while you follow along.
In just one sitting, you’re going to discover how to create successful wildlife paintings that get noticed.
Furthermore, if you live far away from Dustin and can’t attend his workshops, this video is the next best thing.
It’s like having him as your personal “in-house” instructor you can refer to over and over again — and it won’t cost you an extra penny.
Plus, you’ll get to see all the materials used so you won’t end up wasting money on getting the wrong ones.
It’s a shortcut to what works so you can continue painting instead of spending time figuring out what to get or what to do!
Once you know all that, there’s no stopping you from creating even more brilliant wildlife artwork!
30-Day 100% Money-Back Satisfaction Guarantee!
After you go through this course, we want you to be completely satisfied and feel confident that you’ve improved your painting skills.
However, if after watching the video, you decide it’s just not for you, let us know within 30 days of purchase and we’ll refund 100% of your money.
Disclaimer
Results require practice and dedication. The techniques taught in this video need to be studied and implemented consistently to achieve improvement in your paintings. Individual results will vary based on experience level and amount of practice.
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Though you can observe the techniques of any artist instantly by watching them demonstrate and by watching the videos repeatedly, please know that, though many artists offer insights that can help people overcome a lot of learning time, every artist learns at their own speed based on their own level of understanding. Painting and drawing bring great joy, though the joy may come from practicing various techniques over and over until you master them. We do not wish to indicate that you, or anyone, can skip the joy of practice and the challenges of getting better. Painting is a lifetime endeavor, and getting good does not typically happen rapidly, or instantly. Your results may vary. And please know that if at any time within 30 days you feel this video has not lived up to your expectations or its promise, we will happily refund your money.