Stop painting places.
Start painting their soul.
Alvaro Castagnet — Uruguayan master, exhibited worldwide since 1985 — teaches how to capture the mood and magic of a place, not just its likeness.
See the technique in action.
"Mood and magic — that is the most important thing in a painting."
You can render a building accurately. You can get the perspective right, the values believable, the colors mixed cleanly. And still the painting can feel like a record of a place rather than an experience of it.
Alvaro Castagnet paints in a strong, colorful, unmistakable voice — with an interpretation of light that captures the soul of the place, not just its outline. Rain or full sun, a street in Moscow or the interior of a restaurant, the goal is the same: to make the viewer feel they were there. This course is built for painters who already have some watercolor practice and are ready to stop copying and start expressing.
Light, atmosphere, the soul of the place.
Three lessons. Three worlds.
Complete Paintings
Two urban landscapes — rainy and sunny — and one restaurant interior, each built from blank paper to finished work.
Hours of Video
Filmed over the master's shoulder. Every brushstroke and decision, narrated step by step, with photo references for each lesson.
Lifetime Access
No time limit. Study in your personal account, on any device, and return to any lesson whenever you want.
Three paintings. One approach.
"Rainy landscapes inspire me no less than the sun."
Moscow on a Rainy Day
A restrained, atmospheric city landscape. Alvaro shows how to build a wet, moody scene — silhouettes of people, cars, reflections, architectural detail — in a limited color scheme.
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Red Square on a Sunny Day
An urban landscape built around backlight. From the first background pour to figures walking the square and dry-brush architecture — how much skill and vision shape the mood of a scene.
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Interior of the Restaurant
A watercolor from Alvaro's visit to the 'Voronezh' restaurant in Moscow. Several light sources, a warm palette, and special attention to the figures of people within the interior.
View curriculum →Alvaro Castagnet
Born in Montevideo, Alvaro's interest in art was cultivated by his father, who sent him to the National School of Art at a very young age, where he studied under Professor Esteban Garino. He continued at the Fine Arts University, with Miguel Angel Pareja as his oil-painting tutor.
In 1983 he moved to Australia and lived there for twenty years before returning to Uruguay. Fluent in Spanish, Italian, and English, he has held solo exhibitions since 1985 and been recognized with dozens of awards over the past three decades. His subject is always the same: the mood and magic of a place.
Words that stay.
I loved this lesson. Alvaro is inspiring — it helped me understand how much, and how little, to do to achieve beautiful atmospheric paintings with the right balance of detail and mystery.
Living on a remote island, these video lessons are so comfortable for me. Thank you for the chance to paint alongside famous artists and enjoy your own progress!
I liked everything. The recording quality is excellent, and it's great that access lasts — you can come back and try again after a while.
It's really interesting to paint with masters — to try new methods and techniques you wouldn't reach for on your own.
I liked everything — from the mood to the final work. It's Alvaro Castagnet!
Strong interpretation of light and a real sense of place. Watching how the scene comes together, decision by decision, taught me more than any book.
Paint the mood, not just the place.
30-day money-back guarantee
Watch the full course. If it's not what you expected — write to us within 30 days and we'll refund every cent. No questions asked.
- Description of the work. Composition. Color. Бесплатно
- Overview of materials and the approach of Alvaro to painting
- Preparatory drawing
- Moisturize the paper, start working in colors
- Painting the silhouettes of people. Starting use new colors
- Let's start drawing cars
- Reflections
- Strengthen and clarify the colors
- Drawing architectural elements. Windows, doors and so on
- Drawing electrical wires, signs, poles
- Adding light glare and finishing
- Description of the work. Composition. Color. Light-air perspective Бесплатно
- Overview of materials and the approach of Alvaro to painting
- Preparatory drawing
- Pouring. First step: fill in the background
- Pouring. The second step: we plan the figures of people
- Drawing silhouettes of buildings
- Draw people walking along the square
- Drawing architecture with a dry brush
- Specify the color of buildings
- Finishing work
- Analysis of the composition. Color scheme. Philosophy
- Overview of materials and the approach of Alvaro to painting
- Preparatory drawing
- The first stage of painting. Writing the background. The first shades of raw
- Drawing shapes with color
- Strengthen the color, embedding the figures in the background
- Drawing objects of the interior. Chandelier and furniture
- Drawing people
- Returning to the furniture. Drawing chairs
- Drawing a chandelier and light
- Drawing of interior details and completion
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2. How long can I have access to my video lessons?
There is no time limit. If you purchased our video lessons before October 2018 you could email us on videocourses@bl-school.com and we will cancel you time limitation.
3. Is it possible to download video lessons to my computer?
No, the videos are not available for download, but they are available in your account and ready to be viewed at any time.
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Still have a questions? Write to us at videocourses@bl-school.com.