THE COUDARI METHOD ©

Je suis très contente de mon week-end de sculpture intensif. Je n’avais aucune attente en particulier, si ce n’est de me faire plaisir et de passer du bon temps avec mes deux amis avec qui j’ai pris le cours. Je suis doublement satisfaite, car en plus de m’initier à la sculpture avec un professeur talentueux, patient et intéressant, j’ai eu bien du plaisir. Une expérience à revivre, c’est certain!

J’ai apprécié l’environnement lumineux dans lequel le cours est donné, entouré des oeuvres de Philippe Coudari. Le cours est bien structuré et bien expliqué. Le week-end a passé très vite et j’ai décroché de mon quotidien. Je suis très satisfaite de ma sculpture que j’admire tous les jours, posée au-dessus de mon foyer! Depuis ce cours je suis davantage consciente de ce que représente la sculpture. Ma façon d’en voir une dans un musée ou dans un paysage s’est enrichie, j’apprécie mieux la technique et les qualités artistiques. Je recommande ce cours à quiconque est prêt à y consacrer le temps et l’énergie nécessaires. Enfin le rapport qualité/prix est très intéressant.

I loved the course with Philippe. I had no prior experience in drawing or sculpture. I took great pleasure in following Coudari’s method and was very happy with the result of my head!

Cet atelier m’a permis d’expérimenter le modelage d’une tête en argile. En suivant le processus du cours, cet exercice a apporté des réponses tangibles à mon questionnement sur les étapes à franchir en ce qui a trait aux volumes, à l’équilibre des formes, de l’ombre et de la lumière sur l’oeuvre finale. J’ai beaucoup apprécié!

This workshop allowed me to have the experience of sculpting a realistic head in clay. Through the sequential process taught in the course I learned the answers to my questions about volume, balance of form, light and shadow.  I enjoyed it reatly!

This note is a warm thank you for the sculpting course I took with you and in which I had the privilege of participating. The course allowed me to better establish my understanding of the structure of a head and to now be able to sculpt using the plane approach.
I greatly appreciated your structured teaching method, which I found quite ingenious. I hope to one day see it in book format!
The passage of time has allowed me to better appreciate and understand at least some of the ideas you wanted to convey to us. I thank you for your kindness and patience which made the course more enjoyable and it is certain that I will recommend this course with great enthusiasm to anyone interested in sculpture.

A little word to tell you that I loved this sculpture course that I have just done with you. Not only your teaching, but your attention to each participant, is remarkable. I have really enjoyed it.

I always wanted to try my hand at sculpture but I’ve always hesitated to do so because I’ve never done art. I felt well supported. The atmosphere is relaxed, there is no competition, and I did not feel intimidated by the more experienced participants. The teacher is patient and an educator. I did not expect to be able to do what I have done in a weekend. This course gave me confidence in my ability to succeed in something new. Even my way of looking at things has changed. I so enjoyed the experience that I took the course twice!

We had a special experience. The approach of Mr. Coudari led us into a world when concepts, properly executed, becomes the tool for the work. He offers an approach that will allow us to put our future ideas and images into sculpture. Coudari, very generous in his explanations, helps us to see the sculpted object as a whole. I can highly recommend this intense experience to all those who seek to understand how to build a beautiful sculpture. To those who want to see what their hands can achieve, this workshop is for you.

What a great experience!
This studio, luminous and full of works by the artist, was the perfect setting for a beautiful experience. What a surprise to see my block of clay gradually transform into a splendid head! Thank you Philippe for your kindness, your patience, generosity and technical support.
Beyond the techniques, the shared expertise and passion, your teaching sharpened my perception of form, volume, shadow and light. It even enhanced my way of seeing things in three dimensions.

This class is not only good for beginners but is also beneficial for sculptors who want to review and classify their discrete knowledge on form and light in such short period of time. I also learned how to use few sculpting tools and how to plan the portrait base more efficiently and more confidently. Thank you! thank you!

My fiance and I are beginners in sculpting and we discovered the class of M. Coudari by internet. We are 100% satisfied with Philippe’s teaching. His method is simple and efficient yet challenging. M.Coudari is always ready to help the students and answer questions. The atmosphere is relax and laid back due to the teacher’s humor. The general principles of the art of sculpting are explained clearly which allows the student to go back home with the necessary tools to begin projects on their own. We recommend this course to anyone interested in sculpting.

Après avoir suivi le cours de sculpture de Coudari, je ne vois plus ce qui m’entoure de la même façon. J’avais bien touché à l’argile dans le passé … par le biais de la technique du modelage mais jamais à la sculpture. Quelle belle découverte ! J’ai adoré vivre cette expérience ! Peu importe le parcours de chacun, Coudari partage sa passion pour la sculpture et son savoir-faire en guidant chacun de ses élèves tout au long du projet. Tous à vos règles et à vos compas, concentration et écoute, notions anatomiques et mesures, tracés et coupes franches … partir d’un gros bloc et finir avec une tête … que c’est fascinant ! J’aurais aimé avoir la possibilité de suivre un tel cours à l’Université. Non, je ne vois plus les choses de la même façon depuis que j’ai suivi le cours de Coudari et cela va certainement influencer mon travail en peinture.

While searching on the net, I came across an art course which was perfect for me.  Being 72 years old and without any training but with a great interest for art in general, I was seduced by the description of a sculpture workshop proposed by the artist-sculptor Philippe Coudari established in Verdun.

I was informed up front that this event took place over 3 consecutive days, on weekends, and, that it was not a creative workshop per se, but a theoretical and practical course aimed at transmitting his method for developing a bust from a block of clay.

But what seduced me and attracted me in an irresistible way, and that decided me to take his workshop, was the work he presented in his website. And how much more moving was the discovery of his actual sculptures whether in bronze, acrylic, or plaster, completed or in development. What wonders, among them are his sculptures: the “Crucified” and the “Genocide.” All these creations are scattered in a vast luminous space in the middle of an orgy of plants, each more exotic than the other, and where there are also spaces used by other artists, painters or sculptors.

Mr. Coudari is an exceptional teacher. First of all, he defines what a sculpture is, then, with the help of screen projected images or with the examples of  his work distributed in the workshop, he explains how the different components of a bust are articulated and how a superb face with classical characteristics will emerge from a block of inert clay.

Then begins the project during which, gradually, according to his instructions and thanks to different instruments whose use he explains to us, we cut piece by piece, him on his block of clay and us on ours, until first a skull appears and then slowly the different parts of the face.                                                                                  

Don’t worry if you are having difficulty, he has extraordinary patience and empathy, repeating when necessary, forgotten or misunderstood information or instructions and sometimes refining an unsuccessful action.

In spite of all the difficulties I experienced, and sometimes a certain discouragement, he was attentive, calm and proved to be an exceptional teacher.

One does not become an artist with this workshop. However, one will understand not only all the work that it requires, but also and especially, the moments of doubt and those of great happiness that a true artist, such as Mr. Coudari, can experience in his creative process.

Thank you

Having made a few non-figurative woodcarvings, this training allowed me to better understand the proportions of a face as well as to improve my sense of observation.
The method is very effective and the result surprising.
I recommend this course to anyone who likes the sculpture even if she has ever made.
It also allows me to better appreciate the works in Gallery and Museum.

It was a very nice experience both serious and beneficial. The subject of sculpture is approached from end to end, from the cut, the plans, the very useful notions of anatomy and by a great explanation of the use of tools.
The place is very well equipped, surrounded by plenty of plants; it is a source of inspiration and calm for working on your project.
I recommended this course to people of all levels wishing to deepen and structure their creativity!

Fin de semaine intensive, pour une première expérience de sculpture sur bloc d’argile. Je suis agréablement surprise de la tête faite. Un merci tout spécial  Philippe pour ta patience et le partage de ta passion. Oui, ce sera à refaire avec plaisir !

I wanted to learn the direct carving technique and Coudari’s class gave me a solid foundation. I have deepened my understanding of volume, my sense of observation, symmetry and detail.
I went home with a new knowledge about how to dig into the material and have pleasure in giving it shape. Philippe is a generous and demanding teacher!
I would take the class again.
Thank you!

After taking Coudari’s sculpture course I not longer see the world in the same way. I had worked with clay in the past but I had never tried to sculpt. What a great discovery! I loved this experience! Coudari shares his passion for sculpture and is expert in guiding each student throughout the workshop. You use ruler and compass, concentrate and listen to anatomical concepts and measurements, execute precise cuts and from a big block of clay, finish with a head…it’s fascinating! I wish I had the opportunity to follow such a course at college. No, I do not see things the same way at all since I took the course with Coudari and this will certainly influence my work in painting.

The course with Philippe Coudari was a great challenge I gave myself. I have always considered myself completely unable to do anything with my hands, I never imagined being able to do what I did. In addition, my sense of observation and my perception of forms improved. This intensive workshop gave me much more than my sculpted head, sitting on my desk.