Welcome! You have come to the introductory pages of "Odd Nerdrum Technique (the research pages)". Please read these pages from start to finish, all the way through, to understand what I am offering, and to learn some technique as well. This is the only place you'll find this much valuable information in one location about Norwegian figurative painter Odd Nerdrum's technique (all verified by his former students) on the Internet, or probably (other than inside of Nerdrum's studio) in the World. The "Research Pages" are also probably the most accurate, comprehensive and time consuming research pages on Odd Nerdrum's techniques ever done in the World, lasting for 12 years.

It took me years of research, tracking down his former students, experimentation, trial & error, copying his paintings and struggle, since 1997....to finally compile all of this information and present it to you in an understandable and clear fashion..Just by reading this page and the next page alone all the way through will give you a better idea about Odd Nerdrum's painting techniques. In the research pages are answers to questions such as "What colors are on Odd Nerdrum's palette?", "What is Odd Nerdrum's medium?", "What is his general technique?", and much more. Actually, I should call it "Nerdrum Techniques" because there are many techniques described in the pages , glazing, palette knife painting, using the canvas texture, and using smoother or rougher applications. All paintings on this site were done by Derek Van Derven.

This site and all of the "research pages" can be translated into 51 languages , see the far top left "google translator" dropdown menu. Including Norwegian.

Dette er det eneste stedet du finner dette mye verdifull informasjon på ett sted om Odd Nerdrum og teknikk (alle bekreftet av hans tidligere studenter) på internett, eller sannsynligvis (annet enn innsiden av Nerdrum studio) i verden. Det tok meg år med forskning, eksperimentering, prøving og feil, kopiering av hans malerier og kamp, i 12 år, siden 1997 .... endelig å samle all denne informasjonen og presentere den til deg på en forståelig og tydelig måte .. En masse fakta om Odd Nerdrum.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN.. about Odd Nerdrum's technique backed up by the testimony of his most recent students, (last student-the summer of 2009) in the "Research Pages".

Many major points as to why (other than drawing) you can't use traditional painting methods to master Odd Nerdrum's textures and technique, and ways that you can master it, and change it around if you wish , developing it on your own for a lifetime..
There are about 160+ pages (one screen length is about one page) with full-color, large, detailed photos, and two videos on how to scrape/sand properly (Scraping and sanding detailed much in the pages, as well as glazing, palette knife painting, using the canvas texture and more).
Links to images of Odd Nerdrum's painting in progress
What colors Odd Nerdrum uses on his palette
What is Odd Nerdrum's medium?

Some suggestions on painting and drawing from Nerdrum himself, and what are his influences?

What kind of brushes Odd Nerdrum uses
What kind of canvas Odd Nerdrum uses and where you can buy it. (with that unusual V weave.)
What brand of paints Odd Nerdrum uses and why it is necessary to use the same kind with this technique.
A lot of comments about Odd Nerdrum's technique from former students
Detailed notes from an Odd Nerdrum painting demonstration / class
A lot of my own tutorials to duplicate the look and textures of Odd Nerdrum's paintings, portraits mainly.
What visual aids Odd Nerdrum uses and what type of lighting does he use?
Links to images where Odd Nerdrum uses a the razorblade and/or sandpaper.
Ideas on Odd Nerdrum's drawing method , and my own drawing method portrait tutorial.
Why you can't master Odd Nerdrum's technique with just paint application alone, such as glazing, scumbling, drybrushing, tiling strokes, or impasto.
What does the term "Odd Nerdrum pixellation" or "color patches" mean?
What two main kinds of drawing paper does he use for charcoal?
A link to a lot of pictures of Odd Nerdrum painting as a youth.
What kind of palette Odd Nerdrum uses.
A detailed picture taken from Odd Nerdrum's studio of his painting station.
A link to detailed images of a great painting Nerdrum did when he was 26.
A lot of my responses to student questions.
Where you won't learn his technique: You won't learn his technique at his demonstrations at a particular art school in Philadelphia, his time there is too limited, so he shows you the "alla prima" technique which is not his regular technique. So save yourself a lot of money, I think about $1200 for 3 days, and check out my pages with tons of former Odd Nerdrum students' observations, class notes, my own tutorials, and Odd Nerdrum quotes.
Also, not every student of Odd Nerdrum learned much from him, most of the former Odd Nerdrum students I tracked down, didn't have a clue, most of them knew or remembered almost nothing about Nerdrum's technique, and were not very good painters even after the apprenticeship, and they sat right next to him as he painted!. There were a few that did gain from the apprenticeship, and had a ton of information because they were observant and had great memories, even if their own paintings were not very good. So there is no guarantee that you would learn Odd Nerdrum's technique even if you sat NEXT to him. A student mentions the difficulty of learning from Nerdrum himself--, "I'd ask him.. 'Hey, how did you do this?'... and he never really knew.  His answer was 'I am not so sure'  a lot of the time." However, what I did was to take what I learned from all of my experiments, research, listening to former Odd Nerdrum students, working and copying , and I put what I learned for 12 years into an applicable form for your painting technique, easy to understand and reproduce.



WHY I MADE THIS SITE:


I believe art technique is something that should be taught openly if an artist is willing to learn, just like musical notes on a scale, not to be jealously or insecurely guarded by a few accomplished artists. I think gifted artists should share their technique as much as possible to make the world of figurative painting a better place, and more popular and accepted in the World, not some uncommon mystery.. I also believe there is nothing magical about art technique, it is a learned skill, nothing more, some are more gifted than others at first, but in the long run, learning and hard work go just as far as the "gifted" painter. I discovered Odd Nerdrum in 1997 and completed my studies in 2009.

Back in 1997 I was introduced to Odd Nerdrum's technique through an Odd Nerdrum book someone showed me. I was amazed. I loved his technique, mainly his "glow" and textures and color, I had never seen any painter, ever, paint like that before , and I was determined to figure out how he obtained his glow and textures. Before seeing Nerdrum's paintings, I was studying the "Old Masters", especially Rembrandt. I liked Nerdrum's work even more than Rembrandt's, except for the content Nerdrum has in his paintings. I liked Nerdrum's work mostly from a technical standpoint. At the time Nerdrum was unwilling to talk about his technique, so I was on my own..for years. But the technique is no longer a mystery to me or some kind of "gift" given only to a few. Odd Nerdrum's main skill is drawing well, and that is just practice and skill , learned. I believe everyone should try to master their drawing first, and apply the techniques learned in the "research pages" after they have learned to draw the head and figure well.

You can learn to draw the head and figure well, by buying every book made by author Robert Beverly Hale, and reading every single page in the books. You can see them HERE. You can learn to draw as well as Odd Nerdrum by practicing the principles in those books, and by mastering "Baroque" drawing techniques such as exaggerating anatomy, creating tone that shows the head and body in it's best 3d appearance, not just copying the tones you see on the model, studying the lighting on an egg for example. In the "Baroque" technique, you don't just copy what you see, you mix what you see with what looks most 3-dimensional in tones, and what portrays the anatomy in its greatest beauty and form.

A lot of the anatomy shown in "Old Master" drawings is made up from knowledge, and the lighting also made up from knowledge. Michelangelo's drawings start by outlining the skull often. Or the spine. That is the problem with today's painters, they don't have any knowledge...Nerdrum does. I would say about half of what Odd Nerdrum paints comes from his knowledge of light, anatomy , aerial and linear perspective, 3d tone and form, high contrast glow, warm and cool juxtaposition of colors, and the medieval idea , (where Rembrandt got his inspiration also) of using real surface texture to convey form rather than tone, and the occasional use of gold leaf. (also seen I think in one of Nerdrum's paintings , and sand). If you look at his knees and legs, elbows sometimes, chest sometimes, feet, teeth sometimes, "sparkle of the eye glaze trick", corner of mouths, ear shapes, and the many tiled colors of warm and cool muted in the flesh, especially the local color of the flesh , they are entirely from knowledge, as well as the many made up value tones for lighting he makes up that may not be seen on the model. As an example of what im talking about, take a photo in the same lighting and pose as one of the nerdrum models in the painting, you will realize right there how much he makes up.


You can consider these techniques as tools in your painter's box, they don't make you a great painter, and one wouldn't want to be just another "Nerdrum Copy", but these techniques do add to your repertoire of skills that can add great interest and beauty to your paintings, especially when viewed from close-up. I hope the skills shown in the "research pages" can be used to make everyone a better painter, and make painting more fun for everyone. Because Odd Nerdrum's techniques are fun, destructive, creative, and exciting. Odd Nerdrum's paintings form in layers of creation and erosion or destruction, just like the layers of Nature...and broken in tone and warm and cool colors juxtaposed, just like the light of Nature..

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