Waichulis Curriculum

“A structured, skill-based training system for visual art that emphasizes perceptual development, procedural fluency, and cognitive calibration through a sequence of carefully scaffolded exercises in drawing and painting. Developed by artist and educator Anthony Waichulis, the curriculum is designed to enable creative fluency/freedom through logic and discipline, supporting students across all levels of experience as they progress toward greater representational control and expressive capacity.

The curriculum is divided into two primary phases: the Language of Drawing (LOD) and the Language of Painting (LOP), each functioning as a graduated sequence of performance benchmarks rooted in the principle of hierarchical skill learning. The LOD phase builds foundational competencies such as pressure modulation, shape replication, gradation control, and form construction using dry media. The LOP phase builds upon these competencies with the introduction of painting dynamics including brush control, palette organization, chromatic modulation, and spatial orchestration using traditional painting materials.

Instructional strategies are guided by empirically grounded models of perceptual learning and deliberate practice, with an emphasis on Zone of Proximal Learning (ZPL) management through the use of strengtheners and enhancers—adaptive tools that support individual progression. Students are not taught through rote mimicry or stylistic imitation but instead engage in calibrated visual tasks that progressively sharpen perceptual discrimination, motor execution, and cognitive mapping.

The curriculum integrates insights from visual neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and artistic tradition while rejecting dogmatic or purely stylistic conventions. Its core objective is not to produce adherence to any particular aesthetic, but to equip the learner with the operational fluency needed to realize any visual intention with precision, flexibility, and confidence. As such, the Waichulis Curriculum serves as both a pedagogical system and a cognitive training framework for representational artists seeking robust, transferable skill acquisition.”

Wash

“A painting technique involving the application of a heavily diluted or thinned medium to produce a broad, transparent or semi-transparent layer of tone or color. Washes are used to establish large tonal fields, atmospheric effects, or subtle value transitions, typically with minimal visible brushwork or texture.

Most commonly associated with watercolor and ink, washes can also be created in acrylic or oil painting when the medium is sufficiently thinned with solvent or fluid medium to allow for fluid, transparent coverage. The behavior of a wash depends on the absorbency of the substrate, the viscosity of the medium, and the working properties of the pigment or binder.

In perceptual training and representational painting, washes are often used to organize large value masses, unify compositional regions, or modulate local contrast without compromising underlying structural clarity. Washes may serve as foundational value blocks (such as underpaintings or imprimatura), atmospheric veils, or subtle temperature shifts.

Washes differ from glazes in that they are typically solvent-heavy and binder-light, applied in early or broad passages to influence overall tonal organization. Glazes, by contrast, are binder-rich (e.g., oil), usually applied in the final stages to modify color through optical layering while maintaining surface cohesion. Misusing these techniques—such as applying excessive solvent in late-stage washes—can lead to underbound paint films and long-term material instability.”

Wax Paper

“A moisture-resistant paper coated with paraffin wax, commonly used in food preparation, conservation interleaving, and packaging. The wax coating forms a non-porous barrier that repels water and oil, making it useful for preventing moisture penetration and low-adhesion separation in non-art contexts.

Wax paper should not be confused with tracing paper, vellum, or other translucent substrates intended for visual planning or mark-making. Although visually similar in some lighting conditions, its material behavior and intended function differ substantially. For example, while wax paper is visually similar to tracing paper, wax paper is not suitable for drawing or image transfer. Its slick, waxy surface resists most dry and wet media, lacks tooth, and does not offer the dimensional stability or translucency needed for planning or mark-making tasks.

In art handling and transport, some artists use wax paper as a temporary interleaving layer between the surface of an oil painting and outer protective materials. However, this practice is not recommended by most conservation standards. Wax paper is non-breathable and may trap moisture, creating conditions conducive to mold growth or surface blooming. Furthermore, the paraffin coating can interact with uncured paint films, leading to adhesion, imprinting, or gloss disruption. These risks are especially elevated in environments with high humidity, heat, or pressure.

For safer alternatives during oil painting transport, conservation professionals recommend glassine paper—a smooth, pH-neutral, breathable interleaving material that does not adhere to or imprint paint surfaces. In all cases, direct contact between coverings and the paint surface should be avoided, ideally through the use of spacers or corner blocks that prevent pressure and allow for airflow. The painting should also be fully cured before any transport attempt.

Wax paper may have limited utility in protecting surfaces from moisture during packaging, but it should not be used as a direct interface with the painted surface in professional transport scenarios.”

Weight vs. Mass in Composition

“In visual composition, weight and mass are distinct but related concepts that influence how elements interact within an image. Visual weight refers to the perceived ‘heaviness’ or dominance of an element, determined by factors like size, contrast, color, and placement. It is not about physical weight but rather how the eye prioritizes certain elements in a composition. For example, a large dark shape or a high-contrast area will appear ‘heavier’ than a small, muted element. In contrast, mass refers to the actual or implied three-dimensional volume that an element occupies. While visual weight is a two-dimensional perceptual effect, mass is a three-dimensional property that conveys form and spatial presence. A sculpture has physical mass, while a painting of a cube creates an illusion of mass. Similarly, a thick, blocky shape may feel more massive than a thin, delicate line. Understanding the difference between weight and mass allows artists to manipulate balance, hierarchy, and depth, creating compositions that feel either grounded and stable or dynamic and visually engaging.”

Wet Media

“A broad category of artistic materials that use a liquid vehicle or binder to carry pigment or mark-making agents to a surface. Unlike dry media—such as graphite, charcoal, or pastel—wet media materials are fluid or semi-fluid during application, allowing for a wide range of mark characteristics, blending behaviors, and surface interactions. The medium may be water-based (e.g., watercolor, ink, acrylic) or oil-based (e.g., oil paint, alkyds), and can include both transparent and opaque systems. Wet media are typically applied with brushes, pens, or similar tools, and they interact with the surface not just through adhesion but often by absorption or evaporation of the liquid component. The nature of the binder—whether water, oil, gum arabic, acrylic polymer, etc.—determines drying time, layering behavior, and overall handling properties.

Common examples of wet media include ink, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, oil paint, and casein. These materials enable techniques such as wet-into-wet blending, glazing, scumbling, and staining, offering a wider dynamic range in terms of transparency, texture, and saturation than many dry systems. Wet media often require more deliberate surface preparation (e.g., sizing paper, priming canvas) and drying management (e.g., ventilation, timing of layers) to avoid undesired effects like sinking, blooming, or cracking.

One of the key distinctions of wet media is its temporal sensitivity—marks can change over time as solvents evaporate or binders cure, making timing and surface control critical. Additionally, wet media are subject to surface tension and fluid dynamics, which can influence mark boundaries and pigment migration. Because of this, artists often employ techniques such as stretching paper, using wet couches, or employing retarding mediums to control flow and evaporation​.

In summary, wet media encompasses any medium in which pigment is delivered in a liquid state, offering a high degree of mark versatility, blending potential, and dynamic surface effects—but also requiring careful control of flow, drying, and layering to achieve desired results.”

Wet Mounting

“A method of affixing artwork, photographs, or paper-based materials to a rigid support using water-based adhesives, such as wheat starch paste, methyl cellulose, or white glue. In this process, the adhesive is applied to either the artwork, the backing surface, or both, and the materials are pressed together until dry. This technique introduces moisture into the paper fibers, which may cause temporary expansion during application and contraction upon drying.

Wet mounting is commonly used in bookbinding, framing, and conservation contexts, where traditional adhesives—such as reversible starch-based pastes—are preferred for their archival safety and removability. When performed with appropriate materials and technique, wet mounting can allow for later separation without damaging the original work, making it a preferred method for mounting valuable or historically significant objects.

However, wet mounting requires careful control of environmental factors (humidity, temperature, drying time) and material behavior. Improper execution can result in cockling, wrinkling, adhesive bleed, or uneven tension. It is also more time-consuming than dry mounting and may be unsuitable for certain synthetic or moisture-sensitive media.

In contrast to dry mounting, which uses heat-activated adhesives and introduces no moisture, wet mounting offers greater conservation reversibility but introduces greater risks of dimensional instability. The method selected depends on the goals of the project—whether archival permanence, flatness, efficiency, or removability is prioritized.”

Wetting Agent

“A surfactant—a surface-active substance—that reduces the surface tension of a liquid, allowing it to spread more easily across or penetrate into solid surfaces. In visual art and material preparation, wetting agents are used to improve the interaction between liquids (such as water, ink, or pigment suspensions) and substrates (such as paper, canvas, or pigment particles).

In painting and printmaking workflows, wetting agents are often added to water to aid even soaking of paper (especially in watercolor or intaglio printmaking), improve pigment dispersion, or enhance flow and leveling in thinned paint. Common wetting agents include ox gall (a natural surfactant used in watercolor), Photo-Flo (used in photographic processes and paper soaking), and various synthetic surfactants found in commercial mediums.

By lowering surface tension, wetting agents help prevent beading, uneven absorption, or pooling—especially on surfaces that are naturally resistant to moisture or coated with sizing. However, overuse can lead to unpredictable drying patterns, surface instability, or adhesion problems, especially when mixed directly into paint films without proper proportion.

In conservation and preparation contexts, wetting agents are used judiciously to ensure materials absorb moisture uniformly without damaging fiber structure or compromising archival stability.”

Why

“A fundamental interrogative tool that empowers artists and students to critically evaluate the myriad of instructions, traditions, and so-called rules prevalent in art education and practice. By persistently asking ‘why,’ individuals can uncover the underlying principles or lack thereof behind established methods, leading to a more profound and personal comprehension of their craft.​

In the context of art instruction, questioning the rationale behind techniques—such as the ‘fat over lean’ principle in oil painting—allows for a deeper understanding of material behavior and longevity. For instance, adhering to the ‘fat over lean’ principle ensures flexibility in the paint layers, thereby reducing the risk of cracking over time. This understanding transforms a procedural rule into a conscious choice grounded in material science.

Conversely, blindly following compositional guidelines, such as the ‘Rule-of-Thirds,’ without understanding their origins or applicability, can lead to unnecessary limitations and undesirable issues. Critical examination reveals that such rules are not universally applicable and may not enhance the aesthetic quality of every composition.​

The practice of asking ‘why’ also guards against the uncritical perpetuation of dogma. Traditions in art, while often rooted in historical contexts, may not hold relevance in contemporary practice. By challenging these traditions, artists can break free from outdated conventions and develop innovative approaches that resonate with modern sensibilities.​

In essence, ‘why’ serves as a catalyst for critical thinking, encouraging artists to move beyond rote learning and towards a more analytical and individualized practice. It fosters an environment where understanding supersedes memorization, leading to more meaningful and authentic artistic expression.”

Window-Shading

“A drawing or painting technique in which the artist completes a work in discrete, finished (or nearly finished) sections, typically progressing in a single direction—such as top-to-bottom or left-to-right. The top-down variation evokes the action of drawing down a window shade, from which the term derives. This approach is characterized by rendering each area to completion before moving on to the next, generally (though not always) without the use of an overall underpainting or block-in.

Historically, this method has been employed in contexts requiring efficiency and precision. Artists like James Perry Wilson and Francis Lee Jaques utilized window-shading to produce highly detailed and realistic scenic backdrops, often working from background to foreground and completing each section systematically.

Advantages of window-shading include a means to contend with aspects of conceptual contamination by isolating each section as a focused perceptual task, reducing the influence of prior symbolic or schematic knowledge on observational accuracy. The method also supports a sustained directional focus, minimizing the attentional fragmentation and cognitive ‘switch costs’ that can occur when moving erratically between unrelated areas of a composition.

Limitations include challenges with compositional integration, as independently completed segments may lack cohesion if not harmonized through prior planning. The approach also reduces adaptive flexibility, as opportunities for global compositional or structural revision diminish once individual areas are fully rendered.

In contemporary practice, window-shading can be an effective strategy for specific project types or working environments, but artists should remain aware of its potential impact on unity, adjustability, and pictorial coherence.”

Wire-Frame Drawing

“A structural drawing technique in which an object is represented using linear scaffolding that mimics a three-dimensional framework, akin to the skeletal models used in engineering, 3D modeling, and schematic visualization. The form is constructed through intersecting lines that describe major axes, cross-sections, and volumetric boundaries, often in transparent or semi-transparent layers that reveal the object’s internal and external spatial configuration.

This approach emphasizes underlying geometry, spatial orientation, and volume mapping, and is often used in figure construction, mechanical design, or early-stage compositional planning. It serves as a tool for anchoring proportion, rotation, and perspective before committing to surface-specific detail.

Wire-frame drawing is conceptually related to cross-contour drawing, but the two techniques differ in purpose and perceptual emphasis. While both use line to describe three-dimensional form: wire-frame drawing aims to map the spatial skeleton of the object, often using idealized or schematic forms (e.g., cylinders, boxes, spheres) to construct complex volumes. Cross-contour drawing involves drawing lines that flow along the surface of the observed object, tracking curvature and surface change to reinforce local form and topographical variation from direct observation.

Whereas cross-contours describe perceived surface undulation, wire-frame drawings depict an idealized volumetric scaffold that may or may not follow direct visual input. In this way, wire-frame drawing supports internal construction logic, while cross-contour drawing supports perceptual analysis.”

Workflow

“In the context of visual art practice and performance, a workflow refers to the structured sequence of actions, procedures, or stages used to complete a task, solve a problem, or produce a representational outcome. It encompasses both the technical progression (e.g., layout, block-in, modeling, refinement) and the cognitive strategies that guide focus, decision-making, and process management during the execution of artistic tasks.

Effective workflows reduce cognitive load by externalizing decision points into repeatable structures, allowing the artist to allocate attentional resources toward precision, adaptation, and problem-solving rather than reinventing process with each task. In training environments, clearly defined workflows support deliberate practice, enabling repetition of sub-skills within predictable frameworks that can be refined over time.

While workflows may vary according to medium, subject, or goal, they are always task-oriented and goal-constrained, serving to support consistency, efficiency, and intentionality. In perceptual training models like the Waichulis Curriculum, workflow design is critical for isolating specific perceptual variables, facilitating feedback, and ensuring skill progression without overwhelming the learner.”

Working Memory

“The cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information needed for immediate reasoning, decision-making, and task execution. Unlike long-term memory, which stores information over extended periods, working memory maintains active, short-duration content that is critical for real-time processing. It plays a central role in perception, motor planning, error correction, and the execution of visual tasks in both drawing and painting.

In the Waichulis Curriculum, working memory is understood as a finite resource, subject to overload when too many novel or complex elements must be processed simultaneously. This limitation has direct implications for instructional design, especially in early training stages, where exercises are carefully sequenced to manage cognitive load and minimize interference. Tasks such as shape replication, value modulation, or edge analysis place simultaneous demands on visual perception, spatial estimation, and motor execution—requiring efficient working memory function for successful performance.

The curriculum supports working memory development through:

Skill isolation – reducing the number of variables the learner must manage at once.

Progressive complexity – gradually increasing demands as prior operations become automated.

Repetition and feedback – helping encode frequently used operations into long-term procedural memory, thereby freeing up working memory for new tasks.

Strong working memory capacity is particularly important for managing perceptual chunking, mental rotation, spatial projection, and temporal sequencing—functions that underpin many of the core drawing and painting exercises. As procedural fluency increases and certain operations become automatic, the burden on working memory decreases, allowing for more complex problem-solving and creative decisions.

Understanding the limits and functions of working memory helps learners and instructors recognize when task complexity may exceed current processing capacity—making it an essential concept for optimizing learning and pacing throughout the curriculum.”