About Halftone Studio
Halftone Studio is a collaboration between artists Jake Taplin and Ramon Hurtado. Like many others, we were frustrated by how overwhelming and scattered art education can be. It led us to wonder: how did so many artists in the 19th century achieve such a high level of skill with far fewer resources?
What we found is that their training didn't rely on rigid academic rules. It was structured, hands-on, and full of creativity. Learning to draw was treated as a practical craft, not a mystery. That mindset helped generations of artists develop both technical skill and personal expression, and we believe it still works today.
At Halftone Studio, our mission is to bring that clarity and structure back. We provide free drawing references, curated image sets for studying great artists, and writing that takes you inside the student experience of the past. We believe no artist is born great. They're forged by a great system of education. Returning to that starts here.
Jake Taplin
Founder · @JakeDontDraw
Most people know me from my channel @JakeDontDraw, but not everyone knows I didn't start drawing until I was 19, studying engineering with zero art experience. When I finally decided to learn, I was overwhelmed by how confusing and scattered everything was. There were no clear, simple resources for the fundamentals.
So I decided to make them myself. I spent years studying the methods used in the great ateliers and academies of the 19th century, and found the system wasn't mystical at all: it was logical, structured, and deeply approachable once you understood it from the inside. Now I teach drawing the way I wish it had been taught to me: step by step, grounded in history, and built to make you feel confident every time you pick up a pencil.
Ramon Hurtado
Head teacher · @Ramon.Alex.Hurtado
I'm a painter, art instructor, and cat dad living in Paris. I've been passionate about 19th-century French academic training for a long time, especially what it teaches us about not letting perfectionism steal all the fun from our creative work.
The guiding principle of my teaching is that everyone can learn how to draw, just like everyone can learn how to write. If you've already learned one visual system of expression, why not two? These are the same ideas I've taught at Beaux-Arts & Entertainment in Paris, DreamWorks Feature Animation, the Society of Illustrators in Los Angeles, Émile Cohl Atelier, and Riot Games.