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Short course

Portrait Drawing And Painting Short Course

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Portrait Drawing And Painting Short Course | On campus
Develop your drawing and painting techniques to capture the essence of your subjects. Learn from expert guidance.

Course description

Course overview

This course will look at what makes a good portrait and how to go about drawing and painting one. As there is no ""right way"" to do this, you will experiment with several approaches and techniques. The course is suitable for both beginners and intermediate students. We will provide a variety of models during the course. If you have a particular person you wish to portray, you can also do this by bringing in your own drawings, sketches and photographs.

Who this course is for

This course is suitable for beginners or more experienced students wishing to improve their portrait drawing and painting skills.

Key information

Topics covered

  • Explore a variety of techniques such as the application of paint, layering and textures, using selections and mixes of various colours, to form the basis for developing your portrait
  • Short paint studies and drawings focussing on colour choices, composition, structure, and attempts to capture the inner essence of the model
  • Work on a more substantial portrait, bringing in and developing ideas and discoveries from the drawing sessions and oil sketches
  • Look at a few contemporary portrait painters, their techniques and approaches to use as a source of inspiration for your own practice

Learning outcomes

  • Explore different approaches to portrait drawing and painting
  • Have practiced and developed a range of techniques in this subject
  • Digital badge and certificate of attendance

Materials

Please bring with you to the first session:

  • Canvas (24 inches x 36 inches)
  • Mineral spirit
  • Zest
  • Liquin
  • Refined linseed oil
  • White palette
  • Two or three palette knifes
  • A few light coloured pastels oil painting brushes (round, flat and fan)
  • Rags and tissues
  • Containers with lids

You will need to bring the following coloured oil paints:

  • Burnt umber and raw umber
  • Burnt sienna and raw sienna
  • Yellow ochre, cadmium red, cadmium yellow
  • Cobalt blue and french ultramarine blue
  • Naples yellow and Indian yellow (or a transparent yellow)
  • Alizarin crimson, viridian green
  • Zinc white and titanium white

Do not bring any solvents into the studio. The College will provide them. Turpentine and white spirits are strictly banned.

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