Portrait painting: Level 2
Unlike the introduction to portrait drawing and painting workshop that ZAFA offers, which splits the workshop between charcoal drawing and oil painting, this workshop will be entirely focused on portrait painting. It is recommended that students already have a familiarity with drawing, or have already taken ZAFA’s introduction to portrait drawing and painting workshop. Students will be working from both photo reference, master works and a live model during this workshop.
One of the reasons painting is difficult is because the artist must juggle multiple artistic elements at once. These are: drawing accuracy, value organization, color, block in and painting passages, and mark making. In this workshop we will be breaking down these elements and addressing them one by one. Each day, during the first half of the workshop, students will focus on a different one of these elements. Projects will become progressively more challenging as the class moves forward and we build upon what was learned the previous day. This progression will culminate in an extended 5 day project from a live model.
The class will start with several small projects as students are introduced to a step by step process for capturing an accurate likeness and painting a portrait. We will begin with photo references as we introduce new concepts at different stages of the workshop. This is because photos are easier for students to work from and therefore make introducing new concepts less challenging.
The class will start with one day of pencil drawing portraits to review the process of mapping out a proportionally accurate head as well as teach students 2 different approaches to portrait drawing: construction drawing, and the visual impression approach.
Then, the class will do a 1-day black and white portrait study. This project will be focused on teaching students how to organize values to create a believable sense of form and light effect. This project will also be where anatomical landmarks, measuring and drawing techniques related to portraiture will be discussed.
We will then do a one day black and white oil painting from a live model in order to apply what we learned to working from life.
We will then move on to a 2-day project creating a color study from a master work. This will allow us to work on color mixing and pallet organization, as well as having the opportunity to study how a master painter simplifies a head and utilizes mark making to help show form and imply detail.
During the second half of the workshop we will be working entirely from a live model. Students will have 5 classes to create a larger, more detailed portrait painting from life, applying what they learned in the first half of the workshop.
The instructor will be doing all of the projects alongside the class as a running demo. Students will benefit from lectures, demos, handouts, and daily one on one critiques.
I hope you can join ZAFA for this exciting workshop.
Details
10, 3 hour classes
February 8th to march 9th
Saturdays and Sundays 4-7PM
This course is $440
Art classes are more fun when shared with a friend, bring a friend who has not taken one of our courses before and you will both receive a %10 discount off of the listed workshop price.
To claim the discount, please indicate who you are singing up with in the "message" section of the registration form.
To register for this workshop, fill out and submit the registration form below.
Testimonials
“Even after getting my Art B.A. I still learned a lot that I wouldn’t have at a university.
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“This month in your class has left me feeling like I finally understand an aspect of brushwork that had been eluding me.
I will be encouraging the artists I know to come learn from you.
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