Wed 16 Sep-2 Dec (10 wks) | 11.15am-1.45pm | 16+ yrs
Portraiture is the perfect discipline to help altogether improve your drawing skills. This course will provide an opportunity for people of all abilities to develop the portrait, from basic observation of proportion through to building structure and form. Additionally, there will be a live sitter each week.
What will the course cover and how will it be taught?
This course will be taught working with a live sitter. Through a series of enjoyable exercises, you will gain confidence in your portrait drawing skills, improve your ability to capture a likeness and develop ideas of what makes a good portrait. Different drawing techniques and processes will be explored with the opportunity to also personalise your practice throughout the course.
This course will be taught through a series of demonstrations and practical activities and tasks. During the sessions you will look at other artists portraits, the work of peers, and having one-to-one time with the tutor will facilitate your individual learning to enable you to achieve on this course.
Important Information
This course will be held in Studio 3. There are no sessions during half term 26-30 October & 16-20 November.
What do I need to bring?
Drawing boards and easels will be provided.
To the first session please bring:
- A3 sketchbook.
- Soft lead pencils/graphite sticks.
- Willow charcoal.
- Putty rubber.
- Tape or clips to attach paper to a drawing board.
You will be asked to bring other art materials along as and when necessary.
When using art materials, your clothes could potentially get dirty, so you may wish to dress accordingly.
Are there any additional costs?
No
About the tutor
Catherine MacDiarmid brings overall 30 years of teaching experience to her role, combining extensive classroom practice with the insight of a dedicated, practising artist. She has exhibited widely, including the BP Portrait Award (2001/02), the New Light Art (2021/22 and 2023/24), and regularly at the Mall Galleries. Her work has received numerous accolades, most recently the Watercolour Materials Award at the Jackson’s Painting Prize in 2023 and the People and Faces Award 2025 at the Lake Artists Society. She is an elected member of the Lakes Artists Society and the Contemporary British Portrait Painters. Catherine has also appeared on Portrait Artist of the Year (2014 and 2018), reaching the semi-finals in 2019. Alongside private portrait commissions, her work is collected internationally, and she is based in her home studio in Kendal.
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