Portrait Painting (10 Weeks)

Tutor Catherine MacDiarmid | Fee £139 | 10 weeks

This course will provide an opportunity for people with some drawing and painting practice to develop their painting skills through the discipline of portraiture. You will be guided through a series of painting exercises exploring different techniques, paint handling and colour palettes, with both water and oil based mediums, developing good practice along the way. The higher fee for this workshop reflects using a model in 9 out of 10 sessions.

What will the course or workshop cover and how will it be taught?

Through a series of observational drawing tasks you will learn to:
-Appreciate basic measuring techniques in relation to portraiture.
-Mix colour and tone with purpose and meaning.
Understand and represent colour, tone and structure of the human form.
Develop mark-making with both water and oil based painting mediums.
Appreciate the works of other artists in relation to portraiture.
Methods of learning in the course:
Practical work. Demonstration. Group work. Group discussion. One–to-one. Looking at work by other artists. Peer learning. Self-assessment. Tutor assessment.
By the end of the course you will be capable of:
-Using some basic measuring techniques in relation to portraiture.
-Mixing colour and tone with purpose and meaning.
-Representing basic form, structure and colour of the human head.
-Using a variety of mark making within painting.
-Appreciating a wider range of artists’ portraits.

What do I need to bring with me?

As it is a painting course it is advisable to wear old clothing or overalls that you do not mind getting paint on. You will need to bring some paint to the first session, and this can be of your own choice (oils, acrylic, gouache or watercolour). You need only bring two colours (yellow ochre and a dark brown) and white (if using oils, acrylic or gouache). Also bring with you at least 6 non-expensive surfaces (paper, lining paper etc).
Surfaces for oil painting should be primed with an acrylic primer. You can reuse old surfaces by priming them in gesso (white acrylic) primer (or household emulsion mixed with a bit of PVA glue) if you are painting in oils, acrylic or gouache. Watercolour is a little bit different in that you usually need more sturdy/thicker paper to paint on and watercolour paper is best for this.
Also bring what brushes you have, and any other equipment you might need with your chosen paint (pots, palette -some old board or a big plastic lid will do for this – solutions, rags etc).

Please bring a pen, notebook and your glasses, if you need them.

Are there any additional costs?

None. Students need to provide their own art materials.

About the tutor

Catherine MacDiarmid is a local artist who has exhibited widely, including exhibiting in the BP Portrait award for young artists in 2001/2. She is an elected member of The Lakes Artists Society and appeared in Sky Portrait Artists of the Year 2014 and 2018. As well as completing private portrait commissions her work is in collected internationally, and works from her home based studio in Kendal. Her art work focuses on the human form, exploring expression and movement in both drawing & painting.