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About the Workshop & Tutor
Catherine is a very established artist working primarily in portraiture and from the human form. Being invited to feature on PAOTY over 3 separate series, and with her work being in collections internationally, and as member of many a prestigious society, we are very lucky to have Catherine share her methods and practices with us. She has over 25 years of experience in teaching adult learners/artists the rigours of portraiture and life drawing so we will be in very good hands whilst being put through our paces, whether beginner or experienced practitioner. You can find out more about Catherine here.
Portraiture is the perfect discipline to improve your drawing and painting skills, feeding into all aspects of your artistic practice. This course will provide an opportunity for people of all abilities to develop creating portraits in oil paint, both from a live sitter and a self-portrait in a mirror.
Working both from life and a mirror you will learn to handle oil paint to represent the soft tonal and colour transitions of flesh and hair. Hints and tips on paint handling will be given by Catherine - from the drawing in paint and underpainting, to the importance of layering paint to create depth and interest in your portrait work. Limited palettes and colour mixing related to portraiture, the use of various mediums and the correct layering stages of an oil painting, and the use of different oil techniques will be covered. All of this will be explored with the intended outcome of everyone being more armed to make independent choices best suited to their subject and styles.
Painting from a live sitter with time limitations will give participants the opportunity to develop different ways of working a portrait with oil paint. These will include aspects of good drawing, drawing direct with the paint, mixing from a limited palette and the use of different brushes and tools – all with the aim of expanding our use of marks and development of individual style. Good and correct use of oil will be embedded throughout the course.
Emphasis will constantly be on good observation, as this is key to good portraiture. However, encouragement to be brave and expressive with oils will be nurtured for participants to expand their practice. By the end of the course an embedding of confidence and technique will allow for further individual development.
As with all taught sessions, this course is more about learning that can be integrated into practice rather than on getting immediate results and showing that which we can already do. Learning to record the most useful information about our subject, discovering something about seeing the structure. Learning ways of describing in oil. It's more about succumbing to being a student and being open to discourse, intervention, and learning, so we can then make informed choices about what is useful to us and incorporate into regular practice no matter what our primary subject may be.
What is provided?
We provide quality material, and equipment and a selection of teas and coffee, organic milk and plant based milk, plus a selection of treats will also be available. Bring your own packed lunch or dine at the Dinners Arms.
Terms & Conditions
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Course & Workshop Terms & Conditions
