2 Day Portrait Workshops

Portrait workshop at Northern Realist, student working on a portrait from life

Learn about the fundamentals of realist portrait drawing or painting directly from life.

Working from life is incredibly satisfying but far more demanding than using a photograph so this portrait workshop will make sure that you have a sound technique.

Christopher Clements will guide you through his approach as you learn how draw or paint portraits and use your time effectively. You can choose between working in charcoal or paint depending on your experience.

The workshops are done entirely from a model and will teach you how to make studies and sketches. This ability is great for sketching in charcoal or paint and is invaluable for making studies for larger pieces and commissions.

The groups are small and the teaching is tailored to your own experience. Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to push your work onto the next level you can work at your own pace in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.

Northern Realist Weekend Portrait Course
Colour, Monochrome & Charcoal portraits by Christopher Clements

Weekend Portrait Course Outline

It’s recommended to do the workshops in order to get the most out of them as each one builds on the principles covered in the previous workshop. Charcoal is the perfect place to start as it allows you to get to grips with the essential tonal principles without the added complication of a wet medium.  Monochrome painting bridges the gap between drawing and painting once the essential tonal principles have been mastered in charcoal. The warm and cool colour workshop allows you to master the most fundamental colour principles with out getting overwhelmed while the limited palette workshop shows you how to use the full spectrum in a controlled way.

Charcoal Drawing

Working in charcoal is a perfect way to learn to draw the head. You’ll find out how to get the proportions, orientation and structure of the head right. It’s a beautiful medium in itself but also provides the best way to understand the essential tonal principles which underpin good representational painting. This is more easily learned without the added complication of a liquid medium.

  • Drawing a well structured head
  • Getting the correct orientation
  • Positioning the features
  • Use of light & shade to create chiaroscuro
  • Modelling the form using halftones and variations of the darks

Monochrome Painting – Grisaille

Working in monochrome (also known as grisaille) is a bridge between drawing and painting in colour. It’s very well suited to learning to work with paint. You’ll concentrate on good observational drawing with paint but without the added complication of colour. As you develop your painting you will learn how to handle paint as well as various painting mediums. If you’re new to working in oil this is the ideal workshop to get you started. The monochrome workshop serves as an excellent foundation to working in colour.

  • Layering a painting
  • Use of painting mediums
  • Chiaroscuro
  • Blocking in masses
  • Correct Use of Tone

Using Colour in Portraits 1 – Warm & Cool Colour

This workshop will introduce you to working with colour by looking at the principle of warm and cool colour mixes. By limiting the colour decisions you learn to keep your colour mixes clean and avoid the common problem of ‘muddy’ paintings. This is often caused by the warm and cool colours getting muddled up. The huge range of pigments on offer is amazing but initially mystifying so this workshop will help you get started by limiting your choice to earth red, blue and white. This palette gives you a surprising variety of colour without too many confusing variables.

  • Warm & Cool colour
  • Using colour to create form
  • Colour and tone relationships
  • Colour intensity

Using Colour in Portraits 2 – Limited Palette

The limited palette workshop builds on the lessons learned in the warm and cool colour workshop. You’ll work with a palette often referred to and the ‘Zorn’ Palette after the 19th Century Swedish painter famous for the amazing variety he got from very few colours. It adds an earth yellow to the palette used in the warm and cool workshop, expanding your options without becoming overwhelming. You’ll begin with exercises to develop a good understanding of the relationship between tone and colour and the role of each pigment used. This approach helps you to understand how a palette of colours works together. It will give you a strong foundation for expanding your choice of pigments while maintaining a unity of colour in your work.

  • The role of each pigment and how they work together
  • Methods to accurately see and mix colour
  • Creating unity of colour
  • Using colour to give depth to your painting

Essential Info & Booking

  • Course Length: 12 Hours over 2 Days
  • Hours: 09:45-16:30
  • Location: Northern Realist Studio, Manchester –  Map
  • Materials, Charcoal, Monochrome or Colour Oil Paint (Can be provided) – Use Contact form to request lists
  • Price :£150 – Click links above to reserve your place with £40 deposit on Eventbrite
  • Questions: Use Contact Form above right or visit the Contact Page Please state which course you’re interested in

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