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Portrait Workshop

Develop your portrait painting skills under the guidance of experienced instructors and immerse yourself in a hands-on workshop that will explore the challenge of bringing faces to life on canvas.

  • All levels
  • 18 and older
  • $320
  • 1601 Irving St, San Francisco, CA
  • 10 hours over 5 sessions

Start Dates (1)

  • $320
  • Art School of SF Bay New Location @ 1601 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122
  • 10 hours over 5 sessions
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  • Sun, Mar 31 at 6:00pm - 8:00pm
  • Sun, Apr 07 at 6:00pm - 8:00pm
  • Sun, Apr 14 at 6:00pm - 8:00pm
  • Sun, Apr 21 at 6:00pm - 8:00pm
  • Sun, Apr 28 at 6:00pm - 8:00pm
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Class Description

Description

What you'll learn in this portrait class:

Improve your portraiture skills! Students will complete numerous head studies and improve their knowledge of proper head construction. The second half of the workshop will allow students to focus on a project of their choice in whatever medium they choose. We will discuss how to create and/or select an appropriate reference photograph during class.

Detailed Schedule

Week 1: Introduction + Basic Form of Head

  • Introduction to drawing materials, and anatomy of the head. Step-by-step construction of the head from basic shapes. Understanding measurements from various viewpoints. Introduction to the features of the face. Differences in gender.
  • Materials: Charcoal or graphite, paper, drawing boards.

Week 2: Head Tilt/Rotation & Breaking down facial features

  • Head anatomy, thinking about the head & neck in 3D, and breaking individual facial features down into separate pieces. Detailed drawings of the head and facial features from multiple angles. Understanding how features connect to each other. Beginning to observe expressions.

Week 3: Putting it all together, Head “Types” & Characterization

  • Putting it all together. Studying muscles of the face as they pertain to movement + expression. Understanding how to observe rhythm, spacing, and expression. Combining construction, lighting, and expression to create characterization (aka drawing our first portraits of famous faces). Begin a longer study of your choice for the final project.
  • Materials: Charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, paper, drawing boards, canvas/panel + paint. Make sure to ask students about their prior experience with materials, in order to prep for next week’s lesson.

Week 4: Final Project Part I

  • Continuing discussion of character, expression, and facial feature variety. Note how face types can be derived of subtle differences from what might be considered the human “average”.
  • Studying lighting on the head & facial features. Mixing for different skin tones and hair colors. Working to establish a likeness.
  • Materials: Students may select their own materials. If students are not familiar with painting, it may be a good idea to draw on toned paper or with colored pencil, rather than attempt a new medium.

Week 5: Final Project Part II

  • Maintaining a likeness. Learning to add exaggeration where necessary. Mixing skin tones and color temperature, putting finishing touches on final projects.
  • Materials: Mixed

Refund Policy

We do not provide refunds for ongoing classes tuition, courses or camps payments.

  • However, full credit towards future booking or transfer to another camp/course will be offered for any cancellations made up to 2 business days before the camp or course starts.
  • Ongoing classes can be canceled with a 31 business days prior notice.

You can make up a missed class on another day when we offer the same age/skill group class. The make-up class should be arranged in advance, no drop-ins. Limit 2 make-up classes per month. Make-up classes are subject to the availability of space in a similar class. We reserve the right not to provide make-up classes or terminate the class enrollment for repeating truancy.

Reviews of Classes at Art School of SF Bay (5)

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Art School of SF Bay

Art School of SF Bay teachers are skilled artists with Fine Arts degrees, working in realistic tradition. We teach representational drawing from nature to kids and adults in a creative and approachable way.

We do believe that even sophisticated concepts of fine art can be taught to anybody, no matter...

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Art School of SF Bay

Art School of SF Bay

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