ABOUT THIS COURSE

Students will learn fundamental methods to create beautiful portraits from a photo reference working in oils. We will start by learning how to get correct proportions in an initial sketch and layout and use this to form a strong tonal underpainting that will be the backbone of your finished, full colour painting. We will explore colour, building surface and form, adding detail, correcting and creating a likeness.

We will also talk about the best photograph references to use to create the most successful paintings. We will explore other methods to get your initial drawing accurate such as gridding, transferring and sight size sketching.

By the end of the course participants should expect to feel confident with how to approach a portrait and comfortable that they will have the skills and knowledge to achieve a likeness.

The course is suitable for beginner or intermediate painters who want to improve their art.

Materials needed

Lynn suggests the following oil colours, but don't worry if you don't have them all:

• Blue - ultramarine (cerulean if you would like)

• two reds - cadmium red/bright red, and alizarin crimson

• two yellows - lemon yellow and cadmium yellow medium

• two earth colours - yellow ochre (or raw sienna), and burnt umber

• Veridian green

• Titanium White
  
  You will also need

• something to paint on like primed MDF board or canvas.

• A variety of brushes

• A sketchbook or drawing paper and a 5B pencil

• Other items to include palette, thinner (odour free), kitchen roll, liquid containers
  
  Lynn can provide photos to work from, but please also use any suitable photo you have at home that inspires you and you would like to use to create your final painting.

Meet LYNN

Since leaving art college with a degree in classical animation in 1993 Lynn has worked as an animator, illustrator, graphic designer and photographer. In 2017 she longed to get back to the hands-on art she had been doing in college and took up oil painting. As she had been a portrait photographer, it was a natural progression for her painting to follow the same direction.

Lynn’s paintings have been exhibited in the RHA and the RUA annual exhibitions, the Ruth Borchard self portrait prize, the Zurich portrait Prize and she also took part in the Sky Arts Portrait artist of the year in 2021. 

Lynn has also been running regular art classes from her home - we are delighted to welcome Lynn to our studios to tutor this fantastic course.