Service Description

We’re delighted to launch this new 6-week Portraiture Course — a focused journey into painting expressive portraits with strong structure, natural colour, and confident brushwork. Across six weeks, you’ll develop a single resolved portrait study while building the core skills that give portraits depth, presence, and emotional resonance. Who’s It For? This course is perfect for artists who want to strengthen their portraiture fundamentals — including proportion, colour mixing, and capturing a convincing likeness. Whether you’re new to painting portraits or looking to refine your technique, this course offers a clear, supportive path to improving your work. What You’ll Learn Across the course, we’ll explore the foundations of portraiture while working towards one finished portrait. You’ll learn: ✨ Zorn Palette for Flesh Tones – using Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red, Ivory Black, and Titanium White to mix beautifully natural and harmonious skin colours. 🦴 Head Structure & Proportions – understanding the skull, planes of the face, and the landmarks that define likeness. 💡 Light & Shadow – establishing strong value patterns for believable form and mood. 📐 Portrait Composition – angle, cropping, and placement to build character and intention. 👀 Feature Accuracy – refining eyes, nose, mouth, and the subtle shifts that create expression. 🖌️ Brushwork & Edges – blending, soft transitions, and painterly accents that make a portrait come alive. By the end of the course, you’ll have a completed portrait that reflects both technical development and personal expression. Techniques We’ll Cover 🖌️ Block-in drawing and measuring 🎨 Underpainting for structure and value ✨ Working with the Zorn palette for controlled colour harmony 🌗 Modelling form with chiaroscuro 🖌️ Wet-into-wet blending & edge control 🎨 Refining features with detail or expressive mark-making Why Six Weeks? Portraiture is a subtle, layered process — and six weeks allows you the time and space to absorb each stage with confidence. What’s Included ✔️ 30×40cm Linen Canvas (ideal for subtle, controlled blending) ✔️ All essential painting materials* *Please bring your own oil brushes and apron. Flats, filberts, and a couple of fine rounds are recommended. 📍 Location: The Five Villages Hall, Station Rd, Backford, Chester, CH1 6NT 📅 When: Wednesday mornings, 10 am – 2 pm ✨ Spaces are limited — early booking is advised! Got questions? Contact Dan directly — we’re always happy to help.