Friday Portrait Class (Afternoons Only)
Term 2, 2025: April 25 - June 27 (10 Weeks)
1:30pm to 4:15pm
Tutors: Sally Ryan & Ben Ryan
In this class, students work from the live model with each pose extending over five consecutive Fridays (i.e. two long poses per ten-week term). It features a clothed/costumed pose from the model, which gives us a chance to throw some more colour into our paintings and explore some interesting compositions.
The class covers our whole painting process, from an initial drawing through to a block-in, and then on to a finished piece. Concepts addressed include: drawing, tone, colour, form, edges, composition, materials and more.
Students may focus on painting or drawing, and can work on a portrait or a larger figurative composition.
MATERIALS
Below is our general list of materials. If you’d like to paint but you’re entirely new to it, don’t feel like you have to rush out and buy everything. It might be a good idea to just bring drawing equipment on your first day and we can discuss materials as we go.
For drawing:
- A2 size cartridge paper
- HB+2B pencil
- Kneadable eraser
For painting:
- Brushes – we recommend bringing brushes in a range of shapes and sizes. We tend to use primarily hog-hair filbert brushes. We also recommend bringing a few softer brushes for softening edges. It is also useful to have a few flat brushes, as well as some small round brushes for details. A soft fan brush can also be useful for softening edges.
*Brushes must be in good condition. In terms of brand, for the hog-hair brushes we like the Isabey Hog Series though this is not essential.
- Board/canvas – approx. 14x16 inches or a bit larger. Working to a smaller size may be restrictive.
We recommend toning your surface with a mid-tone neutral grey colour (raw umber with white for instance). It must be dry prior to the class. This can be -done with oil paint or, if you’re using an acrylic-primed canvas, acrylic paint. Acrylic paints are not to be used during the class though.
- Palette Knife – Metal, not plastic
- Wooden Palette (the studio is also able to supply palettes for use during class)
- Paper towel
- Rags (old T-shirts etc. are good
Pigments:
The following oil colours are essential –
- White (Cremnitz/Lead/Flake OR Titanium)
- A bright yellow (e.g.Cadmium Yellow, Cad Yellow Pale or Cad Yellow Lemon)
- Yellow Ochre
- Cadmium Red Light (or Vermilion)
- An earth red (e.g. Transparent Red Oxide, Burnt Sienna, Venetian Red, English Red)
- Alizarin Crimson or Alizarin Claret
- Raw Umber
- Ultramarine Blue
- Ivory Black
*We mostly use Michael Harding and Old Holland paints but they are expensive because they have higher levels of pigment than student quality paints. Any artist quality paints are acceptable -Windsor & Newton, Gamblin, Rembrandt etc - do not buy oil paint sets.