Wednesday Figure/Portrait Class (Mornings Only - Alla Prima)
Term 3, 2026: July 22 - September 23 (10 Weeks)
10:00am to 12:45pm
Tutors: Sally Ryan & Ben Ryan
In this class students will paint or draw from the live model, who will hold a new long pose each week. This class will focus on alla prima painting and drawing techniques, which are important for learning to become confident and efficient artists.
Each day will start with a couple of quick warmup poses, and then the model will move into a long pose for the remainder of the morning. Students will work on developing processes to make finished artworks within a short timeframe. The class will focus on being efficient and economical with our mark-making.
Students may focus on painting or drawing, and can work on the whole human figure or the portrait, or any part of the composition that interests them. It is recommended that complete beginners start with just drawing, as good drawing skills are always at the core of good painting.
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
- Pencil (H, HB or 2B are fine)
- 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 (https://www.thesydneyartstore.com.au/product-group/949-isabey-6088-hog-series-brushes/category/273-acrylic-oil-brushes) though this is not essential.
- Boards/canvases – students need to bring a new surface to paint on each week. Canvases can be stretched but loose pieces of canvas are also fine (they can be pinned to boards that are available at the studio). Some art stores sell canvas off-cuts and you can also buy pads of canvas paper.
*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 in 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 colours we use are the following–
- 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.