Introduction to Portrait Drawing
with John Murphy-Woolford
An introduction to the expressive and creative possibilities of portrait drawing
Course Description
This introduction to portraiture is designed to provide students with the tools and knowledge necessary to produce portraits with confidence. Capturing a likeness is a challenging prospect and this course provides the fundamental elements and understanding of drawing which enable good likenesses to be made. Using famous paintings and drawings from art history as source material, we investigate different approaches to portraiture and image making as we develop our drawing skills. No live model will be used.
No previous experience of Portraiture is necessary: the course is for beginners.
Lesson summary
Each lesson will begin with a short presentation giving a context to the aims of the class and we will look at some of the images we will work from. In each class we will investigate an aspect of drawing important to portraiture and think about how it has been used in a variety of examples. Students will then spend time responding to these images, making drawings of their own with the guidance and support of the tutor.
Course Objectives:
Students will acquire the knowledge necessary to understand form and shape in portraiture, learn how to ‘see’ more successfully and how to translate their observations into their artwork. They will also be introduced to different approaches celebrated artists have used in order to interpret portraiture.
Each class stands independently, focusing on one aspect of drawing and its creative potential. Ideas of interpretation are explained to students through examples of famous or important drawings through history.
Students are supported and guided as they use these interpretive and knowledge based approaches in their own drawings.
Colleen Barry
Picasso
Elements of portraiture covered in this course:
Line and its various uses.
Plane and shape of the head.
Composition.
Tone
Working from big to small ideas.
Translation and interpretation.
The need for editing.
Quick sketches (and the element of time)
The skull and its landmark features.
Measuring and eyeballing.
Do and redo. Image as rehearsal.
Self-Portraiture.
Jessica Artman
Required materials and costs estimates
Conventional materials will be used: Papers, pencils, charcoal (willow and compressed), grey scale pastels, erasers, ink and ink pens, brushes etc. Material costs needn’t exceed £25-£30.
Optional Materials
While this course does not directly engage with colour as a subject, if students wish to use colour they may.