ART CLASSES: How to Paint Realistic Portraits from pictures

This oil painting class will be a four day workshop in which the student will learn how to approach a portrait painting using the same methods and techniques used in the 19th century but with the use of pictures as references. We will learn how to interpret, simplify, and enhance the information on the photograph, in order to make the painting look as if it was done from life. Everyday the instructor will demonstrate in order to lead students with what they will work on for the day. 

Students will learn hoe to organize a light and shape pattern. How to block-in the head, avoiding common mistakes such as diving into small details to early in the process. We will learn how to prioritize big form modeling and the hierarchy of forms to get better structure. How to relate abstract forms in order to achieve the likeness. 

The student will also learn how to mix convincing flesh tones, the importance of the “arrangement” of colors on the palette. The importance of cool and warm colors, and how to interpret them from the photograph.

One of the most important parts of this course will be the understanding of edges as the can be seen from nature, and how to apply this knowledge when painting from pictures.

We will also emphasize the concept of focal point, and the different techniques to achieve it.

The students will send the Photograph to be painted to be approved, or they can come to the school to take the picture under supervision.

Students will finish the course with a completed portrait, a certificate of completion, and all the knowledge that will help them on the future to paint better and more convincing portrait using photographs as reference. 

This oil painting class will be a four day long pose with the live portrait model. Everyday the instructor will demonstrate in order to lead students with what they will work on for the day. 

For our start, students will learn how to get better structure and likeness through the practice of abstract angle relationships as our drawing foundation. Students will then build upon this by modelling the surface of the face etc with a basic fleshtone value range. 'Form modelling' is a concept of using tones ranging from dark to light to record and understand what happens when light hits a 'form'. This is the basic method upon which more elaborate portraits can be developed. 

Also discussed will be adding color to our fleshtones, how to start this process and how to think about it based upon classical formulas and also pure abstract color perception.  We will end the class with developing the features further to create a focal point for the portrait. 

Students will leave this workshop with one fully realized portrait and a more thorough understanding of how to build a painting from start to finish.

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Esta clase de pintura al óleo será una pose de cuatro días con el modelo de retrato en vivo. Todos los días, el instructor hará una demostración para guiar a los estudiantes con lo que trabajarán durante el día.

Para comenzar, los estudiantes aprenderán cómo obtener una mejor estructura y semejanza a través de la práctica de las relaciones de ángulos abstractos como nuestra base de dibujo. Luego, los estudiantes se basarán en esto modelando la superficie de la cara, etc. Con un rango básico de valores de tono de piel. El modelado de formas es un concepto de uso de tonos que van de oscuros a claros para registrar y comprender lo que sucede cuando la luz incide en una forma. Este es el método básico sobre el cual se pueden desarrollar retratos más elaborados.

También se discutirá cómo agregar color a nuestros tonos de piel, cómo iniciar este proceso y cómo pensar en él en base a fórmulas clásicas y también a la percepción puramente abstracta del color. Terminaremos la clase con el desarrollo de las características para crear un punto focal para el retrato.

Los estudiantes saldrán de este taller con un retrato completamente realizado y una comprensión más profunda de cómo construir una pintura de principio a fin.