Portrait Painting I: Value & Form

Intermediate+ with Lewis M Mackenzie Fridays 1.30 - 4.30pm

Starts Sep 27

360 British pounds

Great King Street

Available spots

Service Description

A £20 discount applies if both AM drawing and PM painting class is taken or if you would like to book for all three terms for the year. It has been said of painting that“colour gets all of the glory while value does all of the work.” Value (light and dark) is the element of drawing and painting that reveals form, and value masses are the building blocks of composition and design. This course assumes the student has an understanding of the structure of the head, as well as prior knowledge of head and neck proportions (although handouts on proportion will be provided, and we will always assist you) Learning to accurately observe value relations in nature and represent them in paint is absolutely foundational to portraiture, and all other forms of representational painting. Because of this, Term 1 of the portrait painting programme at EDS focuses exclusively on value, allowing students to gain fluency in the fundamentals of portrait painting in a structured and progressive manner. This course begins the student's introduction to portrait painting in oils through a series of grisaille (monochrome) studies in two colours: Raw Umber and Titanium White. Students will learn how to handle paint, model the head, and capture a likeness - accurately - using only values to represent light and shadow – avoiding the compounding problem of colour, which will be introduced in term II. Course structure - Week 1: • Short demonstration (1 hour) • Grisaille po Materials • SKETCHBOOK for note-taking • BRUSHES: A selection of good quality natural hog hair brushes in a variety of shapes and sizes. I recommend long flats, filberts and pointed round brushes. Make sure you have at least one medium sized (around 1cm wide) and one large (around 2.5 cm wide) brush (2 or 3 of each brush is ideal, but not essential) • PAINT: Raw Umber and Titanium White artist quality oils • SUPPORT: Stretched canvases or a canvas pad, around A3 size. I recommend Clairefontaine's A3 Linen Canvas Pad • SOLVENT: Artists odourless white spirit, eg: Kremer Shellsol-T (best value, available online from Atlantis Art Supplies and AP Fitzpatrick), Gamsol, Sansodor. Do NOT use turpentine – its fumes are toxic • MEDIUM – cold pressed or refined linseed oil, or other non-solvent medium (eg Michael Harding Miracle medium • PAPER TOWELS or RAGS • LIDDED JARS or POTS for solvent and medium • Knitting needle/kebab stick • Plumb line and bob • Small mirror • Black mirror (a smartphone screen is perfect

Upcoming Sessions

Cancellation Policy

We will provide a 50% refund if you give written advance notice up to 30 days before the course start date. 0% refund 30 days before a course starts. Please note there is an administration fee of £5 payable in respect of such refunds to cover payment processing fees. You will need to inform a member of administration staff in writing by emailing EDS at info@edinburghdrawingschool.co.uk. Additionally, if you withdraw for any reason after the course has started you will not be entitled to a refund. We are a small business and we depend on every booking to ensure that classes can go ahead. If a student is unable to attend a class due to illness, then EDS must be informed immediately so that the tutor can be notified. If you are missing a class because you suspect that you have developed Covid-19, please let us know immediately so that we can alert fellow student and tutors. Non-attendance of classes/workshops does not automatically mean a refund, however EDS will assess the circumstance