Whenever painting a portrait, there are three elements that need to be accounted for: hue, value, and chroma. The difficulty lies in being able to observe how these elements shift over the course of the portrait’s topography in relation to the light and then being able to mix what you see in paint. This workshop will teach students how to observe and paint these shifts through the use of a color study.

Color studies allow a student to focus on color and value without the burden of proportion. It also allows a student to edit what they see through the use of planes, a way of conceptualizing the portrait into a series of simple, manageable shapes that illustrate color and value shifts. 

To make this process more accommodating, we will start off with grisaille (monochromatic) studies and then move to a limited palette of red, yellow, and blue (ivory black). Since most skin tones can be mixed with a combination of these three colors, it allows for manageability and versatility. Our painting surface will be thick paper that allows for quick drying times and multiple passes of paint in one session, removing the pressure of making permanent mistakes.

Each day will consist of a demo/lecture in the morning, followed by one or two studies. The first day will focus on grisaille, and the second on color.

Model Fee is included.