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Portrait Drawing (Learning from the Old Masters) is unfortunately unavailable

Thankfully we have 2 other Portrait Drawing Classes for you to choose from. Check our top choices below or see all classes for more options.

Portrait - Intermediate

The Art Studio @ 6450 Westminster Blvd, Westminster, CA

Refine your portrait drawing skills and explore new techniques in this intermediate-level art class. Perfect for students who already have a basic understanding of drawing the head and want to enhance their work. Discover the secrets to creating stunning black-and-white studies before diving into color. Don't miss the chance to take your portraits to the next level.

(3) Intermediate 7 and older
$240

6 sessions

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Self-Portrait Drawing

Element Art Center @ 835 North Broadway, Los Angeles, CA

Unleash your inner artist and capture your unique essence in this engaging drawing workshop. Discover the art of self-portraiture as experienced instructors guide you through the process, teaching techniques to bring your features to life. No experience is necessary, just a desire to explore and create.

(16) All levels 18 and older
See all Portrait Drawing classes Los Angeles

Portrait Drawing (Learning from the Old Masters)

  • All levels
  • 18 and older
  • $549
  • 16926 Saticoy St, Van Nuys, CA
  • 24 hours over 8 sessions

Start Dates (0)

  • $549
  • Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art @ 16926 Saticoy St, Van Nuys, CA 91406
  • 24 hours over 8 sessions
  • $20 Reg fee not included and should be paid directly to LAAFA.
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Class Description

Description

What you'll learn in this portrait drawing class:

Learning From the Old Masters will be an aesthetic exploration into the Elements and Principles of drawing the portrait as they relate to the study of Light and Structure. This class will alternate weekly between working from life and doing copies of Old Master portraits. The best Old Master portraits are character driven and strike a subtle balance between an ideal global roundness of a form and the faithful introduction of surface sub-forms. If you neglect the sub-forms that articulate the surface structure/topography and build upon the ideal, it looks more like an artistic style rather than visual reality. Rembrandt, Velazquez, and Rubens are three giants who struck a highly nuanced balance.

Every human being is a unique and recognizable individual. The aim of the portraitist is to seize the distinct character of the subject. The basic principles of human structure are the bedrock with which we will begin our examination of the nature of the portrait revealed by a kind and quality of light within the visual field. The portrait is primarily a study of Essential Form—this is an aesthetic universal. Every structure on the human face has a specific and identifiable shape—from the two longest axes defining the overall character of the big shape of the head to the smallest substructures that comprise the individual features. Light reveals form. A convincing portrait is as much a portrait of the Light as it is of the forms and structures that define the subject at hand. In fact, they are dual aspects of a singular reality as perceived by the human eye—dictated by the laws of visual perception, specifically the physics of Light.

My approach to teaching encompasses a hierarchy of perceptual, conceptual and physical exercises. It introduces unmistaken principles from a unique, unbroken, master-apprentice tradition, and cultivates them in the student through daily studio practice and critiques. The aim of this class is to help students to understand the portrait visually, and as a living design—the structure, nature, character and the play of light upon it. Students will receive real-time coaching and critique at their workstations, weekly lecture-demonstrations, and adequate time to study and practice the teachings on their own, in the life class.

Supply List:

  • GRAPHITE PENCILS: HB, 2B, 3B, 4B(any kind or brand¾extra 2Bs as they will be used most often)
  • CHARCOAL PENCILS: HB, 2B, 3B, 4B (General Mills or equivalent¾ extra 2Bs as they will be used most often)
  • White charcoal pencils
  • Vine charcoal, medium (thin sticks)
  • Kneaded rubber eraser
  • Hard eraser
  • Chamois, for erasing/spreading charcoal
  • 6 bulldog clamps, or similar
  • 20”X26” art board or 2-ply foam core (white or black)
  • Drawing pad (18”x 24”) (Bond or sketch¾NO NEWSPRINTPLEASE)
  • Drawing pad (18”X 24”) (High-quality white or off-white drawing paper like bristol)
  • Variety of neutrally toned Canson brand fine papers or equivalent (18”X 24”) (Optional)
  • A personal sketchbook/notebook 
  • Pencil sharpener (manual or sandpaper) or a general purpose razor blade or X-Acto knife, to sharpen drawing instruments

Refund Policy

LAAFA reserves the right to cancel any class, limit class size, change class times or substitute instructors for those listed in the schedule. If a class is cancelled, students will be issued a full refund or may transfer with no fee to another class. If an instructor must leave after a term has begun, and no suitable substitute is available, the student will be refunded a pro-rated amount.

Refunds & Transfers

All classes, uninstructed workshops, visiting artist workshops and artist demonstrations are non-refundable. You may request to drop for credit or transfer into another class. You have two weeks to evaluate each class and decide whether you want to drop for credit (a dollar amount calculated based on the receipt of request) or transfer into a new class. Requests must be submitted before the start of the third session. A $25 drop/transfer fee is assessed. Credit will be valid for a full year and is non-refundable. It can be applied toward any extension course, workshop or visiting artist event at LAAFA. All artist demonstrations are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Reviews of Classes at Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art (4)

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Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art

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