Portrait Drawing from Life: Build Confidence

Course Overview

This 2-hour course runs weekly and offers a structured and welcoming introduction to portrait drawing from life. Working from a live model, participants will focus on the essential foundations of observational drawing: proportion, structure, light, and tone.

Suitable for beginners as well as those returning to drawing, the course emphasises careful looking and building confidence through a clear, step-by-step approach. By simplifying the complexity of the face into manageable elements, participants will develop a solid base for further exploration.

Teaching Approach

Each week the session combines short demonstrations with guided exercises and sustained drawing time. The focus is on developing strong observational habits while maintaining a relaxed and supportive studio atmosphere.

You will work from a variety of poses, gradually building your ability to:

• place features accurately
• understand proportion and structure
• interpret light and shadow

Individual feedback is offered throughout, tailored to your level and pace.

What You’ll Learn

You will:

• Understand the basic structure and proportions of the head
• Develop confidence in drawing from observation
• Learn to simplify complex forms into clear shapes
• Use tone to describe volume and light
• Build a consistent drawing practice

By the end of the course, you will have produced a series of portrait studies and gained a strong foundation for further development.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher ARTHAUS