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Summer: Sketching the Portrait: Five Techniques

Instructor(s):

August 11 – 15, 2025 (Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm)
Schedule: 10am – 1pm workshop; 1-2pm lunch; 2 – 5pm workshop
Limit: approximately 12 students
Tuition per week: $950 ($475 deposit upon enrollment) Clay is provided.
Tuition balance is due by June 1, 2025.

Course Description

In this five-day workshop, artists will learn to create portrait sketches that evince the beauty and humanity of the model with freshness, sensitivity, and lively detail. Using a lucid step-by-step approach, participants will draw five portrait sketches of five different live models. Patrick will guide artists with daily demonstrations and in-depth personal critiques through each stage of the process – from creating a strong likeness with
accurate drawing, to interpreting the light effect, modeling form, and seeking a balance between sculptural, graphic and atmospheric aesthetic aims. Cranial anatomy, perspective, materials, and the physics of light will also be discussed throughout each session. Novice, intermediate, and advanced artists welcome— instruction will be customized to individual levels of experience.

Each day of the workshop presents a different technique and will be divided into two basic components. Mornings begin with a short lecture and comprehensive demonstration, introducing and illustrating core concepts for each theme: colored pencil on white paper, graphite and white chalk on toned paper, charcoal on toned paper, pen and ink, and trois crayons. Following the demonstration and for the rest of the day, participants will focus on drawing the model with the guidance of detailed, personalized critiques emphasizing a highly organized approach that combines optical and conceptual analysis.

Typically, each participant will receive 20-30 minutes of personalized instructor feedback each day.

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