Workshops

This intensive workshop focuses on the classic 19th century academic painting style used by William Adolphe Bouguereau, considered by many to be the premier academician of his era. His impeccable drawing skills and facility in depicting form are widely admired, making his work some of the best to study to learn to paint realistically. Bouguereau’s methodology follows a series of repeatable steps, ultimately leading to a painting of the highest finish. Suitable for all levels of experience.

This 3-day workshop introduces an expressive, efficient approach to painting called direct painting. The direct method allows the artist to explore all aspects of painting, including warm and cool tones, expressive brushwork, accuracy of shape, form and colour, etc. It synthesizes the layering and glazing methods used by most old masters, and the modern alla prima style that features wet-into-wet paint application, lending efficiency without compromising quality or draftsmanship. Students will also learn principles of composition, selecting and setting up objects to paint.

In this 3-day portrait workshop, Principal Instructor Fernando Freitas will guide students from beginning to end in achieving a stronger likeness in capturing a portrait. He will be covering how to start with the structure of the head, focusing on proportion and placement of the features. Special attention will placed on the planes, forms, and volumes of the face. Whether a beginner or advanced artist, participants will definitely gain higher results in a more realistic portrait. Appropriate for all levels.

This 3-day workshop is an introduction to the Alla Prima method, which means “all at once.” This is a method that has to be done in one section, wet-into-wet, where each brushstroke counts. Using this approach, artists can develop a better vocabulary of paint and brush handling toward achieving expressive, yet realistic portraits in a more immediate way. Participants will execute one sketch each day throughout the week, from a range of different points using live models. This course is suitable for all levels.

Learn the art of figure drawing using our step-by-step method. Beginner and advanced students will benefit from this drawing workshop. Students will be working directly from the nude using charcoal or carbon pencil. Principal instructor Fernando Freitas will teach the basics of gesture, proportion, and morphology. Students will then finish their drawings with big form and small form modeling. The end effect is a dramatic three-dimensional figure.

This 5-day drawing workshop focuses on creating a solid understanding of the anatomy of the head as the base for building the structure of the portrait. Participants will be taken through a number of shorter poses, where with a lineal drawing, the construct of the head will be broken down into a series of big to small steps. The workshop will discuss the planes, proportions, and features of the face, and how these can be explained through anatomy.