Studio Incamminati In Your Town: Tampa Painting the Portrait

Taught by:
Kerry Dunn
Portrait Society of America 2009 Certificate of Excellence

The purpose of this workshop is to study the building stages of creating a portrait painting from life. By following a basic process, students more closely examine each stage and its correlating visual principles. Students start with a grisaille to capture the gesture and use Bargue drawing-type thinking to study the proportions of the head. Then, flesh tones are added to develop a fuller value range and begin building the illusion of light on form.

Color, along with a basic color theory, is woven into this process entering the middle stages of the painting and working towards completion. In addition, students study the use of edges, focal points, and the concept of larger-to-smaller relationships, anatomical landmarks and paint handling. The class starts with short-pose head studies progressing toward two-one day portrait paintings. Students finish with a greater understanding and ability with the exercises and also integrating them into one cohesive painting process in order to paint the portrait.