Discover our Portrait Painting Courses

Let your creativity be inspired by the natural world


Discover portrait painting courses with Field Studies Council.

Portraiture is the art of creating a visual representation of a person through drawing painting and even sculpting.

Historically, portraits were created to depict an idealised view of historic figures rather than a likeness to their looks or personality. Throughout the ages, styles and techniques have changed. Modern portraits now can take on a more honest approach.

Creating portraits doesn’t always necessarily have to capture a likeness of the subject. Other factors are taken into consideration when creating a portrait that are more than surface deep. The sitters personality, their mood and body language can all be captured on canvas.

Portrait painting by Carole Massey, tutor for our portrait painting courses
Carole Massey, our Portrait Painting Courses tutor

Join in with our Portrait Painting Courses at Field Studies Council

Our portrait painting courses offer you the chance to learn the skills and techniques to produce a good portrait. Studying features, proportions, bone structure, pose and composition under the expert guidance of our tutors.

The courses offer a great introduction to portraiture but also offer advancement through to a more skilled level.

The natural surroundings of our centres and local wildlife both inspire these portrait painting courses. The landscape is abundant with flora and fauna, so let the UK’s nature and wildlife inspire your creativity.

Field Studies Council’s creative courses range from day art courses to longer Craft weekends and even week long art and craft holidays.

Our portrait courses do feature some studio time, but getting outdoors and immersing yourself in the natural landscape can have a whole host of benefits, creatively, mentally and fantastic for all-round well-being.

These craft courses are more than just a learning experience, they are a chance to meet like-minded people, a chance to unwind from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and experience the UK’s glorious countryside, offering a relaxing backdrop to your time away.

Our courses studying portraiture drawing and painting techniques take place at one of our most inspiring locations, Flatford Mill in Suffolk.