Through demonstrations and exercises, Carole will help demystify the art of portrait drawing and painting, enabling you to capture a likeness whether it is of a loved one, a grandchild or even a celebrity. We will start with a series of exercises analysing the features and proportions as well as looking at pose and composition, aiming to improve the way you see as well as improving your drawing skills. The second day you can work from your own references or Carole’s. A model will be available for those who wish to work from life.
Tutor: Carole Massey
Carole Massey is a popular and supportive tutor who has been teaching at Flatford Mill for nearly 20 years. She managed her own successful design partnership before returning to her first love of painting, which currently involves a combination of tutoring, demonstrations, private commissions, exhibitions, TV appearances and filming for a leading online website www.arttutor.com/artist/carolemassey. A recent portrait commission for the Bank of England of Sir Charles Bean, deputy governor now hangs in the bank in perpetuity. She is a regular contributor to art magazines and has written many teaching Artbooks, published by the award winning publisher Search Press, with international sales exceeding 250,000. Her latest books are “Drawing for the Absolute Beginner” and “The Beginners’ Guide to Drawing Portraits” which will be on sale on the course. Carole has exhibited and demonstrated at the Mall Galleries, London, and her work is in a number of private collections in the UK and abroad. She now lives in Suffolk. She can be contacted via email - [email protected].
What's Included
Before You Attend
What to Bring
Drawing
- 2B and/or 4B pencils
- charcoal sticks – black, or conté (sticks or a pencil) black/ brown and white
- A4 or A3 medium surface good quality cartridge pad, 180 gsm
- craft knife or pencil sharpener
Watercolours
If you are buying from scratch we recommend tube rather than pan colours. Artists’ quality is preferable, but Student quality is quite adequate.
A suggested basic range includes:
Lemon yellow or aureolin, cadmium yellow or Indian yellow, cadmium red light or vermillion, permanent rose or alizarin crimson, raw sienna or yellow ochre, burnt sienna, light red, french ultramarine, cobalt, phthalo blue or cerulean or Winsor blue
Brushes
You will need numbers 5, 8 and 12 round (synthetic or synthetic/sable blend are quite adequate, eg Prolene, Pro Arte).
Paper
Please bring Bockingford Not (semi rough) watercolour paper, 140lb, in loose sheets (11” x 15”) or a Bockingford spiral bound pad size approx 10” x 14”.
NB The Centre shop does stock loose sheets of Bockingford 140lb paper.
Other Materials
- craft knife
- kneadable rubber
- masking fluid and applicator e.g. dip pen, ruling pen, cocktail stick, etc.
- 1” masking tape
- kitchen roll
- palette
- hand mirror
- Good quality photos to work from
- handwipes
- an old shirt or apron to protect you
- newspaper or tissue paper to cover your finished pastel work.
The centre has drawing boards. We also have easels and stools for hire at a small charge if required.
Soft Pastels
If you would like to use pastels, look for soft pastels, (not oil pastels). Winsor & Newton, Rowney, Rembrandt, Sennelier, Unison, and Schminke all produce high quality artist colours, some softer than others. A boxed set of 24 portrait colours is a good starting point and should include a range of creams, pinks, earth colours, as well as blues and greens. Sticks can also be bought individually to extend the range of colours.
Pastel Pencils
A mid and dark brown as well as black, white, dark blue, red and purple are useful for adding detail to pastel work. Makes such as Derwent, Carbothello or Pitt are ideal.
Pastel Paper
Choose medium or light colours – cream, buff, cool grey and pinkish grey etc, that are sympathetic to the subject. Makes such as Canson, Ingres and Fabriano are most suitable and can be bought in pads or loose sheets.
Sorry this course has ended