Most of the college art portfolio requirements include live model drawings and paintings, which are difficult to arrange during regular portfolio prep classes (sessions have to be longer). Therefore, we offer this summer 4-hour long weekly workshop (5 sessions, 20 hours total) that helps fill this gap. Teachers closely monitor and guide students during these live model sessions. The portraits from the previous live model workshops were all used in our graduate students' college portfolios.
Day 1. Overview of a head anatomy, tips on achieving likeness. Quick charcoal sketches of a face in various angles.
Day 2. Charcoal or pencil portrait of a model. Hands can be included in composition.
Day 3. Starting painting of a portrait. Overview of a process, compositional sketches. Making a drawing on a canvas.
Day 4. Starting painting the portrait.
Day 5. Finishing the portrait
Materials provided include:
Paint:
- set of acrylic paint (at least these colors - black, white. red. blue. yellow, green. brown, orange, purple). Recommended brand - Basics by Liquitex
- watercolor paint, preferably in dry pans form. Recommended brand - Artist’s Loft by Michaels
- Set of soft pastels. Recommended brand - Artist’s Loft by Michaels
Drawing Medium:
- regular HB pencil
- eraser
- optional: set of graphite pencils of different softness (2H, H, B, 2B, 4B etc)
- colored pencils. Recommended brand - Prismacolor
- optional: markers. Recommended brand - Copics
- liners or sharpie pens.
Tools:- brushes - flat and round (pointy). Use separate brushes for acrylic and watercolor paint.
- wooden clay sculpting tools
- paper plates for mixing paint
- water bucket or cup
- scissors
- glue stick
Clay:
- Air-dry clay - white. Recommended brand - Crayola
- Oven baked clay - white. Recommended brand - Sculpey
- Modeling clay - multiple colors. Recommended brand - Claytoon
Surfaces:
- painting boards or mixed media paper, 8’’x10'’ or bigger - good for acrylic paint, coloring pencils, markers and graphite pencils.
- canvases, 8’’x10’’ or bigger - for acrylic paint only
- watercolor paper, 8’’x10’’ or bigger - for watercolor paint
- sketchbook or loose sketch paper (printing paper is ok) - any size
- construction paper (multiple colors), 11’’x14’’ or bigger