Portrait painting summer school: from Reynolds to now
Art making summer school
5 September 2023 10.30am - 5.30pm6 September 2023 10.30am - 5.30pm7 September 2023 10.30am - 5.30pm8 September 2023 10.30am - 5.30pm9 September 2023 10.30am - 5.30pm
Clore Learning Centre | Burlington Gardens
£1,900. Includes all materials, light refreshments each day and drinks receptions throughout the week.
Friends of the RA book first
Perfect your oil painting skills and learn to capture likeness, character and mood in this five-day portraiture summer school, led by Adebanji Alade.
Please note: this is an in-person event only
“In portraits, the grace and, we may add, the likeness consists more in taking the general air than in observing the exact similitude of every feature” Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA
Sir Joshua Reynolds, the founding President of the Royal Academy of Arts, was renowned for his portrait painting, capturing the likeness of many of the leading figures of the eighteenth century. In 2023, the 300th anniversary of Reynolds’ birth, portraiture is still a thriving discipline. Contemporary portrait painters – including Amy Sherald, Alice Neel and Chantal Joffe RA – are able to depict their sitters’ personality and character.
In this week-long summer school you learn the skills and techniques to both render portraits in the historic tradition and then build up to create contemporary portraits in your own distinct style. During the course, participants work from life models creating sketches and drawings based on learning the anatomy of the skull, before moving on to perfecting composition, proportion and colour primarily through the use of oil paints. Throughout the week participants strive to capture their sitter through mark-making and paint.
Alongside practical exercises, the course offers a series of talks, discussions and exhibition visits on both historic and contemporary portraits – covering themes like trends in portraiture, the purpose of a portrait and the complex relationship between artist and sitter.
The course covers:
• Drawing and sketching a composition and understanding the anatomy of the skull
• Colour rendering and mixing skin tones
• Creating a studio portrait in the traditional style by learning historic techniques
• Bringing life and personality to your subject
• Painting a finished portrait in your own unique style
The course will last five full days and is designed to provide one-on-one tutor feedback and maximum teaching time. Participants will study directly from the RA’s unique teaching collection with exclusive access to its world-renowned facilities and expert staff.
Adebanji Alade is an award-winning artist, otherwise known as the ADDICTIVE SKETCHER. He is a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and The Chelsea Art Society, and was the BBC Artist in Residence for The One Show, BBC One. His works have been exhibited at the Mall Galleries, and he has taught numerous courses at The Art Academy and Heatherley’s School of Fine Art, Chelsea.
Minimum age 18. If you have any accessibility needs, please contact public.programmes@royalacademy.org.uk.
£1,900. Includes all materials, light refreshments each day and drinks receptions throughout the week.
Friends of the RA book first
Our courses and classes programme
Our programme of short courses and classes offers the opportunity to explore a range of subjects, led by expert tutors and practising artists.
Give this course as a gift
All of our courses can be purchased as a gift for a friend or family member – giving the gift of education and a remarkable experience. To arrange a personalised Gift Voucher, please the Academic Programmes Team by emailing academic.programmes@royalacademy.org.uk.
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