Portrait Painting (Tuesday)
Adult Class | Available
This beginner to intermediate course in oils (or acrylic) will approach portraiture from a sculptural standpoint, highlighting the basic bony landmarks of the face and skull and using color/value to define major planes and movements of each feature. Moving from large, simple shapes of the face under light, students will transition their thinking from flat abstraction into three-dimensional form.
What You Will Learn:
- The basic structure and artistic anatomy of the head/face
- Simplifying form to planes
- Alla prima techniques for portrait painting
- Drawing the features as homework assignments
Who This Class Is For:
Students with some experience in drawing and/or painting who are interested in building on their skills. Questions about whether this class is right for you? Email adulteducation@fleisher.org.
Essential, economical version:
-2 large flat bristle (oil) or synthetic (water-based) brushes(sizes 8-6)
-2 medium flat bristle (oil) or synthetic (water-based) brushes (sizes 4-2)
-4 synthetic brights that roughly match the size of the bristle brushes
-3-4 various small synthetic rounds (sizes 2–000) (0 is my go to)
-A palette knife for mixing stretched canvas, canvas board, or panel (1 for each class) 9 x 12, is a good small 12 x 16 is a good for larger. I recommend having a variety of sizes
-Gamsol and container with lid
-Blue shop paper towels (or non-lint paper towels)
-Titanium white
-Ivory Black
-Burnt Umber
-Yellow Ochre
-Ultramarine Blue
-Cadmium Red Hue or Permanent Red
-Cadmium Yellow Hue
-Light Cerulean or Light Turquoise
-Quinacridone Magenta
Expanded List:
-Palette with enough surface to mix colors (can be disposable)
Suggested palette (less expensive alternatives in parentheses):
-Cadmium Lemon (Cadmium Hue, or Permanent version)
-Cadmium Yellow Medium or Deep (Cadmium Hue, or Permanent version)
-Cadmium Orange (Cadmium Hue, or Permanent version)
-(Naphthol Red [preferred]) or Cadmium Red Light
-Quinacridone Magenta
-Ultramarine Blue
-Cobalt Turquoise Blue Light
-Dioxazine Purple
-Ivory Black
-Flake White or Titanium White
-Yellow Ochre (Light)
-Burnt Umber
Optional helpful colors:
-Cobalt blue
-Permanent Green
-Viridian
-Raw Umber
-Raw Sienna
-Caput Mortuum
-Alizarin Crimson
-Indian Yellow Deep or Extra Deep
David Heshmatpour
Dave (he/him) is a multidisciplinary visual artist working in painting, sculpture, drawing, and digital photography. He earned a degree in Applied Science, specializing in welding technology, before graduating with a BFA specializing in painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 2020. He lives and works alongside his very good dog Ruskin in Philadelphia.