Portrait Studies from the Masters | Oil Painting with Michelle Hiscock
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<p>Discover the fundamental techniques of portrait painting in oils as you copy a masterpiece by artists such as Raphael,
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Discover the fundamental techniques of portrait painting in oils as you copy a masterpiece by artists such as Raphael, Velasquez, Rembrandt, and Leonardo da Vinci. Michelle Hiscock guides you in this practical investigation of classical painting techniques with expert demonstrations of methods and materials including preparation of supports, coloured grounds, tonal underpainting, the palette, colour mixing and structuring oil paint in layers. You will have the opportunity to choose your portrait from over 50 works in Michelle's resource library of 1:1 scaled images.
Each masterpiece has been carefully selected from the great museums of the world such as the National Gallery of London, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Metropolitan in New York, or the Prado in Madrid, with ultra-high resolution images for you to zoom in and enjoy (feel free to bring an iPad/tablet).
Image credit: Bronzino: Portrait of a young man 1550-55
Michelle Hiscock takes a special interest in the history of painting materials and techniques and their application to contemporary practice. She is widely known for her lectures and masterclasses on drawing and painting at the National Art School and the Art Gallery of NSW. She is represented by Australian Galleries, Sydney, and has exhibited nationally for the past 30 years. A finalist in the 2023 Archibald Prize for her portrait of Don Walker "The Songwriter" and a regular finalist in the Portia Geach Award.
What to expect
All students will gain a thorough understanding of approaches to classical oil painting through the transcriptions of master portrait painting.
- learn about tonal underpainting
- coloured grounds
- learn about colour and colour mixing and setting the palette
- structuring oil paint in layers including stumbling, glazing and retouching
Is this course right for me?
Michelle welcomes serious beginners to this class as well as experienced students who wish to develop or consolidate their oil painting skills. What matters is a curiosity and desire to learn about classical techniques of the great artists of the past. Beginners will enjoy learning step by step, following Michelle’s clearly articulated methods and demonstrations. Students with prior experience will have the opportunity to practise advanced techniques and extend their skills. Art teachers will also benefit from joining this workshop.
Materials list
Materials are not included in the course fee. All students will need to bring the following:
- Palette knife (diamond shaped like a trowel)
- Palette (flat, without ridges or indents, e.g. plywood, plastic, Perspex or glass)
- Tube of white acrylic paint (Matisse ‘Structure’ is recommended)
- Paper and pencil for note-taking
- Cotton cloth rags (old sheets are best)
- 1 rectangular take-away container
- Refined linseed oil at least 250ml
- Small glass jar with lid
- Glad wrap
- Masking tape
- Scissors
Note: Do not bring solvents or mediums. A low-odour painting medium will be provided.
Painting Supports
Bring two supports, approx. 10 x 12 inches, 20 x 30 cm or A4 size - this can be plywood, sanded masonite or stretched canvas. Abandoned/unfinished paintings may also be ‘recycled’.
(I do NOT recommend MDF, canvas boards and canvas paper.)
Brushes
Please bring all the brushes you currently own. Ultimately, it is preferable to have 5 or more of each brush you like to use rather than a whole lot of completely different brushes. If you are buying brushes for the first time we recommend the following as a minimum:
- 3 filbert, synthetic or natural hog hair brushes approx. 8mm wide
- 1 round, pointed, synthetic sable brush approx. 5mm wide
- 1 flat, synthetic sable brush approx. 15mm wide
Oil paints
We are using a low-toxicity approach. Do not bring cobalt, chrome, cadmium or lead-based pigments.
The following is a suggested list of colours. The portrait you choose to do might only require a limited selection of colours so please bring the paints you already have and discuss with Michelle before purchasing additional paints.
- Titanium white (professional grade only; e.g. Old Holland, Winsor and Newton or Art Spectrum)
- Bright yellow (e.g., Winsor yellow, Spectrum yellow – not cadmium)
- Bright red (e.g., Winsor red, Spectrum red – not cadmium)
- Yellow ochre or Mars Yellow
- Venetian red or red earth
- Raw Sienna
- Raw umber
- Burnt Sienna
- Burnt Umber
- Alizarin crimson
- Ultramarine blue
- Pthalo Blue
- Ivory black
About studio classes
Our class sizes are small, ensuring you receive the individual tuition you need. We have a maximum of 12 students per class.
Unless otherwise noted, prices *exclude* art materials. Click here to see a list of local art supply retailers.
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Save on your art class
Art Est accepts Creative Kids vouchers and memberships to help you save on your art class, along with regular discounts for current students. To find out what you are eligible for and how to book with these, visit our special offers and discounts page: