Academic Portrait Painting in Oils
To paint a portrait is to translate a living presence into planes of color and light. In this focused three-day workshop, you will learn the academic approach to capturing a likeness – working directly from a live model, and exclusively with the Zorn Palette: a historically restricted set of oil colors that trains your eye to master value and temperature relationships rather than reaching for an endless array of tubes.
What to Expect
The workshop follows a clear method: from the initial structural block-in through the first layer of paint to the subtle development of the focal point. The Zorn Palette is not a limitation – it is the condition under which real understanding of color becomes possible.
Day 1 – Foundations and the Block-In
An overview of portrait painting, theory, and historical examples. Introduction to materials and a detailed breakdown of the Zorn Palette and its logic. The day closes with a demo and a first imprimatura and block-in of the figure.
Day 2 – Value, Color, and the First Layer
Theory: mixing paint and establishing a value scale. The first layer of paint is applied to the canvas. A structured block-in of values in the portrait gives the work its tonal foundation.
Day 3 – Refinement and the Focal Point
Adjusting color and value relationships. Developing the smaller planes and forms of the face. Establishing a focal point – where precise observation meets deliberate decision.
What You'll Take Home
A painted portrait from a live model, worked through the complete academic method from block-in to focal point. And beyond the canvas:- The Zorn Palette in practice: a working knowledge of its logic and the value and temperature relationships it makes visible.
- A transferable method: the academic approach as a framework you can apply independently.
