PAINTING THE PORTRAIT (LIVE MODEL)
August 26-29, 2025 | 9:30am - 4:30pm
4-Day Workshop
Instructor Susan Lyon
Studio Artiste, Wilmington, NC
Tuition $725


All levels and mediums are welcome in this comprehensive 4-day study of painting and drawing a portrait from life and photographs. We will experiment with unique color combinations and a variety of toned surfaces to embark on an exploration of creative discovery beyond our usual habitual boundaries. Fear of failure or looking foolish are the enemy of growth and will be banished from this class! Failure is a necessary step to improvement and will be encouraged and celebrated in this quest to unleash the joy of our creative inner child.
Each day will build on the foundational concepts and tools of artistic perception explored in the previous day’s demonstration/lecture. By the end of the class, you will be armed with a thorough understanding of the technical aspects of drawing, value, color, edges, and technique—in order to more fully express your unique personal vision and to experiment with more confidence.
On the first day, Susan will demonstrate painting a portrait from a photographic reference she has taken of a model—discussing a step-by-step procedure for creating an accurate and artistic likeness, as well as the challenges of lighting and photographing a model. Each student will then be supplied with a copy of the same photograph Susan painted for her demonstration, with Susan giving individual instruction and guidance as you follow her procedure for accurately drawing/painting the model from the reference.
Throughout the subsequent three-days of demonstrations and one-on-one personal instruction, Susan will focus on analyzing the relative light and shadow patterns on the face in service of transforming a two-dimensional surface into the illusion of a living, breathing, three-dimensional portrait. The class will do a portrait a day, Susan will demonstrate in the morning and the class will work in the afternoons.
Day 1 working from photos
Day 2-4 working from a live model
More than anything, WE WILL put fun back into painting, experimenting, and creating!
