Workshop | Portraits with Pzazz with Jon Berkeley at Schoolhouse for Art

DAY ONE

Working from photographic references, we will start by creating some pencil sketches in which we examine the faces of our subjects and work on capturing their essential geometry, looking beyond the surface features to see how character forms the face, and how we can try to distil that character in a few simple lines that will form the basic structure for a portrait.

In the afternoon we will work up some of our sketches into more finished drawings, adding tone and texture while keeping our lines free and lively, so as not to lose the dynamism and character of the sketches.

DAY TWO

We will work from a live model, using the skills we’ve honed on Day One (believe me, you can do a surprising amount of honing in a day). We will begin with a pencil sketch to establish the basics of the face. Moving on to canvas or board we will start with a loose sketch, mapping our composition onto the available area before beginning with an underpainting and working up to a fully finished portrait that captures the essence of our model.