Expressive Life Drawing and Portraiture (Stage 2)

This course builds on the foundational skills learned in Stage 1, introducing more complex techniques for capturing the human form. Students will learn to create expressive and realistic portraits using a range of mediums, including pencil, charcoal, and pastels. Emphasis will be placed on observing and rendering the subtleties of facial expression and body language, as well as exploring the emotional depth of the subject. By the end of the course, students will have developed their skills in creating compelling and nuanced portraits.

Additional Information

This course is ideal for those with some experience in drawing and painting, looking to further develop their skills in portraiture. Students can expect to produce a range of work, including still life drawings, figurative works, and portraits of individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Unlock Your Artistic Potential at Arts University Bournemouth

Arts University Bournemouth is renowned for its strong focus on creativity and practical skills development. The university's experienced faculty will provide students with personalized guidance and mentorship throughout the course, helping them to achieve their full artistic potential. Additionally, the university's location in Bournemouth provides access to a vibrant cultural scene, with numerous galleries, museums, and exhibitions to inspire and influence student work.

Observational drawing is an essential discipline for all artists to acquire. Working from both sources, portraiture and life drawing, will challenge your drawing skills and enable you to rapidly improve your visual analysis. The course will begin with life drawing, enabling you to establish a personal drawing language, before moving on to portraiture, so that you can develop your technique. Both disciplines require interpretive and expressive skills. This course will enable students to develop as artists with individual tuition. Each week will focus on building skills in a different media, beginning with line and tone using graphite, chalk and pen, graduating to colour with pastels, watercolour and acrylic. You will develop your understanding of composition, proportion, perspective and colour mixing, building a personal style of mark-making. A feature of this course will be the study of master life/portrait artists, both historical and contemporary, with illustrated handouts for each session. Students will be challenged to make real creative progress, producing a strong portfolio for exhibition or supplement any existing studies.

This course is aimed at students who have some prior experience of life/portrait drawing or who have already completed our Life Drawing €“ an Introduction short course and would like to take their skills to the next level.