Portraiture Curriculum

Tuesdays from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Level 1: Anatomy
Facial features, Accuracy, shapes, shadows, edges and rendering. Lots of homework plus practice from pictures. A $40 fee will be applicable for this Level. (September 22 to November 3) Fee $245 + $40 supplies

Level 2: Draw like the masters
A 3 colours Drawing introduces minimal colour and temperature. Some homework plus lots of practice from pictures and one live model 3 times. A $40 fee + a model fee will be applicable for this Level. (November 10 to December 14) Fee $210 + $40 supplies

Level 3 : Soft Pastel
Creativity in Portraiture using soft pastels. Practice from pictures and a few live model. A $80 fee for supplies + models fee will be applicable for this Level. (January 19 to March 1, 2016) Fee $245 + $80 supplies + models

 Level 4 :  Sensitivity to VALUE ~ GRISAILLE for Portraiture
In this intro to the classical approach to oil painting each student will work on one portrait for the entire session from a photo they bring. A $80 fee for supplies and preparation will be applicable for this Level. (March 22 to May 3, 2016) Fee $245 + $80 supplies

Level 5 :  Techniques for Colouring Your Grisaille
Learn and practise colouring your B&W grisaille image using different oil painting techniques such as glazing and stumbling. We will use oils again but this time in ‘full colour.  There will be videos shown plus demos. A $40 fee for 3 reprint of the grisailles will be applicable for this Level (May 10 to June 14, 2016) Fee $210 + $60 supplies

Your preparation: Before the first class reproduce your grisaille (or a portrait photograph) onto canvas at least 2  times. This is called a Giclée.   Bring your own supplies (except easels) plus the reproduced B&W images on canvases.  The size is up to you. It could be 12” x 16” or larger.

In both levels 4 and 5 there will be long videos by different portrait artists.. I will lend some out so you can watch most of them on your own time.

Then I plan to repeat the Levels starting anew in September.
The level 1 course is a prerequisite for level 2 and beyond.

Register with Gary at (416) 910-5535 or click here

Instructor: Gary Smith

BA in Fine Art, Teacher Degree and Art Supervisor Certificate. An artist and art coach who is a graduate from The Faculty of Art, Guelph University and teaches Drawing and Painting at LucSculpture, does murals and portraits and exhibits frequently. His work is carried by Libby Gallery in Toronto and Gallery on the Bay in Hamilton. Gary also founded CLUB DRAW for Life Drawing on Sundays afternoon. Gary has done a few thousand portraits, beginning when he professionally drew portraits at Expo ’67 in Montréal for 14 hours a day, 7 days a week.He also offers unique “Escape with Gary Art Workshop here in Canada and abroad.

Gary’s website