Portrait Drawing from Life: Build Confidence in 5 Weeks

Course Overview

This 5-week course offers a structured and welcoming introduction to portrait drawing from life. Working from a live model each week, participants will focus on the essential foundations of observational drawing: proportion, structure, light, and tone.

Suitable for beginners as well as those returning to drawing, the course emphasises careful looking and building confidence through a clear, step-by-step approach. By simplifying the complexity of the face into manageable elements, participants will develop a solid base for further exploration.

This course can be taken on its own or followed by Part 2, which moves towards a more expressive and experimental approach.

Teaching Approach

Each session combines short demonstrations with guided exercises and sustained drawing time. The focus is on developing strong observational habits while maintaining a relaxed and supportive studio atmosphere.

You will work from a variety of poses, gradually building your ability to:

• place features accurately
• understand proportion and structure
• interpret light and shadow

Individual feedback is offered throughout, tailored to your level and pace.

What You’ll Learn

You will:

• Understand the basic structure and proportions of the head
• Develop confidence in drawing from observation
• Learn to simplify complex forms into clear shapes
• Use tone to describe volume and light
• Build a consistent drawing practice

By the end of the course, you will have produced a series of portrait studies and gained a strong foundation for further development.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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