Portraiture Oil Painting Course

Learn to paint beautiful portraitures using oil paints with our painting short courses in Sydney!

Portraiture is compelling, interesting, and commonly considered one of the most difficult aspects of oil painting. However, when employing practical steps and techniques, portrait painting can be a very rewarding activity.

This course will cover the fundamentals of portrait painting such as proportion, skin tone, and general oil painting techniques to give students confidence and knowledge to portray the human face in oils. An important component of the course includes developing initial sketches and drawings to strengthen observation and compositional skills before moving on to painting.

Throughout the course, we will also look at the work of some of the best portrait artists – Rembrandt, Sargent, Raphael – as well as contemporary artists working in Australia.

All levels of oil painting experience are welcome. The tutor will guide students through various painting exercises and personal projects.

This is an opportunity to learn about oil painting and celebrate the rich and dynamic history of portraiture.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this Portraiture Oil Painting course, you should have:

• Learnt fundamentals of portrait painting: composition, subject matter, anatomy, proportion, lighting
• Developed observational and sketching skills as a foundation for painting
• Practised various oil painting techniques
• Gained knowledge about what mediums, oils, and solvents to use, brush types and sizes, pigments and their use, and canvas support
• Gained an understanding of the different techniques and approaches used by revered artists of the past

Course content

What will be covered in this Portraiture Course?

• Sketching and preparatory drawing for portraiture
• Proportions of the face and figure
• Painting skin tone and capturing expression
• Use of lighting and composition in portrait painting
• Oil painting techniques, including working with different brushes, pigments, and mediums
• Study of historical and contemporary portrait artists
• Individual painting projects with tutor support

Intended audience

What will be covered in this portraiture course?

This painting course will cover the fundamentals of portrait painting such as proportion, and skin tone as well as general oil painting techniques and methods to give students the confidence and knowledge to portray the human face in oils.

Above all, the course is an opportunity to learn about oil painting and celebrate the rich and dynamic history of portraiture.

Intended audience

Who is this Portraiture Oil Painting Course for?

All levels of oil painting experience are welcome to the course.

Whilst the course tackles a challenging subject matter, it is delivered at an even and calm pace to allow students time to hone their skills properly.

Course venue

Rozelle Campus

2A Gordon Street, Rozelle NSW 2039

Course materials

What to bring to class

Option 1: Purchase a complete materials kit at enrolment checkout. (this can be collected at the front office before class)

Option 2: Uncheck the materials kit at enrolment checkout and bring your own - consult our oil painting materials list.

Materials kits are ordered from our supplier and can take up to a week to arrive. If you enrol close to the start date, you may receive your kit at the second session instead of the first.

Additional information

Please note the following:

• Closed-in shoes required
• Please wear old clothes and/or bring an apron
• Long hair must be tied back