£360.00
18 - 20 March 2026 (Wed - Fri)
3-day course: 10am - 4pm
Peter is delighted to offer a NEW 3-day Portraiture Workshop suitable for people who have either attended his popular 2-day Portraiture for Beginners workshops or for those artists looking to strengthen and develop their portrait painting abilities.
During this workshop, Peter will share his approaches and tested strategies when tackling the genre of portraiture, through his engaging and highly informative demonstrations. Working in oils, you will focus on producing a portrait that is true to the subject whilst also retaining creative qualities such as subtle use of colour, texture and mark-making, ensuring your portraits capture something of the character of the subject.
Working from photographs, either provided or your own, this workshop will give you plenty of one-to-one instruction from Peter, as well as informal group critiques and discussions, all helping to increase your knowledge and enjoyment of portraiture.
Participants can expect to produce 1 charcoal drawing and 1 painted portrait in oils.
Suitable for artists who have some experience of portrait painting, either from photos or from life.
Itinerary
Day 1: To begin, you will focus on the importance of tonal values, structure and getting a good likeness early on in the process. We will explore this through the medium of charcoal on paper.
Day 2: Starting your oil portrait, we will focus on how to begin the painting without the need for using a grid/tracing/projecting etc and creating accurate skin colours with the paint.
Day 3: The final day will be reserved for finishing your paintings, allowing for more colour and mark-making, to enhance the character of your subject.
During the course, you will cover:
How tonal values and shapes are the secret to creating a likeness
How to control your colours and avoid producing “mud”
Tactics and strategies for layering and applying oil paint
Creating portraits with life and energy
Knowing when to finish, so as not to overwork your paintings
Plenty of time will be given to informal group and individual critiques, designed to help deepen your knowledge and understanding of techniques and the history of the genre.
What to bring:
1 x preferred painting ground such as canvas/canvas board, approx 50×40cm or a little bigger
At least 2 sheets of white paper sized A2 or bigger
Willow charcoal sticks
Paint brushes suitable for oil painting along with your paint palette
Studio sundries such as paint palette, palette knife, kitchen paper, apron, sketch book for notes and any of your other preferred studio essentials
Reference image/s should you wish to paint from one of your own
Lunch
What is provided:
Peter will have a wide range of oil colours by Michael Harding available to use throughout the course, if you would like to use them. Alternatively, pleases bring your own preferred oil paints
Studio easels, low odour solvent for oil painting, tables, chairs and other spare studio sundries
Excellent photos to work from
Teas, coffee and biscuits
Location:
This course will take place at Peter’s own studio, at the Village Hall in Botolph Claydon, MK18 2LR. As part of the workshop, participants will be invited to visit and explore Peter’s own working, on-site, studio.
Please read our terms and conditions before booking.
If you have any questions you’d like to ask about this workshop, please don’t hesitate to ask.
“This course was exactly what I wanted: an insight into the way a portrait artist approaches a project, with helpful tips and tricks to take home; an opportunity to work in a different style from usual, with the freedom to make mistakes or make magic! I will be keeping an eye on dates for other courses and portrait nights, because I definitely want to come back. As someone who would like to make a business of portraiture, this was certainly a valuable investment. I would do it again and again!”
“Peter's teaching is always fresh and exciting. He seems able to empathise with and encourage those of us who struggle- and praise (but not too much) when confidence is needed. I particularly like the way he paints alongside us - demonstrating and developing his pictures with us. The classes are fun and Peter motivating. What more could a budding artist need?”
£360.00
18 - 20 March 2026 (Wed - Fri)
3-day course: 10am - 4pm
Peter is delighted to offer a NEW 3-day Portraiture Workshop suitable for people who have either attended his popular 2-day Portraiture for Beginners workshops or for those artists looking to strengthen and develop their portrait painting abilities.
During this workshop, Peter will share his approaches and tested strategies when tackling the genre of portraiture, through his engaging and highly informative demonstrations. Working in oils, you will focus on producing a portrait that is true to the subject whilst also retaining creative qualities such as subtle use of colour, texture and mark-making, ensuring your portraits capture something of the character of the subject.
Working from photographs, either provided or your own, this workshop will give you plenty of one-to-one instruction from Peter, as well as informal group critiques and discussions, all helping to increase your knowledge and enjoyment of portraiture.
Participants can expect to produce 1 charcoal drawing and 1 painted portrait in oils.
Suitable for artists who have some experience of portrait painting, either from photos or from life.
Itinerary
Day 1: To begin, you will focus on the importance of tonal values, structure and getting a good likeness early on in the process. We will explore this through the medium of charcoal on paper.
Day 2: Starting your oil portrait, we will focus on how to begin the painting without the need for using a grid/tracing/projecting etc and creating accurate skin colours with the paint.
Day 3: The final day will be reserved for finishing your paintings, allowing for more colour and mark-making, to enhance the character of your subject.
During the course, you will cover:
How tonal values and shapes are the secret to creating a likeness
How to control your colours and avoid producing “mud”
Tactics and strategies for layering and applying oil paint
Creating portraits with life and energy
Knowing when to finish, so as not to overwork your paintings
Plenty of time will be given to informal group and individual critiques, designed to help deepen your knowledge and understanding of techniques and the history of the genre.
What to bring:
1 x preferred painting ground such as canvas/canvas board, approx 50×40cm or a little bigger
At least 2 sheets of white paper sized A2 or bigger
Willow charcoal sticks
Paint brushes suitable for oil painting along with your paint palette
Studio sundries such as paint palette, palette knife, kitchen paper, apron, sketch book for notes and any of your other preferred studio essentials
Reference image/s should you wish to paint from one of your own
Lunch
What is provided:
Peter will have a wide range of oil colours by Michael Harding available to use throughout the course, if you would like to use them. Alternatively, pleases bring your own preferred oil paints
Studio easels, low odour solvent for oil painting, tables, chairs and other spare studio sundries
Excellent photos to work from
Teas, coffee and biscuits
Location:
This course will take place at Peter’s own studio, at the Village Hall in Botolph Claydon, MK18 2LR. As part of the workshop, participants will be invited to visit and explore Peter’s own working, on-site, studio.
Please read our terms and conditions before booking.
If you have any questions you’d like to ask about this workshop, please don’t hesitate to ask.
“This course was exactly what I wanted: an insight into the way a portrait artist approaches a project, with helpful tips and tricks to take home; an opportunity to work in a different style from usual, with the freedom to make mistakes or make magic! I will be keeping an eye on dates for other courses and portrait nights, because I definitely want to come back. As someone who would like to make a business of portraiture, this was certainly a valuable investment. I would do it again and again!”
“Peter's teaching is always fresh and exciting. He seems able to empathise with and encourage those of us who struggle- and praise (but not too much) when confidence is needed. I particularly like the way he paints alongside us - demonstrating and developing his pictures with us. The classes are fun and Peter motivating. What more could a budding artist need?”
