Introduction to Figurative Art and PortraitureDiploma Course

Knowledge of human anatomy and physiology is of paramount importance when your aim is to represent these three-dimensional forms on a two-dimensional plane. So, this is the place from which the course begins and builds

You’ll learn how to use gesture drawings and armatures as starting points for your figurative drawing and receive guidance on how to tackle the most notoriously tricky parts of the human form – hands and feet.

Just as with whole-body anatomy, we’ll look at the standard proportions of the head and face, where the features of the face sit in relation to each other, and how to structure each feature (eyes, noses, mouths and ears specifically) using simple shapes.

You’ll take this learning and put it to practical use, as the course guides you through five start-to-finish work-along projects, each examining the use of specific art materials – pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, watercolour, and acrylics. The last of these (acrylics) takes your learning further, as it guides you through mixing skin tones and creating a finished self-portrait painting.

By studying this course, you will:

• Become familiar with the proportions of the human body, face, hands and feet
• Learn how to begin a figurative drawing using gesture drawings and armatures 
• Understand how various art materials are used – pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, watercolour, and acrylics
• Be guided through 5 projects, culminating in a self-portrait painting