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Portraits using the Soft Approach (3 session workshop)
Tuesday; 10th June, 8th July 2025 and 12th August 2025
Course Outline
Learn to use a soft approach to drawing and painting with Christopher Clements to create portrait studies with an expressive, painterly style.
You can work in graphite, charcoal or acrylic paint using a simple warm and cool palette or a limited full palette to keep colour mixing straightforward.
What is the soft approach?
The soft approach involves working your portrait study up from the largest, most general elements then developing smaller details. At the start everything has soft edges but as you develop the study and add detail, you’ll sharpen selected edges to give your work variety and focus. The soft approach is highly versatile and can also be used to great effect for still life, landscape or figure painting. It is a particularly effective approach for paintings done in one sitting.
Week 1: Tuesday 10th June 2025
In the first week we’ll work on the under-drawing stage using charcoal. This will be the same whatever medium you choose to work in. If you’re using paint, work on canvas and we’ll fix it at the end of the session ready for overpainting in week two.
We’ll look at proportion, orientation of the head and the placement of the features. We’ll also look at the design of light and shade on the head and how much detail is necessary at this stage.
Week 2: Tuesday 8th July 2025
In the second week we’ll work up the main tones and, if you’re painting, colours. We’ll focus on simplification, excluding detail as we create a sense of form ready to finish the work in week three.
Week 3: Tuesday 12th August 2025
In week three you’ll finish off by adding the detail and looking carefully at which parts to sharpen up to create a focal point. You’ll think about which other parts can be less resolved add variety and interest for the viewer.
Materials
Attendees will need to bring along an easel and/or drawing board to work on.
Drawing
HB, 2B pencils and a craft knife if you’re drawing in graphite
B, HB and H Sticks of Nitram Charcoal or willow charcoal if you are considering drawing in charcoal
Putty Rubber
Hard Eraser
Sanding Block
Small Bristle Brush (about 1 cm)
Blending stump
Cartridge paper or Canson Mi-Teintes pastel paper
Painting – Acrylic
A Range of bristle and synthetic brushes
1 house painting brush
Painting palette
Palette knife
Dipping cup
Rags and kitchen roll
Extender Medium
Spray bottle
Colours
Warm & Cool Palette
Burnt Sienna or Transparent Oxide Red
Ultramarine Blue
Titanium White
Limited Palette
Blue Black or Ivory Black
Titanium White
Yellow Ochre
Cadmium Red or Cadmium Red Hue
Time
Arrive 6.45 pm for a 7.00 pm start. Event finishes at 9.15 pm.
Location
Quaker Meeting House, 2 Cooper Street, Stockport, Greater Manchester, SK1 3DW.
Ticket price
£30 per person. Booking essential.
Other information
Free tea/coffee provided.
Workshop session lasts approx 2 hours with a short break in between.
Free parking at venue and also nearby on-street parking available.
Wheelchair access.
This event is organised by Stockport Art Guild.
Website: stockportartguild.com
Email:
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Image credit
Portrait by Christopher Clements
Also check out other Arts events in Stockport, Fine Arts events in Stockport, Workshops in Stockport.
