Drawing: the portrait examined
Weekend-long practical course
Friday 28 April - Saturday 29 April 2017
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
£420. Includes all materials, lunch and a drinks reception.
Terms and conditions
Artist Alan McGowan will lead this two-day practical course examining fundamental approaches to portrait drawing, including the form, structure and anatomy of the skull and neck; describing features, measuring, representation and likeness.
The portrait is perhaps the most challenging and compelling subject for the representational artist, encapsulating both uniformity and yet seemingly infinite variety. It challenges us both in the elusiveness of our subject and in the language of drawing that we employ in the attempt. Portraits fascinate through their expressive content and their dual manifestation of both the sitter portrayed and the sensibility of the portraying artist.
This course will look at the main anatomical structures of the head and facial features that underlie the surface forms. We will discuss how they relate to one another as a fundamental basis on which to build a portrait. Working from life models each day, the group will also address the main themes in drawing such as light and shade, tonal relationships, proportion, likeness and mark-making, relating these activities to works from the RA Collection.
The first day will begin with a number of shorter studies from the life model, examining form through a variety of approaches and monochrome drawing materials including willow charcoal, conté pastels and pencil. It will continue through the second day with two longer poses, giving students time to develop more sustained and individual works.
About the course
Led by figurative artist Alan McGowan, this two-day practical course will break down the fundamental approaches to portraiture, including the anatomy of the skull and neck, construction of features, measuring, representation and likeness. An equal emphasis will be placed on the understanding of the subject and considering the drawing language we use to represent it.
This course is suitable for all levels, preferably with some prior experience of drawing, painting or creative practice in general.
This course is for you if:
• You have some prior knowledge of drawing and/or painting and would like to extend your skills in the practice of working from both perception and direct observation.
• You would like a new perspective in your approach to drawing the portrait
• You would like the opportunity to develop your skills and ideas in a small group setting in the RA’s historic Life Room
• You have no prior experience of life drawing but an interest in the history, theory and practice of art more widely.
Minimum age 18
The number of participants is strictly limited to enable detailed feedback from the course tutor.
Price: £420
10.30am – 5.30pm on both days.
Includes:
• An introduction to the Academy with particular reference to relevant works in the Collection
• The opportunity to work from different life models on each day
• All practical materials
• Lunch and refreshments
• A drinks reception at the end of the second day
• A certificate of participation upon course completion
About the tutor
Alan McGowan
Alan McGowan is a figurative and portrait artist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. His expressive brushwork and dynamic use of colour in combination with accomplished draughtsmanship have won him many honours including exhibiting at the BP Portrait exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Threadneedle Prize for Figurative Art, the Society of Portrait Sculptors exhibition and The Ruth Borchard self-portrait exhibition. In 2014 he was a semi-finalist in the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the year and his work is featured in the international painting annual review INPA5, published in 2016 by Manifest in Cincinatti USA.
Alan was born in 1964 and trained at Edinburgh College of Art, then completed his post-graduate studies at the University of Northumbria. He has taught at a number of art institutions including the National Portrait Gallery London, The Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin and Edinburgh College of Art. He has exhibited widely in the UK, regularly at the Royal Scottish Academy, and in New York, Lisbon, Helsinki, South Korea and Prague, and his work appears in several public collections including that of the Royal Scottish Academy and Stirling University. In 2012 he published a book of life drawings titled The Language of the Body.
About the space
The Life Room
Set in the Academy’s historic Life Room, nestled deep in the heart of the RA Schools, this unique and significant space was designed in the 1860s when the galleries and schools were first constructed, purpose built to accommodate the study of the human form in art.
The semi-circular seating arrangement is based on an ancient design and can trace its British history back to the 1730s and Hogarth’s Academy in St Martin’s Lane. The directional light is also of ancient design and is used (then as now) to provide directional light to aid the delineation of the figure’s musculature – significantly enhancing the use and study of colour and light in art.
Our courses and classes programme
Our programme of short courses and classes offers the opportunity to explore a range of subjects, led by expert tutors and practising artists.