In-Person Workshops
The Portrait Society of America International Conference 2025
May 8th - 11th, 2025 - Washington, D.C.
Join artists from all over the world for the 27th anniversary The Art of the Portrait conference! The conference is a gathering of artists from all over the world that share a passion for the portrait. The format of the event provides a variety of demonstrations in diverse mediums, discussions on how to advance your career, hands on workshops, meeting the selected finalists and viewing their artwork in The International, 6x9 Limited Size Unlimited Talent – Mystery Art Sale, networking, portfolio critiques and so much more!
In-person instruction/collaboration with instructors
For more information and registeration for the conference, please visit: portraitsociety.org
The Creative Potential of the Upper Torso and Neck in Portrait Drawing
June 9th —13th, 2025
New Salem Museum and Academy of Fine Art, Massachusetts
37 South Main Street
New Salem, MA 01355
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE:
This intensive drawing workshop presents an opportunity to build the human neck and head from the ground up, through an inspired long pose depiction of the regions. The major form – the Head – remains primary, as the bulk of the course. The historical conventions, ornamentation and expressive potential of the neck and upper body have traditionally been under-represented in artistic education. The benefit of the context of this workshop is to unearth structures that could contribute to richness of a final portrait, no matter which medium the head is to be represented in.
I will guide students through figure and portrait drawing using an extensive array of pedagogical tools: lectures, presentations, demonstrations, as well as his references to three-dimensional, sculptural models. Mornings are scheduled as entirely presentation and lecture-based sessions. Afternoons involve an extended, fifteen-hour life drawing pose, which will enable further personal development, exploration and interpretation within the countenance of the portrait from direct observation.
All skill levels are welcome.
See Materials List
5 DAY IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
For more information and registration, please visit:
New Salem Museum and Academy Of Fine Art
Shape, Structure, Hatchmark: Drawing the Portrait
June 20th —22nd, 2025
Big Turtle Studio, London
10 Riverside Yard, London, SW17 0BB
(Yellow Building, Studio 37)
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE:
This in-person workshop enables students to approach the art of portrait drawing through a series of creative disciplines: an optical block-in; the technique of constructive, “see-through” analysis; and one's implementation of chisel-like marks for capturing surface nuance. Beginning with lecture/demos which link concepts to practical application, students will react to these lessons via their style of life drawing. The course will encompass two model poses: A one-day exercise as well as a longer, two-day session to support tonal (value) development in the portrait.
All skill levels are welcome.
See Materials List
3 DAY IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
For more information and registration, please visit:
Big Turtle Studio
Bogotá, Colombia: July 2025
(coming soon)
Short Pose Drawing: The Decisive, First Twenty
July 14TH - 16TH, 2025
The Art Students League of New York, NY
215 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE:
The most important decisions of any drawing are made at the beginning of a pose. This workshop approaches those essential marks as a vehicle - setting the founding elements for longer pose drawing. Through capturing, editing and developing dynamic movement within the human figure, students will explore how to create authoritative depictions in the first minute, five, ten, and, finally: the decisive, first twenty minute pose.
See Materials List
3 day in-person workshop
For more information and registration, please visit:
The Art Students League
Musculoskeletal Gross Anatomy For The Figurative Artist
July 17TH - 21ST, 2025
The Art Students League of New York, NY
215 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE:
This course presents the study of anatomy as a convergence of three unique concentrations: the historical aesthetics of medical research, contemporary human dissection, and life drawing. The workshop begins in the rare book library of the New York Academy of Medicine, where students examine original, centuries-old copies of some of the seminal anatomical treatises. Thereafter, students work in a medical setting, becoming more familiar with the extraordinary layers of interrelated human form - structures which are not typically clear in anatomical references. Motivated students of representational art will have unparalleled opportunities for developing detailed anatomical knowledge through their work in Cornell College of Medicine’s anatomy lab, where they will explore the complexities of the body through the study of PROSECTIONS and cadavers (prosections are specially prepared human anatomical specimens, wrapped in a damp preservative, as well as plastinated specimens, which allow for the study of deeper and more isolated anatomical structure).
A live model will pose in the anatomy lab during the workshop to help students understand how the deeper structures manifest within the living figure. Ultimately, students will work towards achieving greater anatomical clarity and fidelity in their comprehension, which will be applied to creating artwork with a finer appreciation of human construction.
See Materials List
5 day in-person workshop
For more information and registration, please visit:
The Art Students League
The Portrait in Drawing and Sculpture
July 24TH - 28TH, 2025
Lyme Academy Of Fine Arts, CT
84 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE:
This multidisciplinary workshop integrates sculptural and drawing techniques to deepen students’ understanding of portraiture. The course emphasizes interpreting form, structure, and tonality through hands-on practice.
Part 1: The Planes of the Head (2 sessions) – Students will sculpt a life-sized portrait, focusing on major planar surfaces, and translate this understanding into a long-pose graphite drawing from the same model. This approach strengthens the correlation between light, form, and tonality.
Part 2: The Features of the Portrait (3 sessions) – Building upon the foundation of planes, students will sculpt and draw individual facial features while studying key artistic-anatomical structures. Through sculpting and graphite rendering, they will refine their ability to capture facial landmarks and apply hatchmark techniques to enhance form.
This immersive workshop offers a structured yet exploratory approach to portraiture, enriching both technical skill and artistic perception.
See Materials List
5 day in-person workshop
For more information and registration, please visit:
Lyme Academy Of Fine Arts
Colored Chalk and Pastel Techniques in Portrait and Figure Drawing
August 1st — 4th, 2025
Whidbey Island Fine Art Studio, Washington State
813 Edgecliff Drive, Langley, WA 98260
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE:
This drawing workshop teaches students to create a wider range of chromatic effects within the tradition of realistic portraiture and figure drawing. Beginning with lecture/demos, students learn to how to use chromatic, hand-toned paper in their work from life. The art of Hatchmark and the use of a controlled palette in drawing are thoroughly explored. Lessons also include planar head comprehension as well as fundamental conventions of human anatomy. Skills gained in this course will prove vital for more professional painting and contribute to a more expressive and fluid drawing ability. All skill levels are welcome. Long pose drawing exercises will support learning objectives.
4 DAY IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
For more information and registration, please visit: Whidbey Island Fine Art Studio
Enlivened Oil Portraiture:
The Use of a Controlled Palette and a Colored Ground in Painting
August 16th —17th, 2025
The Art League School, Virginia
105 North Union Street | Alexandria, Virginia 22314
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE:
This painting workshop teaches students how to activate a wide range of color effects while maintaining the accuracy of form that portraiture requires. Beginning with lecture/demos involving the use of ground temperatures, students will explore the exquisite transparency of oil in their work from life. Skills gained in this course will prove vital for launching into a more committed, longer-term figurative work. All skill levels are welcome. A two-day, long pose painting and/or drawing exercise will support learning objectives. Model fees extra.
See Materials List
2 DAY IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
For more information and registration, please visit:
The Art League School
Full-Color Oil Portraiture
August 18th — 20th, 2025
The Art league School, Virginia
105 North Union Street | Alexandria, Virginia 22314
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE:
This painting workshop teaches students to handle the contemporary, full-color palette that oil portraiture requires. Beginning with lecture/demos involving the use of drawing in oil color, students will be guided through a highly strategic process of oil development in their work from life. Skills gained in this course will prove vital for launching into a more committed, longer-term figurative work. All skill levels are welcome. A three-day, long pose painting and/or drawing exercise will support learning objectives. Model fees extra.
See Materials List
3 DAY IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
For more information and registration, please visit:
The Art League School