Portrait Basics: Faces Are Hard. We Can Help!

Ages 9–99 | Each session is 2 hours.  You are purchasing one session.  If you plan on attending all three, save money and purchase the bundle.

Ever draw a face that looked almost right…but somehow the eyes were too high, the nose wandered off, or your portrait ended up looking like a completely different person?

You’re not alone. Faces are tricky! But learning to draw them is also incredibly fun.

In this three-session, hands-on drawing class, we’ll uncover some of the secrets artists have used for centuries to turn a blank piece of paper into a face that actually looks three-dimensional—and maybe even like the person you intended!

We’ll start with the big stuff: How is a head really shaped? Where do the eyes actually go? How do artists measure without using a ruler? Then we’ll discover how light and shadow can make a flat drawing suddenly pop off the page.

Finally, we’ll put it all together and create a finished portrait using classical drawing techniques adapted for artists of all ages.

Kids 9 and up, parents, grandparents, teens and adults are all welcome. Come together or come on your own. No previous portrait experience is necessary—and nobody needs to be “good at drawing” to join us.

You’ll learn about proportion, measuring, light and shadow, facial structure and the artist’s favorite trick: learning to draw what you actually see instead of what your brain thinks it sees.

Best of all, this is real drawing: no tracing, no apps and no shortcuts.

Just pencils, paper, a little patience—and six hours to see what you can do.

Warning: You may never look at a face the same way again.

Details: On this page you purchase individual sessions.  If you plan on attending all three, you will save money by purchasing the bundle rather than three separate sessions.  Session 1 (Sept 9th) goes over the foundational basics.  Session 2 (Sept 23rd) covers shading and dimension.  Session 3 (Oct 7th) puts it all together and outlines more advanced portrait concepts.  These sessions all build on each other as a series, however we offer them individually for those who might not be able to attend them all.

A supply list will be emailed upon registration.