From Pencils to Pigments: Portrait Drawing and Painting with Lauren Bass

Embark on an exploration of creating a portrait with artist and educator, Lauren Bass. Portraiture, a time honored tradition, is commonly regarded as being exact and difficult. However. over the course of this 6-week class Lauren will breakdown the process into simple steps and tricks that make rendering the head easier and help achieve likeness. Students will enjoy gaining a solid foundation in understanding the structure and solidity of the human head. They will learn essential principles such as proportion, perspective, light logic and color theory. Also discussed will be gesture, composition, edge quality, planar division of the head, comparative measuring, the anatomy of the features and more. This class starts with drawing, progresses to monochromatic painting (grisaille), and culminates in the vibrant world of full-color painting. From week to week we will build our knowledge base. Clear instruction will be given weekly through demonstrations, lectures and handouts. Students can progress at their own pace and will receive individual critiques appropriate to their level.

Class price includes weekly live model fees. 

“Faces are the most interesting things we see; other people fascinate me, and the most interesting aspect of other people - the point where we go inside them - is the face. It tells it all.”  - David Hockney

About the Instructor: Lauren Bass

I have been an artist my entire life, but my path as an artist hasn’t been linear. Whether doodling in the margins of notebooks or sketching at home, I was always drawing as a child. However, the high school I went to didn’t offer art so I had no formal training until college. There I took my first painting class and was hooked. I would observe a still life setup, mixed colors, replicate the abstract shapes and then step a few paces back. Incredibly, there was the image on my canvas. It felt like magic! I found that time stood still when I was painting I was so absorbed! After getting a BA in Humanities, I got a BFA in graphic design and worked in advertising for several years. I put my career on hold when I had children but continued taking painting classes. As my children got older and more independent, I was able to be more serious, paint more frequently and study with many fabulous artists whose work I admired. I sought out some of the best artists in the country that work in my area of interest to study with. Luckily, many live locally.