This is a year-long course that explores the endlessly fascinating subject of the human form through various aspects of drawing and painting the figure and portrait. For those interested in building real progress and confidence in practical skills and taught by a team of specialist tutors, you will be inspired by stimulating projects that explore historical and contemporary artists' contexts to support your creative work.
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
Book your place
In stock
SKU
247720
Full fee£1,349.00Senior fee£1,079.00Concession£877.00
This course is a one year, three term course and requires a level of commitment from students. You will be introduced to a combination of approaches, from technical to experimental, practicing figurative drawing techniques to build confidence in proportion, structure and volume in both the head and body from observation of the life model. The course then introduces painting approaches: how to prepare a ground, colour mixing and brush techniques to depict the flesh and form of the figure and face. You will work with a range of different life models throughout the year and explore various expressive and experimental approaches, using different starting points. Throughout the course there will be the option to work from observation of the live model and/or to make use of given projects as a starting point for personal work, such as working from personal narratives, artist references and photographs. You will take inspiration from artists' work presented and discussed to build up knowledge of historical and contemporary contexts for representation of the human form.
2627 Term dates:
VH314 (Wednesday evening)
Term 1 30/09/26 - 09/12/26 (no session on 28/10/26)
Term 2 13/01/27 - 31/03/27 (no session on 17/02/27)
Term 3 28/04/27 - 07/07/27 (no session on 02/06/27)
VH753 (Monday daytime)
Term 1 28/09/26 - 07/12/26 (no session on 26/10/26)
Term 2 11/01/27 - 22/03/27 (no session on 15/02/27)
Term 3 19/04/27 - 05/07/27 (no sessions on 03/05/27 & 31/05/27)
What will we cover?
Technical approaches to drawing and painting the human figure and head
Experimental approaches to drawing and painting the human figure and head
Studio practices in working with a live model
How to build ideas and projects from photographs/found images
Examining methods for drawing heads and bodies including how to render volume and structure in facial features.
Anatomy of the head and body
Mixing colours for both naturalistic and expressive flesh tones.
Working with artist references
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
Develop your drawing from observation of the human figure as subject
Learn painting techniques and colour mixing relevant to portraits and the body
Experiment with composition and understand its impact on meaning
Explore making experimental images of the figure from memory and imagination
Recognise narrative and ideas relating to identity and personality in images of the figure.
Develop an awareness of artist contexts; historic, modern and contemporary
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for students with some prior experience of life drawing and painting. There is no prerequisite with regards to your perceived ability, but that you bring curiosity and willingness to explore the human figure and face.
This course is structured across an entire year and therefore requires commitment in both practical studio sessions alongside additional time outside of the course hours for research and personal development. You should also be interested in discussing your thoughts and ideas as part of your evolving critical judgement and creative awareness.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The class will be led by a course leader and tutor team who are all practicing artists within the field. The course will be primarily practical, with one-to-one support. Projects will be presented and discussed to inform starting points and practical demonstrations will support technical exercises. Informal lectures, tutorials and group discussions will support ongoing work produced.
This course requires a level of commitment, and therefore independent study outside the studio is recommended and encouraged. You will also have access to Google classroom as a designated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) where you will be able to access hand-outs, presentations and share ideas and work with other students outside of course hours. You will supported in learning how to use this platform if you are new to it.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
All basic materials and resources are included as part of this course, however we encourage you to invest in your own brushes, canvas, boards etc if you specialise in painting. The course leader and tutor team will provide advice on materials and equipment throughout the course.
Students are advised to have their own sketchbook for sketching, experimentation and recording ideas (A5 / A4 size).
Need art supplies? As a City Lit student, our partners London Graphic Centre offer 15% student discount, from pencils to printing services. To get LGC student discount, students will need to show proof/ confirmation of enrolment of them being a student at City Lit. You can apply in-store or by simply emailing info@londongraphics.co.uk with a scan or photo of relevant confirmation. The student discount does not apply to products that are already discounted or on offer. More information can be found here- https://www.londongraphics.co.uk/studentdiscounts/.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Students are encouraged upon completion of this course to progress onto VH953 Advanced Figure and Portrait. Alternative options include the City Lit Fine Art, Advanced Painting or the UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design.
After receiving a BFA degree from Kansas State University, Rebecca moved to New York and studied at the New York Studio School. There, she studied with a vast assortment of New York artists, many with ties to the abstract expressionist movement. The Studio School selected her as an exchangee student to study at the Slade School of Art in London for one year. Returning to New York, she received her MFA from Parsons School of Design. She has been teaching in London for over 20 years and created numerous courses, based on specific exhibitions and the permanent collection, at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Since 2010 she has been teaching at City Lit with courses including Life Drawing, Life Painting, Painting 2, Ways into Abstract Painting and many Watercolour courses. She has a background in figurative work, which has included observation, memory, and a love for tone and colour. More recent work is rooted in observation, yet more abstract in appearance, focusing on process and largely done using watercolour.
Desmond HaughtonSee moreSee less
We’re sorry. We don’t have a bio ready for the tutor of this class at the moment, but we’re working on it! Watch this space.
Joe Richardson is a multi-disciplinary artist working in painting, drawing, collage, video, print and sculpture. Since graduating from his MA in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins in 2018, Joe has worked regularly taught at Foundation and Undergraduate level as well as working with Under 18s. Joe is dedicated to encouraging learners to discover new creative approaches to making, exploring their own interests in relation to art and design, and teaching methods and techniques that help to form the foundation of students' creative careers. Joe has undertaken residencies in Beijing, China and Stokkoya, Norway to develop his collaborative and flexible practice. He currently has a permanent collection of video works on display at Universal Music, Four Pancras Square, and has recently held a solo show at CineWindow Winsford and a duo exhibition at FIVE YEARS, London.
Kim ScoullerSee moreSee less
Kim is an award winning figurative artist. She studied Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee (1999-2003) and the Royal Drawing School (2007-09). Her studio work focuses on painting directly from subjects such as still-life and the figure and portrait. Working predominantly in oils she uses gestural paint handling to seek out the emergent subject. Kim exhibits her work regularly and has had work selected for the BP Portrait Award, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Lynn Painter Stainers Prize, ING Discerning Eye and more recently the Scottish Portrait Award (2019). She is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, most notably in 2005 she was the winner of the Aspect Prize, one of Scotland’s most prestigious painting prizes for emerging artists. An experienced art tutor, Kim has taught students of all ages and levels at institutions such as The Royal Drawing School, Candid Arts Trust, Central Saint Martins, London Drawing and London College of Communication. Website: www.kimscouller.com Instagram: @kim_scouller
Mario Lautier Vella is a cross-disciplinary, award-winning artist who began his art career at City Lit. After completing a number of short courses in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and textiles, Mario went on to do the two-year City Lit Fine Art course before going back to university to gain his Masters degree. Mario regularly exhibits in the UK and abroad and his work can be found in private collections around the world. Mario has enjoyed teaching at City Lit since 2011. For more info go to mariolautiervella.com
Lindsay PickettSee moreSee less
Lindsay is a graduate with an MA in Fine Art at the City and Guilds of London Art School. He teaches at various adult education providers within the areas of painting and drawing. At City Lit, Lindsay works with both beginners and those looking to develop technical skills within watercolour, oil and acrylic painting alongside drawing using ink and wash techniques. His own art work preoccupies with the isolation of the hybrid misfit. Such misfits are depictions of animal hybrids in a landscape, where they are rejected by their peers. Lindsay who has also experienced social rejection, has used this personal emotive to express the loneliness in his work with great panache.
Sisetta ZapponeSee moreSee less
Sisetta studied at the Florence Fine Arts Academy, earning a first-class degree as a Master Printmaker. In 2011, she moved to London, developing her printmaking practice while teaching workshops for adults of all abilities in various communities. She teaches Botanical Drawing, Watercolour, Advanced Life Drawing, and Printmaking, inspiring students to expand their skills and explore innovative approaches. She promotes art as a global language, celebrating diverse artistic traditions. Sisetta’s work is exhibited internationally and held in public collections, including Italy and Morocco’s National Collections, the V&A, and the Museum of Graphic Arts in Pisa.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/city-lit-year-of-the-figure-and-portrait1171405City Lit year of the figure and portraithttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/c/l/clyfp_7_2024_edit.jpg13491349GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Art & design/Courses/Art & design/Drawing/Courses/Art & design/Drawing/Life drawing & portraiture22851132114817531228511321148This is a year-long course that explores the endlessly fascinating subject of the human form through various aspects of drawing and painting the figure and portrait. For those interested in building real progress and confidence in practical skills and taught by a team of specialist tutors, you will be inspired by stimulating projects that explore historical and contemporary artists' contexts to support your creative work.14https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/f/i/figure_portrait_in_studio_crop_4.jpghttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/y/e/year_of_fig_and_port_rebecca_allen_edit.jpghttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/c/l/clyfp_1_2024.jpg3030139City Lit year of the figure and portrait13491349https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/c/l/clyfp_7_2024_edit_13.jpgInStockEveningWedKeeley StreetAvailable courses11 weeks or longerWeekday2026-09-30T00:00:00+00:00Some experienceSep 2026Art & designVH31413491349City Lit year of the figure and portrait10798771349Mario Lautier Vella, Lindsay Pickett, Sisetta Zapponecity-lit-year-of-the-figure-and-portrait/vh314-2627This is a year-long course that explores the endlessly fascinating subject of the human form through various aspects of drawing and painting the figure and portrait. For those interested in building real progress and confidence in practical skills and taught by a team of specialist tutors, you will be inspired by stimulating projects that explore historical and contemporary artists' contexts to support your creative work.0000-Available|2026-09-30 00:00:00<div data-content-type="html" data-appearance="default" data-element="main"><p>This course is a one year, three term course and requires a level of commitment from students. You will be introduced to a combination of approaches, from technical to experimental, practicing figurative drawing techniques to build confidence in proportion, structure and volume in both the head and body from observation of the life model.<br>The course then introduces painting approaches: how to prepare a ground, colour mixing and brush techniques to depict the flesh and form of the figure and face. You will work with a range of different life models throughout the year and explore various expressive and experimental approaches, using different starting points. Throughout the course there will be the option to work from observation of the live model and/or to make use of given projects as a starting point for personal work, such as working from personal narratives, artist references and photographs. You will take inspiration from artists' work presented and discussed to build up knowledge of historical and contemporary contexts for representation of the human form.</p><p><strong>2627 Term dates:</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>VH314 (Wednesday evening)</strong></p><p>Term 1 30/09/26 - 09/12/26 (no session on 28/10/26)</p><p>Term 2 13/01/27 - 31/03/27 (no session on 17/02/27)</p><p>Term 3 28/04/27 - 07/07/27 (no session on 02/06/27)</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>VH753 (Monday daytime)</strong></p><p>Term 1 28/09/26 - 07/12/26 (no session on 26/10/26)</p><p>Term 2 11/01/27 - 22/03/27 (no session on 15/02/27)</p><p>Term 3 19/04/27 - 05/07/27 (no sessions on 03/05/27 &amp; 31/05/27)</p><p> </p><p> </p></div>This is a year-long course that explores the endlessly fascinating subject of the human form through various aspects of drawing and painting the figure and portrait. For those interested in building real progress and confidence in practical skills and taught by a team of specialist tutors, you will be inspired by stimulating projects that explore historical and contemporary artists' contexts to support your creative work.<ul><li>Technical approaches to drawing and painting the human figure and head</li><li>Experimental approaches to drawing and painting the human figure and head</li><li>Studio practices in working with a live model</li><li>How to build ideas and projects from photographs/found images</li><li>Examining methods for drawing heads and bodies including how to render volume and structure in facial features.</li><li>Anatomy of the head and body</li><li>Mixing colours for both naturalistic and expressive flesh tones.</li><li>Working with artist references</li></ul><ul><li>Develop your drawing from observation of the human figure as subject</li><li>Learn painting techniques and colour mixing relevant to portraits and the body</li><li>Experiment with composition and understand its impact on meaning</li><li>Explore making experimental images of the figure from memory and imagination</li><li>Recognise narrative and ideas relating to identity and personality in images of the figure.</li><li>Develop an awareness of artist contexts; historic, modern and contemporary</li></ul>This course is suitable for students with some prior experience of life drawing and painting. There is no prerequisite with regards to your perceived ability, but that you bring curiosity and willingness to explore the human figure and face.<br><br>This course is structured across an entire year and therefore requires commitment in both practical studio sessions alongside additional time outside of the course hours for research and personal development. You should also be interested in discussing your thoughts and ideas as part of your evolving critical judgement and creative awareness.The class will be led by a course leader and tutor team who are all practicing artists within the field. The course will be primarily practical, with one-to-one support. Projects will be presented and discussed to inform starting points and practical demonstrations will support technical exercises. Informal lectures, tutorials and group discussions will support ongoing work produced.<br><br>This course requires a level of commitment, and therefore independent study outside the studio is recommended and encouraged. You will also have access to Google classroom as a designated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) where you will be able to access hand-outs, presentations and share ideas and work with other students outside of course hours. You will supported in learning how to use this platform if you are new to it.All basic materials and resources are included as part of this course, however we encourage you to invest in your own brushes, canvas, boards etc if you specialise in painting. The course leader and tutor team will provide advice on materials and equipment throughout the course.<br><br>Students are advised to have their own sketchbook for sketching, experimentation and recording ideas (A5 / A4 size).<br><br>Need art supplies? As a City Lit student, our partners London Graphic Centre offer 15% student discount, from pencils to printing services. To get LGC student discount, students will need to show proof/ confirmation of enrolment of them being a student at City Lit. You can apply in-store or by simply emailing info@londongraphics.co.uk with a scan or photo of relevant confirmation. The student discount does not apply to products that are already discounted or on offer. More information can be found here- https://www.londongraphics.co.uk/studentdiscounts/.Students are encouraged upon completion of this course to progress onto VH953 Advanced Figure and Portrait. Alternative options include the City Lit Fine Art, Advanced Painting or the UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design.DrawingLife drawing & portraiturevirtual3030151City Lit year of the figure and portrait29492949https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/c/l/clyfp_7_2024_edit_14.jpgInStockDaytimeMonKeeley StreetNo longer available11 weeks or longerWeekday2026-09-28T00:00:00+00:00Some experienceSep 2026Art & designVH75329492949City Lit year of the figure and portrait235919172949Rebecca Allen, Desmond Haughton, Joe Richardson, Kim Scoullercity-lit-year-of-the-figure-and-portrait/vh753-2627This is a year-long course that explores the endlessly fascinating subject of the human form through various aspects of drawing and painting the figure and portrait. For those interested in building real progress and confidence in practical skills and taught by a team of specialist tutors, you will be inspired by stimulating projects that explore historical and contemporary artists' contexts to support your creative work.0015-FullStillOpen|2026-09-28 00:00:00<p>This course is a one year, three term course and requires a level of commitment from students. You will be introduced to a combination of approaches, from technical to experimental, practicing figurative drawing techniques to build confidence in proportion, structure and volume in both the head and body from observation of the life model.<br>The course then introduces painting approaches: how to prepare a ground, colour mixing and brush techniques to depict the flesh and form of the figure and face. You will work with a range of different life models throughout the year and explore various expressive and experimental approaches, using different starting points. Throughout the course there will be the option to work from observation of the live model and/or to make use of given projects as a starting point for personal work, such as working from personal narratives, artist references and photographs. You will take inspiration from artists' work presented and discussed to build up knowledge of historical and contemporary contexts for representation of the human form.</p><p><strong>2627 Term dates:</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>VH314 (Wednesday evening)</strong></p><p>Term 1 30/09/26 - 09/12/26 (no session on 28/10/26)</p><p>Term 2 13/01/27 - 31/03/27 (no session on 17/02/27)</p><p>Term 3 28/04/27 - 07/07/27 (no session on 02/06/27)</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>VH753 (Monday daytime)</strong></p><p>Term 1 28/09/26 - 07/12/26 (no session on 26/10/26)</p><p>Term 2 11/01/27 - 22/03/27 (no session on 15/02/27)</p><p>Term 3 19/04/27 - 05/07/27 (no sessions on 03/05/27 & 31/05/27)</p><p> </p><p> </p>This is a year-long course that explores the endlessly fascinating subject of the human form through various aspects of drawing and painting the figure and portrait. For those interested in building real progress and confidence in practical skills and taught by a team of specialist tutors, you will be inspired by stimulating projects that explore historical and contemporary artists' contexts to support your creative work.<ul><li>Technical approaches to drawing and painting the human figure and head</li><li>Experimental approaches to drawing and painting the human figure and head</li><li>Studio practices in working with a live model</li><li>How to build ideas and projects from photographs/found images</li><li>Examining methods for drawing heads and bodies including how to render volume and structure in facial features.</li><li>Anatomy of the head and body</li><li>Mixing colours for both naturalistic and expressive flesh tones.</li><li>Working with artist references</li></ul><ul><li>Develop your drawing from observation of the human figure as subject</li><li>Learn painting techniques and colour mixing relevant to portraits and the body</li><li>Experiment with composition and understand its impact on meaning</li><li>Explore making experimental images of the figure from memory and imagination</li><li>Recognise narrative and ideas relating to identity and personality in images of the figure.</li><li>Develop an awareness of artist contexts; historic, modern and contemporary</li></ul>This course is suitable for students with some prior experience of life drawing and painting. There is no prerequisite with regards to your perceived ability, but that you bring curiosity and willingness to explore the human figure and face.<br><br>This course is structured across an entire year and therefore requires commitment in both practical studio sessions alongside additional time outside of the course hours for research and personal development. You should also be interested in discussing your thoughts and ideas as part of your evolving critical judgement and creative awareness.The class will be led by a course leader and tutor team who are all practicing artists within the field. The course will be primarily practical, with one-to-one support. Projects will be presented and discussed to inform starting points and practical demonstrations will support technical exercises. Informal lectures, tutorials and group discussions will support ongoing work produced.<br><br>This course requires a level of commitment, and therefore independent study outside the studio is recommended and encouraged. You will also have access to Google classroom as a designated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) where you will be able to access hand-outs, presentations and share ideas and work with other students outside of course hours. You will supported in learning how to use this platform if you are new to it.All basic materials and resources are included as part of this course, however we encourage you to invest in your own brushes, canvas, boards etc if you specialise in painting. The course leader and tutor team will provide advice on materials and equipment throughout the course.<br><br>Students are advised to have their own sketchbook for sketching, experimentation and recording ideas (A5 / A4 size).<br><br>Need art supplies? As a City Lit student, our partners London Graphic Centre offer 15% student discount, from pencils to printing services. To get LGC student discount, students will need to show proof/ confirmation of enrolment of them being a student at City Lit. You can apply in-store or by simply emailing info@londongraphics.co.uk with a scan or photo of relevant confirmation. The student discount does not apply to products that are already discounted or on offer. More information can be found here- https://www.londongraphics.co.uk/studentdiscounts/.Students are encouraged upon completion of this course to progress onto VH953 Advanced Figure and Portrait. Alternative options include the City Lit Fine Art, Advanced Painting or the UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design.DrawingLife drawing & portraiturevirtual1079,23591349,2949877,1917VH314,VH753NONEWed,Mon30/09/26 - 07/07/2718:00 - 21:0018:0021:0030 sessions (over 41 weeks)3011 weeks or longerEvening,DaytimeWeekdayKSKeeley StreetMario Lautier Vella, Lindsay Pickett, Sisetta Zappone,Rebecca Allen, Desmond Haughton, Joe Richardson, Kim ScoullerSome experienceAvailable courses,No longer available2026-09-30T00:00:00+00:00,2026-09-28T00:00:00+00:00Sep 2026Art & design13491349,2949City Lit year of the figure and portraitcity-lit-year-of-the-figure-and-portrait/vh314-2627,city-lit-year-of-the-figure-and-portrait/vh753-2627This is a year-long course that explores the endlessly fascinating subject of the human form through various aspects of drawing and painting the figure and portrait. For those interested in building real progress and confidence in practical skills and taught by a team of specialist tutors, you will be inspired by stimulating projects that explore historical and contemporary artists' contexts to support your creative work.0000-Available|2026-09-30 00:00:00<div data-content-type="html" data-appearance="default" data-element="main">&lt;p&gt;This course is a one year, three term course and requires a level of commitment from students. You will be introduced to a combination of approaches, from technical to experimental, practicing figurative drawing techniques to build confidence in proportion, structure and volume in both the head and body from observation of the life model.&lt;br&gt;The course then introduces painting approaches: how to prepare a ground, colour mixing and brush techniques to depict the flesh and form of the figure and face. You will work with a range of different life models throughout the year and explore various expressive and experimental approaches, using different starting points. Throughout the course there will be the option to work from observation of the live model and/or to make use of given projects as a starting point for personal work, such as working from personal narratives, artist references and photographs. You will take inspiration from artists' work presented and discussed to build up knowledge of historical and contemporary contexts for representation of the human form.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2627 Term dates:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;VH314 (Wednesday evening)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Term 1 30/09/26 - 09/12/26 (no session on 28/10/26)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Term 2 13/01/27 - 31/03/27 (no session on 17/02/27)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Term 3 28/04/27 - 07/07/27 (no session on 02/06/27)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;VH753 (Monday daytime)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Term 1 28/09/26 - 07/12/26 (no session on 26/10/26)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Term 2 11/01/27 - 22/03/27 (no session on 15/02/27)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Term 3 19/04/27 - 05/07/27 (no sessions on 03/05/27 &amp;amp; 31/05/27)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</div>,<p>This course is a one year, three term course and requires a level of commitment from students. You will be introduced to a combination of approaches, from technical to experimental, practicing figurative drawing techniques to build confidence in proportion, structure and volume in both the head and body from observation of the life model.<br>The course then introduces painting approaches: how to prepare a ground, colour mixing and brush techniques to depict the flesh and form of the figure and face. You will work with a range of different life models throughout the year and explore various expressive and experimental approaches, using different starting points. Throughout the course there will be the option to work from observation of the live model and/or to make use of given projects as a starting point for personal work, such as working from personal narratives, artist references and photographs. You will take inspiration from artists' work presented and discussed to build up knowledge of historical and contemporary contexts for representation of the human form.</p><p><strong>2627 Term dates:</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>VH314 (Wednesday evening)</strong></p><p>Term 1 30/09/26 - 09/12/26 (no session on 28/10/26)</p><p>Term 2 13/01/27 - 31/03/27 (no session on 17/02/27)</p><p>Term 3 28/04/27 - 07/07/27 (no session on 02/06/27)</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>VH753 (Monday daytime)</strong></p><p>Term 1 28/09/26 - 07/12/26 (no session on 26/10/26)</p><p>Term 2 11/01/27 - 22/03/27 (no session on 15/02/27)</p><p>Term 3 19/04/27 - 05/07/27 (no sessions on 03/05/27 &amp; 31/05/27)</p><p> </p><p> </p>This is a year-long course that explores the endlessly fascinating subject of the human form through various aspects of drawing and painting the figure and portrait. For those interested in building real progress and confidence in practical skills and taught by a team of specialist tutors, you will be inspired by stimulating projects that explore historical and contemporary artists' contexts to support your creative work.<ul><li>Technical approaches to drawing and painting the human figure and head</li><li>Experimental approaches to drawing and painting the human figure and head</li><li>Studio practices in working with a live model</li><li>How to build ideas and projects from photographs/found images</li><li>Examining methods for drawing heads and bodies including how to render volume and structure in facial features.</li><li>Anatomy of the head and body</li><li>Mixing colours for both naturalistic and expressive flesh tones.</li><li>Working with artist references</li></ul><ul><li>Develop your drawing from observation of the human figure as subject</li><li>Learn painting techniques and colour mixing relevant to portraits and the body</li><li>Experiment with composition and understand its impact on meaning</li><li>Explore making experimental images of the figure from memory and imagination</li><li>Recognise narrative and ideas relating to identity and personality in images of the figure.</li><li>Develop an awareness of artist contexts; historic, modern and contemporary</li></ul>This course is suitable for students with some prior experience of life drawing and painting. There is no prerequisite with regards to your perceived ability, but that you bring curiosity and willingness to explore the human figure and face.<br><br>This course is structured across an entire year and therefore requires commitment in both practical studio sessions alongside additional time outside of the course hours for research and personal development. You should also be interested in discussing your thoughts and ideas as part of your evolving critical judgement and creative awareness.The class will be led by a course leader and tutor team who are all practicing artists within the field. The course will be primarily practical, with one-to-one support. Projects will be presented and discussed to inform starting points and practical demonstrations will support technical exercises. Informal lectures, tutorials and group discussions will support ongoing work produced.<br><br>This course requires a level of commitment, and therefore independent study outside the studio is recommended and encouraged. You will also have access to Google classroom as a designated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) where you will be able to access hand-outs, presentations and share ideas and work with other students outside of course hours. You will supported in learning how to use this platform if you are new to it.All basic materials and resources are included as part of this course, however we encourage you to invest in your own brushes, canvas, boards etc if you specialise in painting. The course leader and tutor team will provide advice on materials and equipment throughout the course.<br><br>Students are advised to have their own sketchbook for sketching, experimentation and recording ideas (A5 / A4 size).<br><br>Need art supplies? As a City Lit student, our partners London Graphic Centre offer 15% student discount, from pencils to printing services. To get LGC student discount, students will need to show proof/ confirmation of enrolment of them being a student at City Lit. You can apply in-store or by simply emailing info@londongraphics.co.uk with a scan or photo of relevant confirmation. The student discount does not apply to products that are already discounted or on offer. More information can be found here- https://www.londongraphics.co.uk/studentdiscounts/.Students are encouraged upon completion of this course to progress onto VH953 Advanced Figure and Portrait. Alternative options include the City Lit Fine Art, Advanced Painting or the UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design.DrawingLife drawing & portraitureconfigurable
