Creating a Likeness: Portrait Painting Techniques
Instructor: Maud Taber-Thomas
Contact: m.taber.thomas@gmail.com
Website: Maudtaber-thomas.com
Course Description: Become a master portraitist in this fun and intensive class! Paint from
beautiful model setups inspired by master paintings. Learn from lectures and demonstrations on
anatomy, creating a likeness, mixing color for flesh tones, and capturing personality. More
experienced students are welcome to work at their own pace.
Materials
Drawing pad—16 x 20” or 18 x 24”
Drawing Pencils or Charcoal
Kneaded Eraser
3 pre-stretched canvases or other painting surfaces—consider working very large!
Oil paints—White (Titanium or Flake), Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna (I recommend Gamblin
Brand), Venetian Red, Ultramarine Blue,
*Additional Optional Paint Colors: Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Yellow Medium,
Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Red Deep, Cerulean Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Naples Yellow
(Old Holland Brand), Burnt Umber
Palette: disposable
Brushes: flats, rounds, and filberts in a range of sizes (make sure to have at least one very large
brush); some bristles, some sables
Palette knife: RGM Plus Painting Knife 50, or a similar shape
Gamsol or Turpenoid
Linseed oil
2 Palette cups with lids or resealable jars—for mediums and solvents
Good quality paper towels or rags
Recommended Art Supply Stores
Plaza Art Materials has several locations in the area, including Bethesda, Silver Spring, and
Rockville
Blick Art Materials at 1250 I St NW, Washington, DC 20005 or online
Syllabus
Week 1: Drawing from the Model—we will discuss the structure of the head, anatomy, and
proportion, and do a drawing from the model in pencil or charcoal.
Week 2: Monochromatic underpainting from the model—We will begin a painting from the
model using a single color, such as burnt sienna or burnt umber.
Week 3: Color!—We will add the first layer of color to our canvases, using a limited palette of
earth colors. We will discuss mixing colors for flesh tones, color theory, and how to use solvents
and mediums.
Weeks 4, 5, and 6: We will continue to refine our paintings, delving more into details, learning
how to create texture, and exploring techniques for creating a flattering likeness.
Weeks 7 and 8: Portrait Painting from the photograph or master painting of your choice.
Weeks 9 and 10: We will work from a model to create drawings or paintings using the
techniques we have explored in the class.
Recommended Reading
Drawing:
Robert Beverly Hale, Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters
Kimon Nicolaides, The Natural Way to Draw
Betty Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
John Ruskin, The Elements of Drawing
Harold Speed, The Practice and Science of Drawing
Painting:
Faber Birren, History of Color in Painting
Reed Kay, The Painter’s Companion
Daniel Parkhurst, The Painter in Oil
Frederic Taubes, Studio Secrets
Frederic Taubes, The Technique of Portrait Painting
Max Doerner, The Materials of the Artist and their Use in Painting
Anatomy:
Gottfried Bammes, The Artist’s Guide to Human Anatomy
Dr. Paul Richer, Artistic Anatomy
Stephen Rogers Peck, Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist
Joseph Sheppard, Anatomy: A Complete Guide for Artists