Classes

Face-to-face teaching

Portrait Head in Clay, Art Junction, Billingshurst

Five days: Monday 2 to Friday 26 July 2023, 10-4pm each day, £470

Have you ever wanted to capture someone’s face or expression in a sculpture? Working a portrait in clay from a live model is a really rewarding experience. This course will explore how to observe heads – how to see their differences and similarities, and in turn learn how to translate this understanding into a sculpture which captures a likeness of the sitter. During the five days a life-sized clay portrait of a live sitter will be built on an armature. This concentrated modelling will be interspersed with fun exercises – with clay and without – to help train up the eye and hands. This course will be taught in a way suitable for those with experience of sculpting in clay and those new to it. There will be an opportunity to hollow-out the heads after the course, for an additional fee. The studios are by the platform of Billingshurst station (on the London Victoria line).

Note that we have also booked this course for 5 Saturdays (Oct 12 to Nov 9, 2024)

Book here.

Expressive Portrait Workshop, Art Junction, Billingshurst

Weekend: Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 August 2024; 10-4pm each day, £250

This two-day workshop, with  different model each day, will enable you to exploit the expressive nature of clay. You will get expression, character, emotion and movement in your sculptures. We will use exercises, with and without clay, to build our understanding of how to inject expression into our portraits. You will sculpt a series of smaller, quick portraits (sometimes with the torso) with potentially longer-poses on the afternoon of the second day, producing under-life size portraits. This 2-day course will particularly benefit those with some experience of portrait sculpture. Book here.

Portrait Head in Clay, Art Junction, Billingshurst

Five Saturdays: Saturday 12 Oct to Saturday 9 Nov, 2024, 10-4pm each day, £470

For details and booking see above. This is a repeat of the summer school course, but on Saturdays.

Expressive Portrait Masterclass with Hazel Reeves, Art Academy, London

Weekend workshop: Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 August 2024

This 2-day workshop is an exciting opportunity to work with top portrait artist Hazel Reeves and is for those with a bit more experience with portraiture. It will enable you to focus on getting expression, character, emotion and movement in your sculptures. Using a different model each day, you will have the chance to sculpt in clay a series of smaller heads focusing on ways of bringing the piece to life, using texture, form, tone and the pose/composition. This concentrated modelling will be interspersed with fun exercises – with clay and without – to bring more spontaneity to your work. This is aimed at intermediate and advanced students. Booking details coming soon!

Portrait Sculpture with Hazel Reeves, Phoenix Brighton

Monday 19 August to Friday 23 August 2024, 11.30 to 5.30pm each day, course maximum 8

Get ready to become hooked. Sculpting a portrait in clay is a very rewarding experience. This course will explore how to observe heads – how to see their differences and similarities, and in turn learn how to translate this understanding into a sculpture which captures a likeness of the sitter. On the first day we will sculpt rapidly an under-life-size head of the sitter, without measuring. During the next four days we will more systematically build a life-sized clay portrait of our sitter on an armature/bust-peg, then finally prepare it for firing (there is an option to open more time with the model and hollow-it out at home, if you are experienced). This concentrated modelling will be interspersed with fun exercises – with clay and without – to help train up the eye and hands.

Most materials are included in the cost of the course including clay for a life-size portrait. A wooden armature (sometimes called a ‘bust peg’) will be provided. This is yours to keep. This course will be taught in a way that’s suitable for all levels, from beginner to advanced. Booking details coming soon!