Face-to-face teaching
Portrait Head and Expression: Sculpture Master Class, Morley College, London
Four day Easter school: 11 – 14 April 2023, 11-5pm, £250 (£190 concessions)
Are your portraits feeling staid? Do you want to learn techniques to capture more character and expression? This four-day course combines a study of one long life-size head pose across the four days, with smaller, quicker expressive portrait exercises. Learn and develop observation skills, clay modelling, and individual approach focusing on achieving expression in a portrait head in clay. All levels, including beginners. Basic materials included, but extra charge for materials used over £8 materials’ fee? For further details and to book, see the Morley College website here.
Portrait Head in Clay, Art Junction, Billingshurst
Five days: 10 – 14 July 2023, 10-4pm each day, £470, max course size: 8
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 Thursdays 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 5 Saturdays (Sept 30 to Oct 28, 2023)
Booking details coming soon, or contact Marji at Art Junction.
Portrait Sculpture with Hazel Reeves, Phoenix Brighton
Monday 31 July to Friday 4 August 2023, £380, 11.30 to 5.30pm each day, course maximum 8
Get ready to become hooked. Sculpting a portrait in clay 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.
Expressive Portrait Masterclass with Hazel Reeves, The Art Academy, London
Weekend: Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 August, 2023
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 to come.
Expressive Portrait Workshop, Art Junction, Billingshurst
Weekend: Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 November, 2023; 10-4pm each day, £250; max course size: 8
This two-day workshop, with a 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.
One-to-one mentoring
Whether you need advice on your first clay portrait head or need guidance and support as you tackle the journey towards becoming a professional sculptor, I can be there for you. It could be a one-off session or on-going support, face-to-face or online. Email me for further details.