Interpreting the Portrait (Online Course) Winter 2025 w/ Sarah Bixler
February 7 to March 7 (Fridays), 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM, Eastern Time
**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.
Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite.
DEMO: https://youtu.be/JbmEyul9fHA
Course Description
This 5-week course is designed to help students balance “the site taken as seen," as inspired by Edwin Dickinson and the legacy of color spot painting, with the structural and anatomical demands of capturing a likeness. We will build drawings using color pencils as a means to develop sensitivity to the abstract impact of color shapes and relationships. Studies in graphite will develop students’ understanding of the structural foundation supporting those shapes. Working primarily in layered washes of color pencil, students will learn to slow down their observations and focus their attention on their work as it is developing. Using master studies, direct and indirect observation, students will practice finding interesting and meaningful abstract compositions of shape and color to describe their subject.
Examples from art history and contemporary art, demos and in class feedback will help students progress in their work.
Course Outline
Week 1 – Introduction to my work, art history examples, introduction to the medium of color pencils, color palette studies and shape observation from master copies demo
Week 2 – Portrait structure and value composition
Week 3 – Portrait using quick color studies and color composition
Week 4 – Portrait limited color palette studies
Week 5 – Portrait full color palette
Course Materials
*Paper options:
Fabriano Ecoqua Sketchbook, dot grid or plain (what I used for the class demo video)
Rhodia dot grid or plain sketchbooks
(relatively smooth paper)
OR
9x12 inch and/or 14x17 inch Smooth Bristol OR Borden and Riley #214 Normandy Erasable Sketch Pad OR Cardstock OR 70-90 LB Drawing paper
(you are welcome to use an 18x24 inch pad and just rip it down for smaller studies and you are welcome to stick within 9x12 inch compositions, I mostly work in this size for color pencils)
*I personally like any smooth drawing paper, lately I’ve enjoyed the Fabriano Ecoqua and Rhodia sketchbooks for quicker sketches. For longer, more resolved drawings I like smooth bristol or the Normandy erasable sketch pad paper.
*Pencils:
Brand:Faber Castell Pencils
Colors: Either the 24 color set (https://www.dickblick.com/items/faber-castell-polychromos-pencil-set-assorted-colors-set-of-24/)
**Color choices will be discussed week 1… you are welcome to postpone pencil purchasing until then, provided that you can get ahold of the pencils you want in time to do your homework before the next class session
OR one each of:
White
Cadmium Yellow
Dark Orange
Deep Scarlet OR light cadmium red OR pale geranium lake,
Magenta OR Alizarin Crimson, OR middle purple pink
Light Ultramarine
Phthalo Blue/Helio Turquoise,
Emerald Green OR Cedar Green (they are very different, but either is fine)
Purple/Blue Violet
Sanguine,
Yellow Ochre OR Raw Umber
Black
Cold Grey V
Misc. Other Supplies:
A small retractable eraser,
Pink pearl eraser
kneaded eraser
Metal pencil sharpener
February 7 to March 7 (Fridays), 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM, Eastern Time
**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.
Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite.
DEMO: https://youtu.be/JbmEyul9fHA
Course Description
This 5-week course is designed to help students balance “the site taken as seen," as inspired by Edwin Dickinson and the legacy of color spot painting, with the structural and anatomical demands of capturing a likeness. We will build drawings using color pencils as a means to develop sensitivity to the abstract impact of color shapes and relationships. Studies in graphite will develop students’ understanding of the structural foundation supporting those shapes. Working primarily in layered washes of color pencil, students will learn to slow down their observations and focus their attention on their work as it is developing. Using master studies, direct and indirect observation, students will practice finding interesting and meaningful abstract compositions of shape and color to describe their subject.
Examples from art history and contemporary art, demos and in class feedback will help students progress in their work.
Course Outline
Week 1 – Introduction to my work, art history examples, introduction to the medium of color pencils, color palette studies and shape observation from master copies demo
Week 2 – Portrait structure and value composition
Week 3 – Portrait using quick color studies and color composition
Week 4 – Portrait limited color palette studies
Week 5 – Portrait full color palette
Course Materials
*Paper options:
Fabriano Ecoqua Sketchbook, dot grid or plain (what I used for the class demo video)
Rhodia dot grid or plain sketchbooks
(relatively smooth paper)
OR
9x12 inch and/or 14x17 inch Smooth Bristol OR Borden and Riley #214 Normandy Erasable Sketch Pad OR Cardstock OR 70-90 LB Drawing paper
(you are welcome to use an 18x24 inch pad and just rip it down for smaller studies and you are welcome to stick within 9x12 inch compositions, I mostly work in this size for color pencils)
*I personally like any smooth drawing paper, lately I’ve enjoyed the Fabriano Ecoqua and Rhodia sketchbooks for quicker sketches. For longer, more resolved drawings I like smooth bristol or the Normandy erasable sketch pad paper.
*Pencils:
Brand:Faber Castell Pencils
Colors: Either the 24 color set (https://www.dickblick.com/items/faber-castell-polychromos-pencil-set-assorted-colors-set-of-24/)
**Color choices will be discussed week 1… you are welcome to postpone pencil purchasing until then, provided that you can get ahold of the pencils you want in time to do your homework before the next class session
OR one each of:
White
Cadmium Yellow
Dark Orange
Deep Scarlet OR light cadmium red OR pale geranium lake,
Magenta OR Alizarin Crimson, OR middle purple pink
Light Ultramarine
Phthalo Blue/Helio Turquoise,
Emerald Green OR Cedar Green (they are very different, but either is fine)
Purple/Blue Violet
Sanguine,
Yellow Ochre OR Raw Umber
Black
Cold Grey V
Misc. Other Supplies:
A small retractable eraser,
Pink pearl eraser
kneaded eraser
Metal pencil sharpener
February 7 to March 7 (Fridays), 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM, Eastern Time
**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.
Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite.
DEMO: https://youtu.be/JbmEyul9fHA
Course Description
This 5-week course is designed to help students balance “the site taken as seen," as inspired by Edwin Dickinson and the legacy of color spot painting, with the structural and anatomical demands of capturing a likeness. We will build drawings using color pencils as a means to develop sensitivity to the abstract impact of color shapes and relationships. Studies in graphite will develop students’ understanding of the structural foundation supporting those shapes. Working primarily in layered washes of color pencil, students will learn to slow down their observations and focus their attention on their work as it is developing. Using master studies, direct and indirect observation, students will practice finding interesting and meaningful abstract compositions of shape and color to describe their subject.
Examples from art history and contemporary art, demos and in class feedback will help students progress in their work.
Course Outline
Week 1 – Introduction to my work, art history examples, introduction to the medium of color pencils, color palette studies and shape observation from master copies demo
Week 2 – Portrait structure and value composition
Week 3 – Portrait using quick color studies and color composition
Week 4 – Portrait limited color palette studies
Week 5 – Portrait full color palette
Course Materials
*Paper options:
Fabriano Ecoqua Sketchbook, dot grid or plain (what I used for the class demo video)
Rhodia dot grid or plain sketchbooks
(relatively smooth paper)
OR
9x12 inch and/or 14x17 inch Smooth Bristol OR Borden and Riley #214 Normandy Erasable Sketch Pad OR Cardstock OR 70-90 LB Drawing paper
(you are welcome to use an 18x24 inch pad and just rip it down for smaller studies and you are welcome to stick within 9x12 inch compositions, I mostly work in this size for color pencils)
*I personally like any smooth drawing paper, lately I’ve enjoyed the Fabriano Ecoqua and Rhodia sketchbooks for quicker sketches. For longer, more resolved drawings I like smooth bristol or the Normandy erasable sketch pad paper.
*Pencils:
Brand:Faber Castell Pencils
Colors: Either the 24 color set (https://www.dickblick.com/items/faber-castell-polychromos-pencil-set-assorted-colors-set-of-24/)
**Color choices will be discussed week 1… you are welcome to postpone pencil purchasing until then, provided that you can get ahold of the pencils you want in time to do your homework before the next class session
OR one each of:
White
Cadmium Yellow
Dark Orange
Deep Scarlet OR light cadmium red OR pale geranium lake,
Magenta OR Alizarin Crimson, OR middle purple pink
Light Ultramarine
Phthalo Blue/Helio Turquoise,
Emerald Green OR Cedar Green (they are very different, but either is fine)
Purple/Blue Violet
Sanguine,
Yellow Ochre OR Raw Umber
Black
Cold Grey V
Misc. Other Supplies:
A small retractable eraser,
Pink pearl eraser
kneaded eraser
Metal pencil sharpener