“What impassions me most – much, much more than all the rest of my métier – is the portrait, the modern portrait” Van Gogh: Letter to his sister Wilhelmina from Auvers-sur-Oise on June 5, 1890
About the course
Join painter Georgia Mallin for this six-week Introduction to Portraiture course, designed for anyone looking to develop or refresh their skills in painting the human face. Working in oils in our light-filled studio in Wood Green, you’ll receive step-by-step guidance in a structured, supportive environment — ideal for beginners, returning artists, and those looking to build confidence in their practice.
Venue: The Essential School of Painting (ESOP) Main Studio, Wood Green, London, N22
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Half term 26 May Bank Holiday
Fee £240
Materials: All art materials included, except for canvases (available to purchase in the studio at a discounted rate).
The course begins with a self-portrait session. Using yourself as the subject is not only accessible — you always have a patient model — but also deeply revealing. Like Van Gogh, whose self-portraits traced both his artistic and personal evolution, you’ll begin to understand portraiture as a record of both technique and inner life. This foundation offers a powerful entry point into the wider study of portraiture.
From the second session onwards, you’ll be working from a live model. Georgia will lead you through:
- The fundamental proportions of the face and head
- Techniques for creating volume and depth using tonal values
- An introduction to colour theory, including colour choices for lifelike skin tones
- The process of moving from drawing to painting
The class is limited to 12 students to ensure each participant receives personal guidance and feedback as the course progresses.
MATERIALS
Please feel free to come along your favourite brushes or preferred paints, but as indicated above, with the exception of canvas which you can purchase in the studio at a discounted rate, we do provide you with all the art materials you’ll need for this course.
About Georgia
Georgia is a figurative artist based in London. She trained in portraiture from direct observation at the Heatherley School of Fine Art and expanded her practice into imaginative contemporary painting at the Essential School of Painting. She is interested in storytelling, and in how imagination, memory and feeling can be the springboard for making images. She was the recipient of the Daphne Todd Portrait Prize at Heatherleys and one of the ESOP Newman Young Artist Scholarship scholars of 2019/20. She has exhibited in group shows online and in London, including the ING Discerning Eye and the Self Portrait Prize.
All images Ⓒ the artist or the Essential School of Painting. All rights reserved 2024
