Tutor: Lindsey McLean
Six evenings in the studio with the figure, working from the living model for four of them and from everything else that carries a likeness for the rest.
26 Oct | 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Nov
The figure is the oldest subject in painting and still the least settled. Over six evenings you will approach it from both directions at once, the systematic and the inventive, drawing and painting the body as it is and as it might be.
A model sits for four of the six evenings. The other two turn to photographs, film stills, your own drawings, memory and imagination, where a figure can be pushed, stretched and reinvented with no sitter in the room. Working across both is the point. Each keeps the other honest.
The course leaves deliberate room for the unexpected and the expressive. You should finish with a small varied body of work and a wider sense of what a figure painting can be.
What you will work on
- Painting and drawing from the live model
- Portrait and full figure, treated as one enquiry rather than two
- Working from photographs, film stills, drawings, memory and imagination
- Systematic observation set against experimental and expressive approaches
- Individual guidance at the easel and group discussion of the work
Practical notes
What level is this course pitched at?
It suits anyone with some painting or drawing behind them who wants to concentrate on the figure. You do not need previous experience of working from a model.
Are materials provided?
Yes. All art materials are included in the fee, with the exception of canvas, which you can buy at a discounted rate in the studio.
Can I bring my own materials?
You are very welcome to. There are restrictions on solvents in a shared studio, so please tell the school which solvent you intend to use. Some are unsuitable where other students may have allergies.
Can I join online?
No. This is a studio based course.
What if I miss an evening?
Extra coaching is not offered, but we will do what we can to bring you up to date with what you missed.
Photography and recording
Photographing your own work is welcome. Please ask permission before recording another student’s work. Recording the tutor or the model is not permitted.
Where this can lead
Six evenings is a beginning. Painters who start here often go on to ESOP’s yearlong courses, which run from October through to July and carry a painter from first principles to a sustained body of work. There is no obligation and no set route. Coming back for another short course is just as good an answer.
*Art materials included except for canvas which can be purchased in studio | Image copyright belongs to the artists or the school. All rights reserved.
