The Portrait from Life: Canvas on Wood & Experiements with Resins
Overview
Join us for a portrait painting expedition that will put a special focus on examining the following:
- Gluing a canvas to a wood panel
- The use of natural gesso vs. synthetic gessos
- The use of resins as an isolating layer, resins in the medium, and resins in the final varnish
References for style and palette will be artists including Jan Van Eyck, Antonella da Messina, and Hans Memling.
Curriculum
The schedule will be 14 lessons total:
Lesson 1:
Gluing the canvas to the board. Review of materials (including the palette) and, if time permits, a look at some of the paintings by the artists mentioned above.
Lesson 2:
Applying gesso to the surface. We will do a demo on how to make natural gesso. In the interest of time, we will use a synthetic gesso on our surface.
Lesson 3:
Begin work from the model. Day 1 of the block-in in monochrome.
Lesson 4:
Day 2 of the block-in
Lesson 5:
A lesson on resins. After a demo and discussion, we will apply an ‘isolating layer’ over our block in.
Lesson 6:
Return to the model. Begin working with a full palette.
Lesson 7:
Work from the model
Lesson 8:
Work from the model
Lesson 9:
Work from the model. The difference between ‘oiling out’ and ‘re-touch varnish’
Lesson 10:
Work from the model
Lesson 11:
Work from the model
Lesson 12:
Work form the model
Lesson 13:
Last session with the model
Lesson 14:
Applying a ‘final varnish’.
Materials
Included in the Cost
In addition to the model fees and the participation of Raul Portella, the cost includes:
Wood panel, Canvas, Rabbit-Skin Glue and Resin
Medium: Oil and Solvent
I will provide you with linseed oil, Tintorsetto (odorless solvent) and a medium holder at no additional charge.
Glass Palette
I will lend you a glass palette that you can use to mix and store your paints (covering them with plastic wrap) between lessons.
Included, but Optional
Paint
I insist my students use Michael Harding paints. I’ve used his colors for over two decades and they are still one of the best brands of oil paints on the market. In order to make it easy for students to try these paints without requiring a significant investment, I now include the paint you will need in the cost of the course.
Note: if you choose to use your own paint, you can deduct the €30 from the second payment.
Not Included
Brushes and Brush Holder
It is best to have an assortment of brushes: flats, rounds and filberts, with some made of hog bristle, and others made from synthetic fibers.
NEW: The shop has available my recommended brush kit.
Once you have had some experience, it is worth adding some sable brushes to your collection.
To ensure proper care of your brushes, I strongly recommend a brush holder.
Rags
Please bring with a worn t-shirt to cut up for use as a rag.
Terms and Conditions
A non-refundable deposit is due at the time of registration.
There is no reimbursement for absences, nor make-up lessons.
Registration is managed through our Course Registration portal. If you have any difficulties registering, please let us know via email or call/text via WhatsApp: +39 347 263 1033.
If the course that interests you does not appear on our Course Registration portal, it may not currently be offered. Check the schedule of courses to confirm the dates.
If this course isn't on the schedule, but it interests you, let us know!
Special Note
If you are interested in this course, I strongly recommend you join us for the following lecture and presentation:
Meet Your Instructor:
Timothy Joseph Allen
Founder and President of the Association of Social Promotion A.P.S. PADASOR (acronym for the Painting And Drawing Art Studio Of Rome), Timothy Joseph Allen is an American professional painter who has been living and working in Rome, Italy for over twenty years. He began his career in 1992, earning a BA in Studio Art at DePauw University and an MFA in Painting at Indiana University, Bloomington in 1998. He has also been teaching at The American University of Rome since 2006.
His medium is oil on canvas and his style and subject matter are principally inspired by the Renaissance and Baroque. Of special importance to his process is painting from life: “I enjoy painting most when the presence of the subject and the limit of time combine to bring a sense of urgency to my analysis, intuition and performance.”
In recent years his work has been pre-selected and/or selected in several international competitions including the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Mod Portrait competition at the MEAM museum in Barcelona, the Figurativas Painting and Sculpture Competition in Barcelona, the World Wide Kitsch online painting competition, and the BP National Gallery Portrait Competition in London.
To understand best what Tim can teach you, please have a look at his paintings and drawings.
If you would like to take private lessons with Tim, please follow this link.
