Course Description

This four-day workshop introduces you to the foundations of portrait painting through the study of plaster casts and classical sculpture. The tradition of studying plaster casts traces back to ancient Greece and has long been part of classical training in the fine arts. The course is designed for artists with some prior drawing or painting experience who want to take the next step towards working from the live model with confidence.

Through guided demonstrations and personal instruction, you will gain the understanding of how to translate what you observe into paint and watch your portraits come to life on canvas. Working from stationary, monochromatic casts makes it easier to focus on proportion, light, and tonal value relationships, instilling you with a strong foundation in academic painting without the added challenges of working in colour or from moving models.
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The week begins with exercises that centre around a planar approach to painting, in which you will learn the fundamentals of light logic and how to organise tonal values to effectively describe form. In the second half of the workshop, the focus shifts to creating a more refined portrait study, emphasising control in paint application, edge quality, and the harmony of light and shadow.

By the end of this course, you will have the tools you need to paint portraits from life with greater accuracy and expression. If you attended Thomas's Introduction to Portrait Drawing workshop the previous week, your completed drawing can serve as the foundation for this course, allowing a seamless transition from drawing to painting.

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Key Learning Concepts

• Build a strong foundation in academic portrait painting through the study of plaster casts and classical sculpture
  
• Learn to translate observation into paint, developing accuracy in proportion, light, and tonal value relationships
  
• Understand and apply an understanding of facial anatomy and planar structure
  
• Refine technical control in paint application, edge quality, and tonal harmony
  
• Gain the confidence and skills to working from the live model, equipped with a strong academic foundation

Thomas Langeveld

Thomas Langeveld is a Dutch artist from Haarlem. After relocating to Italy to pursue an education in classical drawing and painting at the Angel Academy of Art, Thomas eventually returned to his hometown and founded DARA in 2018.

His art has exhibited in solo shows and group exhibitions in the Netherlands, Belgium, United States, and Italy, and has been sold  in private collections throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. Most recently, Thomas's work was acknowledged as a finalist in the Art Renewal Center's 18th International Salon.

​A personal milestone in Thomas's own work has been greater experimentation with texture and gaining the confidence to paint thickly, which he aims to encourage in his students.

@thomas_langeveld_art

Artist Bio >

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Supply List

The following items are required to participate in class. We carry most supplies for sale directly in the studio (accepted students receive a detailed PDF with further information.)

OIL COLOURS
Thomas recommends the brand Haarlemmer Olieverf.

Titanium White or Lithopone White
Raw Umber*
Ivory Black

* Please ensure that your Raw Umber contains the pigment PBr7. This should be indicated on the paint tube.

BRUSHES
This is the minimum recommended number of brushes. Feel free to bring additional brushes if you wish. Since brush sizing varies by brand, the measurements below are approximate.
Thomas recommends at least 2 to 3 brushes each in the following sizes:

• Small (approx. 5 mm)
• ​Medium (approx. 10 mm)
• Large (approx. 15 mm)
  
  

We’ll primarily use small to medium-sized brushes based on the scale of the paintings. Please ensure your brushes are in good condition (not hardened from dried paint).

More detailed brush recommendations are indicated in the PDF supply list given to registered students.

PAINTING SUPPORT
2 stretched and primed canvas, fine-weave cotton or linen, size 30 x 40 cm.

​PAINTING MEDIUMS
Gamsol Odourless Mineral Spirits*
Linseed Oil
Liquin Original by Winsor & Newton OR Galkyd by Gamboin
Small container for storing mediums (either metal palette cups or glass jar with a secure lid)
Airtight brush washer for brush cleaning (optional)

Note: Gamsol is the only solvent permitted for use inside DARA classrooms. There are no exceptions. We sell Gamsol directly in the studio, including in small bottles suitable for short-term use for students who cannot travel with solvent after the course ends.

PAINTING TOOLS
Palette
Palette Knife
Paper Towels
1 Kitchen sponge
Latex gloves (optional)
Clamps to better secure your canvas to the easel (optional)

Tuition Fee & What's Included

INCLUDED  |   The tuition fee includes 24 hours of studio instruction, complimentary lunch served daily, coffee / tea / light refreshments served during all hours, basic studio equipment (easels, stools, drawing boards), and an end-of-workshop borrel (alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks and light bites.)

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NOT INCLUDED  |   Accommodation, airfare, transport costs, and drawing or painting supplies are not included with the tuition fee.

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WHAT'S FOR LUNCH?  |   We serve a complimentary light lunch, prepared daily in house with love. Typical lunches include sandwiches, soups, salads, wraps, and other light and healthy fare. Menus change daily. We are happy to accommodate vegetarian & vegan diets.

Payment Deadlines

Acceptance when there is more than 1 month before the start of the workshop:

To keep your place on hold, a deposit payment must be made within 14 days of your acceptance letter:

• Option 1: The entire tuition fee is paid in one sum.
• Option 2: You pay in two parts: the first half is the deposit, and the second half is paid one month before the first day of class.
• Option 3: You sign up via our ecommerce platform to pay in monthly instalments, of between 4 to 6 instalments total according to your preference. The first instalment is considered the deposit. A 5% surcharge is added when you select this option. Monthly billing is available for Spring workshops before March 2026, and for Summer workshops before May 2026.

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Acceptance when there are 4 weeks or less before the start of the workshop:

The full cost of tuition is due within 5 working days of your acceptance letter. Tuition fees must be paid in full before the first day of lessons in order to participate.

Discounts & Financial Aid

To support artists in our community, DARA has several discounts on offer for our 2026 workshop roster - please see terms and conditions below. Additionally, you may be eligible for third-party subsidies to help fund your education at DARA.

Please note that the following offers apply to our Workshop Programme only. Available discounts may differ for our Trimester Programme & Bootcamps.​

Early Bird Discount

You are eligible for this discount if you register between 10 to 30 November for any workshop scheduled between the months of April to September 2026 and you reserve your space by paying a deposit within 14 days of your letter of acceptance.

Terms & Conditions:

• If you enrol in multiple courses, this discount applies to the workshop with the lowest tuition fee.
• If you cancel your enrolment and then decide to join the course at a later time, the discount is void.
• If your deposit payment is not received by the deadline (within 14 days of your letter of acceptance), the discount is void.
• If you enrol in a workshop at the Early Bird rate, and then later decide to transfer to a different workshop, the discount is void.
• This discount does not apply to the workshop "Drawing the Portrait: Structure & Form" with Kevin Muller-Cisneros, scheduled in January 2026. Kevin's workshop has a separate special discount on offer - see here for details.

Artist Discount

Registering for multiple workshops? The more courses you take, the more you save!

As a show of gratitude to our dedicated students, DARA offers you a €50 discount for each additional workshop you join in 2026, for maximum savings of up to €200.

What you save:

• Any 2 Workshops: save €50 off the combined total of tuition fees;
• Any 3 Workshops: save €100 off the combined total of tuition fees;
• Any 4 Workshops: save €150 off the combined total of tuition fees;
• Any 5+ Workshops: save €200 off the combined total of tuition fees.

Terms & Conditions:

• You can combine this discount with the Early Bird discount. Register early and maximise your savings!
• If you cancel your enrolment in one or more workshops, the full discount will no longer apply.
• This discount only applies to our Workshop Programme. If you enrol in only one workshop, but also join some other type of course (a trimester course, bootcamp, etc.) you are not eligible for this discount.

Subsidies & Financial Aid

Career Development for Creative Professionals: Funding up to €2.000
If you work in the creative sector in the Netherlands, either for a company or as a ZZP'er, you may be eligible for third-party funding from Werktuig-PPO when you enrol in courses at DARA.

Please check terms & eligibility here.


Volwassenenfonds Sport and Culture
This fund provides support that enables those from low-income households to be involved in the arts. You must have a registered address within the Netherlands. You can apply to the fund in your own region through the website.

Please check terms & eligibility here.

Cancellation & Studio Policies

See all Studio Policies >

• Policies if I cancel >

• Policies if DARA cancels >

• Credit tuition fees to something else >

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• If you cancel your enrolment, you may be eligible for a full or partial refund. DARA is not liable for the cost of accommodation, airfare or travel, or any other student expenses associated with the workshop.
  
  Full Refund
  1) If you cancel within 14 days of paying your first instalment of tuition fees, you receive a full refund, even if the course already began.* (*In this situation, you are required to pay the cost of services rendered. This is calculated by the number of lessons that were completed at the time you cancelled, regardless of whether or not you attended class. The remaining balance is refunded.)
  
  2) If you cancel more than 6 months before the start of the workshop, you receive a full refunded.
  
  3) If you cancel at any time before the workshop, and either you or DARA is able to find someone else to take your place, you receive a full refund 14 days after the alternate student has paid to reserve the vacant space.
  
  Partial Refund
  1) If you cancel when there are more than 4 weeks, but fewer than 6 months, before the start of the workshop, DARA retains 50% of the total tuition fee. If you have paid more than 50% of the tuition fee, than the remaining balance is refunded to you.
  
  Please note that if we are able to find someone else to fill your place in the workshop, we will refund you in full 14 days after the alternate student has reserved the available space.
  
  Situations where you are not eligible for a refund
  1) You are not eligible for a refund if you cancel when there are fewer than 4 weeks before the start of the workshop. However, please note that we will waive this policy and refund you in full if we can find someone else to take your place before the workshop begins.
  
  2) You are not eligible for a refund if you are absent from class, or you withdraw from the workshop for any reason after the course starts. You are also not eligible to credit your tuition fee to a different course in this situation.
• If we have not reached sufficient levels of student enrolment for the course to go forward, we will notify you two months in advance of the scheduled start date.
  
  In this circumstance, you can opt to:
  
  

  • Keep a space reserved to attend the course at a postponed date;
  • Transfer your enrolment to another available course;
  • Receive a full refund of tuition fees.

  
  ​Please note that DARA is not liable for students' accommodation, airfare, travel costs, or other expenses affiliated with the workshop.
  
  If a single lesson is cancelled (for example, due to the instructor falling seriously ill or other exceptional circumstance), every effort will be made to schedule a make-up session at a time convenient for the majority of students. A refund for the lesson is offered to any students who cannot attend the make-up session. DARA reserves the right to substitute in another qualified instructor or model in a class if necessary.
• Crediting your tuition fee to a different workshop is permitted in the following circumstances:
  
  Conditions of eligibility
  1) There are more than 6 weeks before the start of the workshop you were originally accepted to.
  
  2) You will transfer to a specific course which is currently open for registration at DARA. We are not able to keep tuition fees on hold for a hypothetical course at some unfixed time in the future.
  
  3) The course you would like to transfer into has places available, and if there are any eligibility requirements, you meet them. (Please note that there are no entrance requirements for workshops or bootcamps, however there are requirements for our Trimester Programme.)
  
  4) If there is a price difference between the two courses, such that the tuition fee of the course you want to transfer into costs less than your original workshop, DARA will refund the difference in tuition fees up to €300. Any amount left over is retained by DARA.
  
  If all four conditions are not met, it is not possible to credit your tuition fee to a different course. Please refer to the Cancellation Policy.
  

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