Zuider Emmakade 45F, 2012 KN Haarlem
back to all workshops > introduction to portrait painting
​

APPLICATIONS OPEN


​DATES: 1 to 5 July 2024
TIMES: 9:30 to 16:30 (lunch from 12:30 to 13:30, 30 instructed hours total)
INSTRUCTOR: Thomas Langeveld
LANGUAGE: English is spoken in group discussions / individual instruction in Nederlands or English
LIMIT: 15 students maximum
COST: € 710
INCLUDED WITH COST: Daily lunch
NOT INCLUDED: All other painting materials (see below), accommodation, travel fare
RECOMMENDED LEVEL: All levels welcome, though some previous experience drawing from life and working with oil paints will be helpful.
Receive a 90 EUR discount off the total cost of tuition when you combine this workshop with Introduction to Oil Painting.


​
​Key Concepts & Skills in this Course:

* Learn an academic approach to portraiture through studying from classical sculpture
* Study the head in terms of planar structure and artistic anatomy
* Analyze the construction of the facial features (eyes, ears, nose, mouth)
* Draw fully from life, achieving correct proportions and a sense of form through tonal relationships
* Capture the "essence" of the portrait through simplification
Shape Divider - Style triangle

  • Course Description

    In this 5-day workshop with Dutch painter Thomas Langeveld, artists will learn academic principles of portraiture by painting from plaster casts. Learning to paint the human form through study of classical statuary is an ancient art form, which has been a staple in fine arts education dating back to ancient Greece.

    This traditional avenue of study offers a helpful bridge to painting successfully from real life, but without the added difficulties of painting a living model who moves, or poses for only a limited time. Further, by studying from classical sculpture, students learn ideas about how to design and idealize the portrait to create more aesthetically pleasing compositions.

    Thomas will guide his students through fundamental skills, such as an analysis of the planar structure of the head, facial proportions, and the anatomy of facial features. By using a limited warm/cool grisaille palette, students will also strengthen their drawing skills, learning to use tonal value effectively to convey three-dimensional form.

    With a solid foundation in painting from sculpture, this course will enable students to begin discovering the beautiful art of portrait painting from life.

  • Tuition

    The cost of tuition for this course is € 710, which includes 30 hours of instruction.

    Also included with the cost of tuition:
    • ​Complimentary lunch. Meals are light, healthy & homemade. This typically consists of toasted sandwiches, soups, grilled vegetables, salad bowls, etc. Menu changes daily.
    • Coffee, tea, light snacks during all hours
    • End-of-workshop borrel / aperitif (light alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks, light snacks & bites) 
    • Studio equipment - easels, drawing boards, stools

    All other expenses (such as accommodation, travel fare, drawing & painting supplies) are not included.

    Available Discounts
    Will you follow this course together with Introduction to Oil Painting? Tuition costs are then reduced by €90 EUR (for a total of €1330 for both courses.)

    ​Payment Deadlines
    Deposit
    A deposit payment is due within 14 days of acceptance into the course in order to reserve your place. This can be paid in one of two ways:
    • Monthly Installments: When there are more than 6 months before the start of the workshop, tuition fees can be split into six monthly payments. The first installment is charged at checkout. 3% interest is added when paying in monthly installments.
     
    • Two Installments: The first half of tuition is paid as a deposit to hold your place in the class. The second half is due 30 days before the start of the workshop.

    Are there fewer than 30 days before the start of the workshop?
    The full tuition fee is due within 5 working days in order to reserve your place in the class.

    If there are fewer than 5 days from the start of class, tuition fees must be paid in full before the workshop begins.

    Please review our cancellation and transfer policy.

  • Course Materials

    ​The following materials are required for participation in this course.

    DRAWING MATERIALS
    • HB pencils
    • Craft knife
    • Sanding pad
    • Kneaded eraser

    OIL COLORS
    Paints should be Artist/Professional quality. Thomas has indicated his preferred brands - if using a different brand, please check that the Pigment Index Number matches those indicated below, as this can vary between brands.

    • Dekwit / Covering White by Haarlemmer Olieverf (PW6/PW5. This is a fast-drying blend of Titanium White and Lithopone White)
    • Raw Umber by Haarlemmer Olieverf (PBr7)
    • Ivory Black by Michael Harding (PBk9)

    PAPER
    • 2 sheets white drawing paper, medium texture surface, A3 size (Fabriano Accademia is a good option)

    CANVAS
    • 2 stretched and primed canvas, size 30 x 40 cm, fine-weave cotton or linen
    PAINT MEDIUMS
    • Linseed Oil
    • Liquin (Winsor & Newton)
    • Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits
    ​Gamsol is the only solvent allowed for use at DARA.
    ​
    PAINTING MATERIALS
    • Palette
    • 1 palette knife
    • Metal palette cups
    • 1 clean empty glass jar for brush cleaning
    • Paper towels
    • 1 kitchen sponge
    • (Optional) Latex gloves

    ​BRUSHES
    Thomas recommends bringing large sized brushes for backgrounds & large areas, as well as small brushes for for finer details.
     
    Suggested brush manufacturers are Rosemary & Co., AMI, and Da Vinci (Maestro 2 series).
     
    • A range of bristle brushes in small to large sizes, rounds, flats, and filberts (“cat-tongues”)
    • A range of sable-hair or synthetic brushes in small to large sizes, filberts
    • At least 1 large flat bristle brush
    • At least 1 sable-hair or synthetic fan brush, medium size
    • 1 small pointed round brush, sable- or synthetic-hair

  • Location

    Have you followed a workshop with us before? Please note that all 2024 workshops will take place in our new studio building at: Zuider Emmakade 45, 2012 KN Haarlem.

    Our new location is in the same neighbourhood as our previous building, and easily accessible via public transport.

    ​

    Where to Stay

    Travelling to Haarlem from out of town? We can give a few recommendations on places to stay:

    • Travelling on a budget
    Check out Hello I'm Local Boutique Hostel located in the center of town - both private rooms and shared dorms available.

    • Nearby Hotels
    The following hotels are all within 15 minutes walking distance of DARA or less:​
    the niu Dairy
    Hotel Raecks
    Boutique Hotel 't Vosje

    • AirBnB
    Renting a private room or apartment through AirBnB is often a popular choice for artists travelling to DARA from out of town. Booking early is advised.

[ i ] Parallax section below. Click on the section below to upload image. Don't worry if it looks weird in the Weebly editor. It'll look normal on your published site.

To edit or delete your image, press the "toggle" button below. Then, hover over your image until a popup appears with the "edit" and "delete" options. Since these are parallax sections, you may need to scroll a bit up or down to be able to click on the "edit image" popup.


​For Who

Recommended Level

All levels welcome, though some basic competency in drawing from life is recommended.

Previous experience working with oil paints is not strictly required, but will be helpful.

Small class sizes ensure that instruction can be tailored to each student's individual level.


​Instructor

Thomas Langeveld
Thomas Langeveld has been active as a professional artist for over 15 years. After a successful career painting portraits on commission, he moved to Florence, Italy to pursue a classical education in figurative drawing and painting. Upon his return to the Netherlands, he founded DARA with the vision of promoting the academic tradition in contemporary art education.