WORKSHOPS 2026 | click image or text for more details and registration

SKETCHING THE PORTRAIT: FOUR TECHNIQUES
Schoolhouse for Art, Enniskerry, Ireland
14-17 May 2026 (four days)

In this four-day workshop, artists will learn to create portrait sketches that evince the beauty and humanity of the model with freshness, sensitivity, and lively detail. Using a lucid step-by-step approach, participants will draw four portrait sketches of four different live models. Patrick will guide artists with daily demonstrations and in-depth personal critiques through each stage of the process – from creating a strong likeness with accurate drawing, to interpreting the light effect, modeling form, and seeking a balance between sculptural, graphic and atmospheric aesthetic aims. Cranial anatomy, perspective, materials, and the physics of light will also be discussed throughout each session. Each day of the workshop presents a different technique and will be divided into two basic components. Mornings begin with a short lecture and comprehensive demonstration, introducing and illustrating core concepts for each theme: colored pencil on white paper, graphite and white chalk on toned paper, charcoal on toned paper, and trois crayons. Following the demonstration and for the rest of the day, participants will focus on drawing the model with the guidance of detailed, personalized critiques emphasizing a highly organized approach that combines optical and conceptual analysis. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced artists welcome— instruction will be customized to individual levels of experience.

ACADEMIC PORTRAIT PAINTING: DRAWING, FORM, & COLOR
London Fine Art Studios, London, UK
26-30 May 2026 (five days)

In this five-day workshop, participants will make a portrait painting from the live model, learning and strengthening foundational skills in line with academic traditions, studio practices, and methodology. Starting with a linear block-in and proceeding to a limited palette of oil colors following a lucid, three-step process that emphasizes accurate draftsmanship, analytical color mixing, and sensitive rendering. Patrick will guide artists with daily demonstrations and comprehensive personalized critiques through each stage of the process – from creating a convincing likeness with strong drawing, to painting quick poster studies to understand global hue/value/chroma relationships, to rendering the light effect via a sculptural analysis of the form. Cranial anatomy, Munsell color theory, materials, paint handling, brushwork, and the physics of light will also be discussed throughout each session. Some prior experience drawing and painting from the live model is recommended. Instruction will be customized to all levels of experience.

LONG POSE MODEL DRAWING: STRUCTURE AND FORM
Dutch Atelier of Realist Art, Haarlem, The Netherlands
8-12 June 2026 (five days)

In this five-day workshop participants will draw from the live model, gaining confidence in the fundamentals of figure draftsmanship with an emphasis on proportion, structure, and dimensional form. Following a series of shorter poses to explore expressive gesture and effective abbreviation, participants will create a highly resolved long pose drawing, learning to render the illusion of three-dimensional form by analyzing the anatomy of light and its effect on objects in space. This 15+ hour sustained pose will offer a rich opportunity to discover the model’s unique character with greater fidelity, anatomical structure, and a convincing sense of volume via the sensitive rendering of light and shadow. Patrick will aid participants with demonstrations, individual critiques, and detailed discussions on establishing an accurate value range, anatomy, perspective, line quality, and the balance between sculptural, graphic, and atmospheric aesthetic aims. Beginning to advanced artists are welcome; instruction will be customized to individual levels of experience.

LIMITED PALETTE PORTRAIT PAINTING: SHORT TO LONG POSE
Dutch Atelier of Realist Art, Haarlem, The Netherlands
15-19 June 2026 (five days)

In this five-day workshop, artists will paint a portrait from the live model using a limited palette of oil colors. Using just four paints — titanium white, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, and ultramarine blue— participants will discover how to achieve a surprisingly expansive range of colors through careful modulations of hue, value, and chroma, developing strategies for interpreting the sometimes elusive colors we perceive in human flesh. Comprised of both quick and abstracted color studies as well as a long pose of 15-20 hours, this workshop is geared towards painters looking to gain confidence and improve their color mixing, abbreviation, drawing, and paint handling. Patrick will guide participants with daily demonstrations and in-depth personal critiques throughout each stage of the process — from creating a strong likeness with accurate drawing, to color mixing, modeling form and finishing details. Munsell color theory, cranial anatomy, materials, and the physics of light will also be discussed throughout each session. Novice, intermediate, and advanced painters welcome. Some prior experience drawing and painting from the live model is recommended.

THE CLASSICAL SELF PORTRAIT IN OIL
Terracotta (ONLINE)
26-29 June (four days)

In this four-day online workshop, artists will explore the academic process of self-portrait painting in oils. Following a structured, step-by-step approach, this course emphasizes the foundation of great painting—accurate drawing, strong value structure, and refined color harmony—while guiding you through each stage of development from block-in to final pass. Whether you’re new to oil portraiture or looking to refine your technical control, this workshop offers an opportunity to deepen your understanding of a classical painting process— from the transfer to the color study, to the grisaille or ébauche underpainting, to the final full color form pass. This course is ideal for intermediate to advanced painters who want to refine their classical technique or develop a stronger foundation in oil portraiture. Some prior experience drawing or painting from life is recommended. A personalized feedback track featuring a one-on-one critique session is available for ten students.

BLOCK-IN BOOTCAMP: SEEING WITH THE EYE, SEEING WITH THE MIND
Tegneskole KBH, Copenhagen, Denmark
6-10 July 2026 (five days)

In this five-day portrait drawing workshop participants will strengthen foundational block-in skills while working from the live model. If we consider that the “realism” of realistic oil painting is found in the formal element of drawing (shapes and values), then the linear block-in serves as the supportive armature for all that is built upon it, and the need for powerful, confident block-in skills becomes paramount. Working from life offers a unique challenge to the development of these powers of interpretation— with a subject that is in constant motion, a set of optical and conceptual tools is required to create a drawing that is at once specific, sculptural, structural, and sensitive. Focused on building fluency with core concepts and strategies (such as picture plane inclinations/measurements, abstract shapes, abbreviation, line quality, perspective and anatomy), this workshop is intended for drawers and painters at all levels of experience who are seeking to improve the likeness, specificity, speed, and confidence of their portrait work. Beginning to advanced artists are welcome; instruction will be customized to all levels of experience.

ACADEMIC PORTRAIT PAINTING: DRAWING, FORM, & COLOR
Studio Paradiso, Seattle, WA
24-27 July 2026 (four days)

In this four-day workshop, participants will make a portrait painting from the live model, learning and strengthening foundational skills in line with academic traditions, studio practices, and methodology. Starting with a linear block-in and proceeding to a limited palette of oil colors following a lucid, three-step process that emphasizes accurate draftsmanship, analytical color mixing, and sensitive rendering. Patrick will guide artists with daily demonstrations and comprehensive personalized critiques through each stage of the process – from creating a convincing likeness with strong drawing, to painting quick poster studies to understand global hue/value/chroma relationships, to rendering the light effect via a sculptural analysis of the form. Cranial anatomy, Munsell color theory, materials, paint handling, brushwork, and the physics of light will also be discussed throughout each session. Some prior experience drawing and painting from the live model is recommended. Instruction will be customized to all levels of experience.

PORTRAIT DRAWING IN TROIS CRAYONS
Palette & Chisel, Chicago, IL
31 July - 2 August (three days)

In this three-day workshop artists will make portrait drawings from the live model in short and long poses using the technique of trois crayons: red, black, and white dry media on paper. Dating to the Renaissance, gaining prominence in 16th century France, and continuing in popularity today, trois crayons has been exploited to masterful effect by artists such as Parmigianino, Rubens, Boucher, Watteau, and more recently Anthony Ryder and Robert Liberace. Typically, black is used for the construction lines, shadows, and cold tones, red for the warm tones, and white for the highlights. Instruction will include a comprehensive demonstration from start to finish, as well as in-depth personal critiques with a particular focus on cultivating an organized, rational process. Two distinct steps will be emphasized throughout: building an accurate linear block-in, then interpreting values, hues, and chromas to effectively to create a sense of sculptural form and a strong aesthetic point of view. Cranial anatomy, color theory, materials, line quality, resolution/abbreviation, edges, and the physics of light will also be discussed throughout the course. Beginning to advanced artists are welcome; instruction will be customized to all levels of experience.

ALLA PRIMA PORTRAIT SKETCH
Raw Umber Studios, Stroud, UK
10-13 September 2026 (four days)

In this four-day workshop, artists will learn to create alla prima portrait paintings that evince the beauty and humanity of the model with freshness, sensitivity, and lively detail. Using a lucid step-by-step approach featuring an emphasis on strong drawing, simplification, form analysis, and rational color mixing, participants will paint four portrait sketches of four different live models using a limited palette of six colors. Patrick will guide artists with daily demonstrations and comprehensive personalized critiques through each stage of the process – from creating a strong likeness with accurate drawing, to color mixing, modeling form and finishing details. Cranial anatomy, materials, paint handling, and the physics of light will also be discussed throughout each session. While this workshop is mainly geared towards painters with some previous experience in oils, all artists from beginning to advanced are welcome; instruction will be customized to individual levels of experience.

PORTRAIT DRAWING IN TROIS CRAYONS
Barcelona Academy of Art, Barcelona, Spain
21-25 September 2026 (five days)

In this five-day workshop artists will make portrait drawings from the live model in short and long poses using the technique of trois crayons: red, black, and white dry media on paper. Dating to the Renaissance, gaining prominence in 16th century France, and continuing in popularity today, trois crayons has been exploited to masterful effect by artists such as Parmigianino, Rubens, Boucher, Watteau, and more recently Anthony Ryder and Robert Liberace. Typically, black is used for the construction lines, shadows, and cold tones, red for the warm tones, and white for the highlights. Instruction will include a comprehensive demonstration from start to finish, as well as in-depth personal critiques with a particular focus on cultivating an organized, rational process. Two distinct steps will be emphasized throughout: building an accurate linear block-in, then interpreting values, hues, and chromas to effectively to create a sense of sculptural form and a strong aesthetic point of view. Cranial anatomy, color theory, materials, line quality, resolution/abbreviation, edges, and the physics of light will also be discussed throughout the course. Beginning to advanced artists are welcome; instruction will be customized to all levels of experience.

ALLA PRIMA PORTRAIT PAINTING: COLOUR AND LIGHT
Schoolhouse for Art, Enniskerry, Ireland
1-4 October 2026 (four days)

In this four-day workshop, artists will learn to create alla prima oil paintings that evince the beauty and humanity of the model with freshness, sensitivity, and lively detail. Using a lucid step-by-step approach featuring an emphasis on strong drawing, simplification, form analysis, and rational color mixing, participants will paint four portrait sketches of four different live models using a palette of 8 oil colors. Patrick will guide artists with daily demonstrations and comprehensive personalized critiques through each stage of the process – from creating a strong likeness with accurate drawing, to color mixing, modeling form and finishing details. Cranial anatomy, materials, paint handling, and the physics of light will also be discussed throughout each session. While this workshop is mainly geared towards painters with some previous experience in oils, all artists from beginning to advanced are welcome; instruction will be customized to individual levels of experience.

FOUNDATIONS OF SELF-PORTRAIT DRAWING
Vienna Atelier of Traditional Art, Vienna, Austria
13-16 November (four days)

In this four-day workshop artists will create a self-portrait drawing in graphite and white chalk on toned paper, working from direct observation with one or two mirrors. This course emphasizes the critical foundations—proportion, structure, and the subtle interpretation of light and shadow—that set the stage for a successful portrait. Whether you’re new to self-portrait drawing or looking to refine your approach, this workshop will help you build confidence and precision from the ground up, with instruction that includes a comprehensive demonstration from start to finish, as well as in-depth personal critiques with a particular focus on cultivating an organized, rational process. Two distinct steps will be emphasized throughout: building an accurate linear block-in, then interpreting values effectively to create a sense of form, while exploring the play between three general aesthetic aims: sculptural, graphic, and atmospheric. Cranial anatomy, color theory, materials, line quality, resolution/abbreviation, edges, and the physics of light will also be discussed throughout the course. Beginning to advanced artists are welcome; instruction will be customized to all levels of experience. Mirrors provided by VATA.

DRAWING THE PORTRAIT ON TONED PAPER
Art East Anglia, Norwich, UK
21-22 November 2026 (two days)

In this two-day workshop participants will draw the live model in a single portrait pose using graphite and white chalk on toned paper, developing the fundamentals of portrait draftsmanship by learning to synthesize visual and conceptual modes of analysis. Starting with a linear construction emphasizing accurate proportion, anatomical structure, and a sensitive fidelity to nature, artists will proceed to rendering the illusion of three-dimensional form by analyzing the geometry between light source, subject, and viewing position. Additional areas of focus will include establishing an accurate value range, anatomy, perspective, edges, line quality, and the balance between sculptural, graphic, and atmospheric aesthetic aims. Beginning to advanced artists are welcome; instruction will be customized to all levels of experience.