If you’ve ever wanted to truly understand how to draw a portrait — here's a good place to start!
Overview
In this course, you’ll be guided through the core principles that form the foundation of traditional portrait drawing. Working from photographic reference, you’ll learn how to see more clearly — using angles, plumb lines, and relative…
If you’ve ever wanted to truly understand how to draw a portrait — here's a good place to start!
Overview
In this course, you’ll be guided through the core principles that form the foundation of traditional portrait drawing. Working from photographic reference, you’ll learn how to see more clearly — using angles, plumb lines, and relative measurement to build accurate proportions and achieve a true likeness. Led by award-winning portrait artist Paul W. McCormack, this class balances demonstration, clear structure, and hands-on practice. You’ll begin with instructor-provided references and step-by-step guidance to build confidence in proportion and placement. Midway through the course, you’ll learn how to take your own reference photos and use them to create a finished portrait. Along the way, you’ll explore rendering techniques that bring features, light, and form to life in a realistic way.
Whether you’re new to portrait drawing or looking to strengthen your technical foundation, this course offers a focused and supportive path forward. This class is for both beginner and advanced students.
Registration Information
Registration generally closes 2 days before the start date to prepare for class. For this workshop, you'll be sent a materials list to purchase in advance of the class. Please be mindful of our cancelation policy before purchasing. If you have any questions about whether this class is right for you, please reach out [email protected]
About the teaching artist
Paul W. McCormack was born in Rahway, New Jersey, in 1962. He received his formal art training at DuCret School of the Arts, where he later became a faculty member. Working exclusively in watercolors for the first ten years of his career, Paul made his mark early on with figurative work that defied the medium and one's sensibilities of traditional watercolor painting. Returning to Oils in the early '90s and working in both mediums, he has enjoyed a successful portrait career for over 30 years with a long affiliation with Portraits Inc. in NYC. In recent years, he has broken away from portraiture and returned to creating works that are more personal in nature. His work has been featured in numerous national and international publications and books. His paintings have appeared on two covers of the Artist's Magazine, first in 1998, where he won First Place in the Portrait Category in their annual competition. Throughout his career, he has been the recipient of many awards, including the "Gold Medal of Honor" from the Allied Artists of America 101st Annual Exhibition and the "Silver Medal Award" from the Oil Painters of America 21st National Juried Exhibition.
