Building a Portrait: Structure, Color, and Expression (Online Workshop) Summer 2026 w/ Hanie Soltani

June 7 to June 21 (Sundays), 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Eastern Time

**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.

Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite. Our business hours are 10:00 AM through 5:00 PM. All course information and email correspondence will be sent during business hours. If students purchase a course, workshop, demo or recording outside business hours or during the weekend the course information or recording will be sent the following business day.

DEMO: https://youtu.be/9ciKhyoai3c

Workshop Description

In this workshop, we will focus on creating a portrait, which can be a self-portrait, a work based on a reference image, or drawn from a live model.

Throughout this experience, we’ll take inspiration from art history and explore a renewed way of seeing and creating portraits, one that balances observation, emotion, and structure.

The workshop is open to participants of all levels, from beginners to experienced painters who wish to develop a more personal approach to portraiture.

Workshop Outline

Day 1: Value and Structure

Focus: Understanding portrait fundamentals and building a strong value structure.

1. Short Lecture

- The basics of portrait construction (proportions, planes of the head, and light logic

- Simplifying the portrait into light and shadow shapes

- Examples of master studies

2. Demo

- Instructor demonstration: making portrait sketches with pencil and painting a monochromatic study using black & white gouache

- Emphasis on value control, edges, and the accuracy of proportions

Day 2 : Limited Palette and Composition

Focus: Introduction to color through a limited palette and compositional 

1. Short Lecture

Thinking compositionally in portrait painting

2. Demo

- Instructor demonstration: color mixing and blocking in a portrait using a three-color oil palette

- Focus on large shape relationships, refining edges, and establishing color harmony

3. Homework Review

-Instructor-led critique of selected gouache studies from Day 1

Day 3 : Refinement, Detail, and Expression

Focus: Bringing the portrait to completion, refining form, color harmony, and expressive details.

1. Demo

- Demonstration: methods for refining features, unifying the painting, and adding final touches

2. Final Group Critique

- Group review and discussion of selected works from Sessions 2 and 3

Workshop Materials

For Gouache (Day 1)

Paints: Black and White gouache (Winsor & Newton Designer’s Gouache or Pentel Jar Gouache)

Brushes: Soft, flat-head brushes in various sizes (synthetic or sable)

Surface: Arches watercolor paper (cold press, ~300 gsm recommended)

Additional Materials: Palette, Water cup, Paper towels or rag

For Oil Painting (Days 2–3)

Paints: Titanium White, Cadmium Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Red, Cobalt Blue (You may adjust this three-color palette according to your preference.)

Brushes: Filbert and flat bristle brushes in a range of sizes

Surface: Stretched canvas or canvas board (approximately 50 × 50 cm recommended)

Medium & Tools: Linseed oil or your preferred painting medium (I will use white spirit and Liquin), Palette knife, Palette, Rags or paper towels