Let’s Face It (Online Course) Winter 2026 w/ Dean Fisher

January 27 to February 24 (Tuesdays), 10:30 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.

Course Description

A major goal of this course will be to demystify painting the human head and flesh, which are two areas of focus which intimidate many painters.

We will concentrate on seeing the human head as a series of shapes, or jigsaw puzzle pieces, as I like to call them and learn to record those shapes with fidelity in terms of accuracy, tone and color.

In this five week course we’ll explore a number of exercises which will help us see and record these abstract shapes objectively, which comprise the structure and likeness of the sitter, rather than painting a preconceived idea of what we’re looking at.

During the first two weeks we’ll be discussing tone, form and gesture using charcoal and then in the final three sessions move on to color and ultimately a gestural use of paint to impart a sense of greater dimensionality and vitality to our work.

Course Outline

Week 1 -

We’ll begin with an image presentation, looking at and discussing how artists throughout history achieved form through shape, tone and edges.

Working in vine charcoal from a live model we will explore building the structure of the human head through big tonal shapes, focusing on form and gesture.

Week 2 -

I’ll spend the entire session painting a monochromatic portrait in oils from a plaster cast, painting in a planar, and gestural way, to impart a feeling of vitality and sculptural form.

Week 3 - 

An image presentation of portraits in color showing a variety of portraits painted using muted color. 

A demonstration from a live model using subtle and reserved color.

Week 4 -

An image presentation of artists who have painted the human head using more saturated color.

I’ll begin a two session portrait from a live model where I use more saturated and experimental color.

Week 5 -

I’ll continue with my portrait painting, adding further refinement and discussing my decision making process, in depth.

We’ll finish with a question and answer.

Course Materials List

Oil Paints 
Please buy good quality paints; such as Utrecht, Winsor & Newton, Williamsburg, Michael Harding, Blue Mountain, Holbein, Blockx or similar.
Please bring these colors as well as any additional colors which you like:
Large Tube Titanium White
Studio sized tubes 35-45 ML
Cadmium Lemon Yellow
Cadmium Yellow Light
Yellow Ochre
Cadmium Red Light
Alizarin Crimson
Burnt Sienna
Viridian Green
Chrome Oxide Green
Cobalt Blue
Ultramarine Blue 

An artists palette; can be a lightweight handheld palette (New Wave palettes are great!) Or a fixed glass pallet with a neutral grey underside. Either achieved with paper under the palette or painting the underside with grey acrylic paint.

A small jar with a tight fitting screw on lid for holding your turps.

Disposable paper palette

Medium sized metal trowel shaped palette knife

Pad if charcoal paper 14 x 18 or larger

Medium and hard vine charcoal (2-3 sticks each)

Sharpening pad or a piece of 100 grit sandpaper 

Sketchbook approx. 9x 12 inches or smaller

HB or 2B pencil

Kneaded eraser

Paint Brushes with long handles (for oil Painting);

sizes #2, 4, 6, 8, 10 Natural Bristle Filberts and a #1 or #2 round and a 2″ Natural Bristle House Painting Brush
Roll of paper towels for cleaning brushes

Viewfinder- This can be the plastic frame from an old slide, or two right angle corners of matt board (6 inches) held together with paper clips, or an art store purchased viewfinder such as this his deluxe viewfinder. jerrysartarama.com/davinci-artist-viewfinder

Canvas Panels
Please bring an assortment of different-sized panels; the sizes are listed here; 2-3 4 of the small sizes and 1 to 2 of the larger sizes
9 x 12 inches
11 x 14 inches
12 x 16 inches
14 x 18 …or larger, if you prefer

I recommend Raymar panels because they’re ultra-light and have a nice painting surface.