Image 1 of 1
Painting the Figure From Life (Online Course) Winter 2026 w/ Sebastian Haquin
February 6 to February 27 (Fridays), 12:00 PM to 3:00 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.
Course Description
In this course, Sebastian will delve deeply into the practice of painting from life, focusing on convincingly depicting the figure in its environment. Over four weeks we will explore portraiture, still life, and paintings that situate the figure in the surrounding space, looking at colour, atmosphere and lighting as a way of tying a picture together in a satisfying and exciting way. Painting that is rooted in observation and studies from life forms an indispensable foundation for a wide variety of artistic practices and it can become a central part of yours too.
Course Outline
Week 1 - Still Life and Spacial Thinking
In this session we will use still life as an entry point to thibk about depicting the figure in space, focusing on atmosphere, balancing colour, proportion and composition. This session will include a painting demonstration with a focus on colour mixing that will form a foundation for the following lessons.
Assignment:
Arrange and paint a still life from observation with the colours listed in the materials. You are encouraged to find something that is spacially and compositionally challenging.
Week 2 - Painting the Portrait From Life
In this session we will paint a portrait, focusing on the head and shoulders, establishing the basics that will support us as we undertake more ambitious compositions. There will be a video demonstration focused on building up the form and likeness of the subject, as well as settling it convincingly in its surrounding environment.
The assignment:
Students will undertake a portrait from life, employing the colour mixing techniques of the first lesson and focusing on atmosphere creating atmosphere and depth.
Week 3 - Painting the Figure in Full
In this lesson we will paint a full length figure in a neutral setting, breaking down the complex forms of the human figure into a manageable composition that works as a standalone image. There will be a video demonstration focusing on capturing light, simplifying the forms of the body and placing them believably in their surroundings.
The Assignment:
Students will paint a full length figure in any pose, focusing on colour, light form and proportion.
Week 4 - Painting the Figure and Its Surroundings
We will incorporate all of the approaches and techniques established in previous lessons into a painting of a figure in a fully realised environment. There will be a video demonstration where the arrangement of the composition is discussed, and the figure painted in its surroundings.
The assignment:
Students will arrange and paint a model from life in a scene of their own composition.
Course Materials List
I will be using oils in my demonstrations and as such, the list of materials I am providing focuses on that medium, however acrylics are available in most of the same pigments and are a more than adequate alternative.
You will need;
Brushes, a good mixture of sizes and degrees of softness ranging from very large to very small
Terpentine
Your preferred painting medium
At least four canvases
A palette
Some rags for wiping brushes and for erasing mistakes
People to pose for you! It can be the same person every time but you will need someone to sit there and be painted for three of the exercises.
The following pigments from.whichever brand of oil paint is in your price range.
Zinc white
Cadmium red
Permanent rose
Cadmium yellow deep or any yellow that tends towards a deeper more orange colour
Cadmium lemon yellow
Pthalo blue
Ultramarine blue
Pthalo green
The main principle here is that you will use two of each of the primary colours, one cool and one warm, mixing our own browns and greys out of these rather than using earth pigments and working tonally. If you have a fondness for certain colours that you would be able to point out on a colour wheel like an orange or purple, feel free to incorporate those into your palette but as much as possible we will be mixing our own colours.
February 6 to February 27 (Fridays), 12:00 PM to 3:00 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.
Course Description
In this course, Sebastian will delve deeply into the practice of painting from life, focusing on convincingly depicting the figure in its environment. Over four weeks we will explore portraiture, still life, and paintings that situate the figure in the surrounding space, looking at colour, atmosphere and lighting as a way of tying a picture together in a satisfying and exciting way. Painting that is rooted in observation and studies from life forms an indispensable foundation for a wide variety of artistic practices and it can become a central part of yours too.
Course Outline
Week 1 - Still Life and Spacial Thinking
In this session we will use still life as an entry point to thibk about depicting the figure in space, focusing on atmosphere, balancing colour, proportion and composition. This session will include a painting demonstration with a focus on colour mixing that will form a foundation for the following lessons.
Assignment:
Arrange and paint a still life from observation with the colours listed in the materials. You are encouraged to find something that is spacially and compositionally challenging.
Week 2 - Painting the Portrait From Life
In this session we will paint a portrait, focusing on the head and shoulders, establishing the basics that will support us as we undertake more ambitious compositions. There will be a video demonstration focused on building up the form and likeness of the subject, as well as settling it convincingly in its surrounding environment.
The assignment:
Students will undertake a portrait from life, employing the colour mixing techniques of the first lesson and focusing on atmosphere creating atmosphere and depth.
Week 3 - Painting the Figure in Full
In this lesson we will paint a full length figure in a neutral setting, breaking down the complex forms of the human figure into a manageable composition that works as a standalone image. There will be a video demonstration focusing on capturing light, simplifying the forms of the body and placing them believably in their surroundings.
The Assignment:
Students will paint a full length figure in any pose, focusing on colour, light form and proportion.
Week 4 - Painting the Figure and Its Surroundings
We will incorporate all of the approaches and techniques established in previous lessons into a painting of a figure in a fully realised environment. There will be a video demonstration where the arrangement of the composition is discussed, and the figure painted in its surroundings.
The assignment:
Students will arrange and paint a model from life in a scene of their own composition.
Course Materials List
I will be using oils in my demonstrations and as such, the list of materials I am providing focuses on that medium, however acrylics are available in most of the same pigments and are a more than adequate alternative.
You will need;
Brushes, a good mixture of sizes and degrees of softness ranging from very large to very small
Terpentine
Your preferred painting medium
At least four canvases
A palette
Some rags for wiping brushes and for erasing mistakes
People to pose for you! It can be the same person every time but you will need someone to sit there and be painted for three of the exercises.
The following pigments from.whichever brand of oil paint is in your price range.
Zinc white
Cadmium red
Permanent rose
Cadmium yellow deep or any yellow that tends towards a deeper more orange colour
Cadmium lemon yellow
Pthalo blue
Ultramarine blue
Pthalo green
The main principle here is that you will use two of each of the primary colours, one cool and one warm, mixing our own browns and greys out of these rather than using earth pigments and working tonally. If you have a fondness for certain colours that you would be able to point out on a colour wheel like an orange or purple, feel free to incorporate those into your palette but as much as possible we will be mixing our own colours.