The Drama of the Human Face

What are the challenges for today's portrait painter? How do you capture likeness and character in a world shaped by technology and social media? Kim Spooner explores these questions through an introduction to the history of portraiture and contemporary practice. Kim will also lead students in a lively discussion delving into major Australian portrait prizes, including the Archibald Prize and the National Portrait Gallery’s Collection.

In the NAS painting studio, Kim guides students through the process of developing a portrait, from initial studies to finished paintings. Draw and paint from live models or photographs of subjects of your own choice. Kim will challenge students to capture the character, expressiveness and proportions unique to each individual subject. Learn how to capture proportion, likeness and character through observation and paint. Explore traditional and contemporary painting techniques using oils or acrylics and a range of painting mediums.

Students will also have the opportunity to apply these skills to source images of a loved one, creating a portrait of personal significance.

Designed for a range of experience levels, the course responds to each student's interests and approach while building a strong foundation in portrait painting. By the end of the course, students will have developed practical portrait painting skills, gained a deeper understanding of contemporary and historical portraiture, and built confidence in capturing likeness and character.

Course Schedule:
The following is an indicative course schedule only. The content and pace of the sessions may vary in response to the students in the program.

Day 1 – Orientation & Foundations
One-hour presentation and discussion in Black Theatre. Introduction in the NAS studio, including materials overview and lecturer demonstrations showing students how to depict facial likeness by measuring and finding relationships; explaining tone and colour. Kim will suggest approaches and preparation of materials for projects. Life Model set up in arrangement in afternoon

Day 2 – Developing the Painting started on Day 1 with life model in same set-up, with demonstrations and individual instruction by Kim

Day 3 – Expression in portraiture. Two life models will pose in spontaneous and expressive poses, interacting emotional narratives for quick drawing and painting studies. The model from days 1&2 will return to the first set-up for students to complete their painting and the second model will pose in a separate set-up.

Day 4 – Developing the second Painting. Life model will continue to hold the second set-up (commenced on day 3) in afternoon. Kim will demonstrate painterly techniques and instruct students to use a variety of paint mediums.

Day 5 – Resolving the Paintings. With the life model continuing the second set-up, students will be guided to complete the second portrait. Students will continue to complete paintings in the afternoon and the course will finish with group instruction and critique.

* NAS Short Courses are open to students of ages 16 years and over. The NAS Art Club is open to students from ages 15 years and over. 

* Drawing and painting short courses may be held in upstairs studios. If access to stairs is not suitable, please contact us at short.courses@nas.edu.au 

* What to bring? Please refer to the list of required materials in the Art Materials field below. 

Students must supply their own art materials, please refer to the list below.

You may consider the following materials for use during the course:

• Notebook and/or sketchbook, drawing paper such as cartridge and drawing media such as pencils, charcoal, compressed charcoal
• Oil/acrylic paints, bring whatever you have available and normally use
• For students using acrylic paint consider bringing acrylic emulsion or acrylic binder (500ml)
• For students using oil paint consider bringing medium No 1 which is a fast drying medium (500ml) refined linseed oil (500ml) if you use it, a solvent such as odourless solvent (500ml) and solvent for cleaning up (500ml – 1 litre)
• Brushes, square and round bristle – bring an assortment of sizes and whatever you usually use
• Palette for mixing paint. An A2 size sheet of white Perspex is ideal
• Surfaces to work on. This may include prepared paper, stretched canvas, canvas boards etc. Select the surfaces and sizes you wish to work on.
• Rubber gloves
• A block of domestic soap, a plastic sauce container with a plastic lid and some jars and rags
• If you are interested in exploring collage in your work you may like to bring fixative, scissors, small bottle of PVA glue and collage/scrap materials such as fabric, coloured patterned paper, card, thin plywood

The teacher will advise on additional materials as the course progresses. Art materials can be purchased at Parkers Art Supplies on campus at NAS.

Enclosed footwear is essential in all studios on campus.

Kim Spooner’s incisive and expressive portrait and figure paintings are held in public and private collections. She is an award-winning portraitist with portraits in the National Portrait Gallery and paintings and drawings in Regional Galleries throughout Australia. She is an inspirational teacher who is skilled at communicating ideas and responding to the individual needs of students and artists. She completed a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, in 2009. Winner of the 2006 Portia Geach Memorial Award, Kim is represented by Nanda\Hobbs Contemporary Gallery, Sydney.