Portrait Drawing Fundamentals

Portraying a person is more than achieving a likeness. It’s about infusing the drawing with life and character. In this immersive two-day workshop, students will explore the essential principles of portrait drawing through demonstrations, guided exercises, and hands-on practice with a live model. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to strengthen your foundational skills, this workshop offers a clear and practical approach to understanding the human face.

Class 1: The Structure of the Head

• Learn the basic structure and proportions of the head using a constructive method.
• Explore frontal, profile, and ¾ views through instructor demonstrations and guided exercises.
• Study individual facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, and ears), understanding how they relate to each other and fit within the overall structure of the head.

Class 2: Light, Shadow, and Expression

• Discover the sculpting shadow method and how to use tonal drawing to create depth and dimension.
• Move beyond contour lines to build form through value, contrast, and subtle shifts of tone.
• Work from a live model, applying what you’ve learned after a 20-minute demonstration by the artist.By the end of the workshop, students will have built a strong foundation in the fundamentals of portraiture, skills that can be applied to drawing, painting, or sculpture. You’ll leave with a deeper understanding of structure, light, and proportion, and the confidence to bring vitality and presence to your portraits.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Michele Del Campo lives and works in Miami. He grew up in San Nicandro Garganico, a small town in Southern Italy. Isolated in the countryside, he would spend his leisure time drawing and painting. At 18, he moved to Milan and then to the UK to become an artist and discover a bigger world. He continued living in multiple cities and countries, adapting to different environments and meeting people from all walks of life, which enriched the narrative of his painting.

Michele holds a Fine Arts degree and an MFA from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (2007, Spain), and a BA(Hons) in Illustration and Printmaking from the University of Dundee (2001, UK). His paintings have been exhibited in art galleries and institutions around Europe, United Kingdom, United States and South America, earning him awards such as the BMW Painting Prize in Spain, the Premios Luces in Peru, and the Oil Painters of America Prize in the ARC Salon, among others.