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Portrait Drawing for Adult
Foundations & Proportions
BEGINNER
Foundations & Proportions
Level One
Unlock the secrets of form, volume, and classical human head anatomy.
DURATION
12 Sessions
120 min (2 hours) each core session
+ 1 hour "The Painter’s Lounge"
Once a week
Schedule
Two options to choose from:
Mondays | 10:30 am – 1:30 pm (CST)
Wednesdays | 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm (CST)
Bonus
"The Painter’s Lounge" (Optional)
+ 30 min PRE-Session
+ 30 min POST-Session
Mode Of Learning
Online | Interactive Live | Microsoft Teams
Instructor Led
Group Size
Small groups
max 15 students, for personal attention
Language
English
Classical Foundations, Taught with Care
You Will Learn
✓ Seeing Like an Artist
You’ll move from “everyday” looking to noticing real shapes, lines, and proportions—the first step toward confident drawing rooted in academic tradition.
You may be surprised how quickly your eyes begin to change.
✓ Understanding form through light
Explore how light reveals form, and help you create volume on paper using a clear, academic approach.
Suddenly, flat shapes begin to feel real and alive.
✓ Drawing through structure, not guesswork
Learn the essential structure of the skull and key landmarks , rooted in traditional artistic knowledge, to build portraits with clarity.
Drawing becomes more logical—and far more assured.
✓ From Lines to a Living Portrait
Step by step, transform simple constructions into balanced, expressive portraits.
Work within a structured, professional method.
Feel how your drawings come together with purpose.
✓ Making Sense of Artistic Terms, Styles, and Types
Learn essential terminology and explore forms, angles, functions, and styles of portraiture within a professional and classical framework.
You’ll begin to understand and speak about art with ease.
✓ Presenting Your Work Professionally
Learn how to sign, document, and prepare your artwork following professional standards and traditions.
Your work will feel complete, polished, and ready to share.
Registration Details
Materials
Tool list will be sent immediately upon registration.
Syllabus
You’ll receive a comprehensive week-by-week roadmap.
Certificate
A certificate of completion is awarded to every graduate.
To maintain the prestige of this award, certificates are issued to students who attend at least 10 out of 12 sessions and complete all core Visual Practice & Skill Building assignments. Every certificate is numbered and officially registered in the studio database.
How the Course Works
A structured program designed to build real drawing skills.
✓ Structured Lectures & Visual Learning
Each session includes clearly structured lectures with carefully sequenced professional slide presentations, grounded in academic tradition.
✓ Live Demonstration & Guided Drawing.
Sessions combine lecture and visual presentation with live drawing. You see every step as I draw and explain, and follow along—so you always have structure, mentorship, and clear guidance. Your work is reviewed during The Painter’s Lounge, where we discuss results, corrections, and next steps.
✓ The Painter’s Lounge (Optional)
30 minutes before and after each session for individual questions, personal feedback, and discussion of your own work—focused, individual support within a small group.
✓ Clear Session Structure
Each 2-hour core session includes lectures, visual presentations, and intensive drawing practice, with optional Painter’s Lounge time before and after. 3 hours total.
✓ Digital Resource Library
After each session, you’ll receive access to a growing collection of artist-created materials—based on the lecture content, so by the end of the course, you will have a comprehensive, structured reference book of your own. Available for direct download from my website—no email clutter, just easy access to your materials for your personal collection. All resources are provided in a high-quality, print-ready format (PDF, Letter format).
✓ Simple Professional Materials
We work with graphite, charcoal, and sanguine on paper at this 1 Level (Beginner) to build a solid understanding of form, light, and structure. This is essential foundation for portrait drawing before moving into color, which is introduced in the next level.
✓ Visual Practice & Skill Building
Between sessions, you’ll continue to expand your skills through focused drawing practice and curated visual references, and bring your drawings and questions to The Painter’s Lounge for feedback.
This is where real progress happens—strengthening your understanding, refining your eye, and building confidence through independent practice.
You’ll also be guided toward carefully selected artistic references to develop your visual awareness and learn how to study art beyond the classroom.
✓ A Reward for Success
My goal is to prepare you to create original portraits with confidence and artistic independence. To support this dedication, students who consistently complete their Visual Practice & Skill Building assignments will receive a $20 credit toward their next course as a token of my appreciation.
However, you gain far more than just $20: it is the invaluable experience found through trial, error, and expert guidance. Your independent work is, in fact, the most crucial element; after all, it is precisely the training that empowers you to make your own independent artistic decisions—and this prepares you to do so.
What’s Next
Fundamentals
Level 2
Oil & Color Theory
Building on your foundation, the next level expands your skills in advanced portrait oil paint through the logic of color.
✓ From Form to Color
Once a solid foundation in black-and-white drawing has been laid, the next challenge is to apply this knowledge to working with color—where light, shadow, and halftones now acquire both tonal and chromatic complexity.
✓ The Science of Skin Tones
Learn to mix realistic flesh tones—and discover that skin does not possess a single color that can simply be darkened or lightened. You will gain the insight and confidence to paint portraits using the full spectrum of your palette.
✓ Classic Materials and Techniques
Working with Oil Paints: exploring their unique properties, traditional application methods, Impressionism, and contemporary techniques.
✓ Extended Anatomy & Figure Study
Continue studying human anatomy beyond the head, with special focus on hands and their role in portrait composition.
✓ From Classical to Impressionistic Approaches
At this level, we will create copies of artworks by the greatest portrait masters—both classical and Impressionist—to understand their techniques, and conclude by creating an original portrait, where you make independent artistic decisions based on a photographic reference.
What’s Next
Intermediate
Level 3
Character & Mastery
Your unique artistic voice
✓ Materials and Techniques
Finding your unique artistic voice.
✓ Extended Anatomy & Figure Study
Human body anatomy. Bust, Waist-up format (composition) portrait.
✓ Beyond the portrait.
Portrait in environment, drama of the portrait.
What’s Next
Advanced
Level 4
Figure & Representation
Complex compositions, harmony, figure, and environment.
✓ From Form to Color
Once a solid foundation in black-and-white drawing has been laid, the next challenge is to apply this knowledge to working with color—where light, shadow, and halftones now acquire both tonal and chromatic complexity.
✓ The Science of Skin Tones
Learn to mix realistic flesh tones—and discover that skin does not possess a single color that can simply be darkened or lightened. You will gain the insight and confidence to paint portraits using the full spectrum of your palette.
✓ Figure Study
Human body anatomy. Knee-length, Full length format (composition) portrait.
✓ From Classical to Impressionistic Approaches
At this level, we will create copies of artworks by the greatest portrait masters—both classical and Impressionist—to understand their techniques, and conclude by creating an original portrait, where you make independent artistic decisions based on a photographic reference.
Meet Your Guide
Catherine Snowstorm
I am a professional oil painter based in Austin, Texas, with a background rooted in a lifelong dedication to the fine arts. With three formal degrees in Fine Arts and years of professional experience across multiple creative industries, my approach is built on both academic depth and practical expertise.
In my studio, I offer a strictly structured curriculum where every exercise has a purpose—there are no random or filler assignments. Each step is designed to help you master technical skills quickly and logically, moving you from understanding the fundamentals to finding your own unique artistic voice.
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