• portrait painting of black woman and flowers
  • painting of a Black man with blond hair against red background

Class Description:

Everyone’s skin tone is different, but with the right color palette, you can capture any of them in your paintings.

In this course, you will paint two portraits of live models with different skin colors. Through demonstrations, lectures, examples, and lots of practice, students will learn all the keys to mixing a limited color palette that captures any skin tone accurately. But portraiture is more than skin deep: you’ll also learn tricks to work below the surface of your painting to capture the complex coloring of the human body. How do bright green and pink factor into rendering accurate skin tones? How can you turn a muted palette into a vibrant face? Answering questions like these will make your portraits come to life like never before.
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Fall I Semester Dates:

Scheduled occurrences for the next semester of this class are as follows:

Week
Date
Time
Week 1:
9/17/2024
6:30 - 9:30 pm ET
Week 2:
9/24/2024
6:30 - 9:30 pm ET
Week 3:
10/01/2024
6:30 - 9:30 pm ET
Week 4:
10/08/2024
6:30 - 9:30 pm ET
Week 5:
10/15/2024
6:30 - 9:30 pm ET
Week 6:
10/22/2024
6:30 - 9:30 pm ET


  1. Before Class - Welcome & How to Prepare for Class

  2. Week 1 - Introduction to the course

  3. Week 2 - Limited Palette

  4. Week 3 - Light and Form

  5. Week 4- Developing Portraits

  6. Week 5 - Complete Paintings

  • $330.00
  • In-Person
  • 6 Weeks
  • Intermediate

Meet Your Instructor

Tabitha Whitley

Instructor

This exhibition was curated by Tabitha Whitley. Whitley, born in Brooklyn, New York, is a multifaceted artist known for her vibrant paintings, luminous drawings, and bold prints. Her work delves into themes of identity, heritage, and interconnectedness with nature. Through the use of vivid colors in her paintings, Whitley adds a dynamic layer of expression to her art. Whitley earned her BFA in Painting from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2009. Followed by an MFA in Painting from the New York Academy of Art in 2011, where she also served as the President of the Alumni Association and on the Board of Trustees. Her work has been widely exhibited, with notable shows including the "Love Black" exhibition at the Springfield Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum’s “Brooklyn Artist Exhibition.” Whitley’s art has also garnered attention in esteemed publications such as The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian. Currently residing in her native Brooklyn, New York, Tabitha Whitley continues to pursue her studio practice, creating art that reflects her deep engagement with personal and universal themes.

Achieve your artistic potential

Join us to discover traditional skills and contemporary practice

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