New York Academy of Art

This course gives you a comprehensive approach to monochromatic portrait painting, giving you a chance to bring a portrait to life from A to Z. Using a six-week pose from a live model, students will develop a monochromatic portrait using just earth tones, black and white. Beginning with drawing, you will learn how the concepts of contour and value to set the stage for success. This study will build towards a careful observation of value, showing the details of how a drawing can come to life in oil paint. From canvas toning, paint handling, and monochrome paint mixing to the delicate touches that make a painting a true portrait, you’ll learn everything you need to know to capture a human face vividly, systematically, and in a more lifelike way than ever before.