Upcoming Workshops
Alain J. Picard is an award-winning artist, instructor, author and speaker. His acclaimed pastel and oil paintings have been exhibited throughout the US, Europe, China and the UK. Alain travels internationally as an art instructor, demonstrator, speaker and artistic advocate for the vulnerable. Alain’s work and writing have been featured on numerous occasions in such publications as The Artist's Magazine, The Pastel Journal, and Practique des Arts. In an effort to share his passion for art, Alain has written three instructional books, including “Mastering Pastel” and “Beginning Drawing,” and stars in a growing collection of instructional art videos. Alain has lectured and demonstrated for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Arts Club in New York City, Vose Galleries in Boston, MA, the IAPS Convention in Albuquerque, NM, and the Biennial International Pastel Art Exhibition at Ming Gallery in Suzhou, China. Alain has garnered top awards in esteemed exhibitions, including the Pastel Society of America, The American Artists Professional League, Hudson Valley Art Association, the Portrait Society of America, and the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS). He is a judge and juror of international exhibitions, and a sought-after portrait artist and landscape painter. He makes his home in Connecticut with his wife and two sons.
About the Workshop
In this workshop, we will learn how to light, pose, sketch and photograph our portrait subject, and work from studies and photographic reference materials to create lifelike painterly portraits.
Alain will begin day one with a pastel portrait demonstration of the painterly approach to pastel, using the live model. This demonstration covers explanations of pastel portrait techniques for creating an accurate likeness, establishing clear values, massing in the portrait, evaluating color relationships and selecting skin tones, developing a painterly style, and harnessing the power of strong design. We’ll also cover strategies for successful posing and lighting of the subject whether in studio or on location, with children or adults. Students will sketch from the live model, creating their own exploratory studies, compositional approaches and color notes, honing in on their portrait composition.
We will all photograph our models together in a guided photo-session, discussing how to capture strong reference material using a digital SLR or mirrorless digital camera, and even how to get better results from your iPhone. Days two and three of the workshop will be devoted to developing our portraits from the photographic reference we’ve gathered. Students can also choose to bring their own portrait references to work from. We will be learning how to use this reference as a tool in creating lifelike painterly portraits. Alain will demonstrate how to develop and refine a portrait started from life by using photographic reference. He’ll also demonstrate a complete portrait study from a photograph start to finish, revealing how it can be used as a tool to create fresh, loose lifelike portraits. We will cover effective techniques for refining your portrait and end with a constructive critique. You will leave feeling empowered with working knowledge to create your own painterly portraits from photographs.
About the Workshop
In this workshop, we will learn how to light, pose, sketch and photograph our portrait subject, and work from studies and photographic reference materials to create lifelike painterly portraits.
Alain will begin day one with a pastel portrait demonstration of the painterly approach to pastel, using the live model. This demonstration covers explanations of pastel portrait techniques for creating an accurate likeness, establishing clear values, massing in the portrait, evaluating color relationships and selecting skin tones, developing a painterly style, and harnessing the power of strong design. We’ll also cover strategies for successful posing and lighting of the subject whether in studio or on location, with children or adults. Students will sketch from the live model, creating their own exploratory studies, compositional approaches and color notes, honing in on their portrait composition.
We will all photograph our models together in a guided photo-session, discussing how to capture strong reference material using a digital SLR or mirrorless digital camera, and even how to get better results from your iPhone. Days two and three of the workshop will be devoted to developing our portraits from the photographic reference we’ve gathered. Students can also choose to bring their own portrait references to work from. We will be learning how to use this reference as a tool in creating lifelike painterly portraits. Alain will demonstrate how to develop and refine a portrait started from life by using photographic reference. He’ll also demonstrate a complete portrait study from a photograph start to finish, revealing how it can be used as a tool to create fresh, loose lifelike portraits. We will cover effective techniques for refining your portrait and end with a constructive critique. You will leave feeling empowered with working knowledge to create your own painterly portraits from photographs.
