Event details
Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 August
10am to 4pm each day
Price: £260 per person
Includes all materials and garden entry
Designed for artists with prior experience, this workshop offers a rare opportunity to develop oil painting skills while working from a live model.
Richard Kitson is an established professional portrait artist who has exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery and with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. For Richard, there is nothing quite like the experience of painting from a live model; this masterclass is designed for artists to engage in this practice with expert guidance.
This masterclass is not suitable for beginners. If you have not attended Richard’s Beginner’s Portraiture workshop, you must already have experience painting portraits in oils before booking.
About the session
You will work from a live model across both days, developing an alla prima portrait with focused, individual support.
Using artist-quality materials, including Michael Harding oil paints and a set of Rosemary & Co brushes (which will be yours to keep), you will begin with a quick study on oil painting paper before completing a finished portrait on a professional linen canvas board (40cm x 30cm).
Richard will demonstrate his approach to painting from the model, the importance of considered observation and close attention to colour mixing. You will receive plenty of individual guidance throughout the day.
Day One – Workshopping the Portrait
Working on oil painting paper, Richard will guide you through various exercises aimed at exploring the foundations of portrait painting with a particular focus on mixing skin tones and blocking in the structure and tonal values of the portrait.
There will also be a rotation exercise where students will move to different easels to practice working from different viewpoints. Towards the end of day one you will have the opportunity to create a preparatory drawing and/or block in your final portrait on a canvas in preparation for day two.
Day Two – Final Outcome
Having blocked in or prepared a preparatory drawing, you will have the full day to complete your final portrait with 1-1 support. Richard will demonstrate his approach to developing the portrait with more detail in order to refine the features and achieve a likeness.
Meeting point and refreshments
Please meet at the top garden gates at 9.50am for a 10am start.
Tea and coffee will be provided.
We will break for lunch, so please bring a packed lunch. The Carriage House Café will be open for hot meals, soup, and sandwiches.
Accessibility
The workshop takes place in our garden learning centre, the Old Potting Shed, which is step free and accessible.
If you have specific needs or require a carer's ticket, please contact us at [email protected].
About the artist
Richard Kitson studied at the University of Leeds and holds a master’s degree in fine art from Leeds Arts University. Completing his PGCE in 2014, he has ten years teaching experience in formal education.
Richard’s work has been featured in selected group exhibitions including the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery (2025), the Royal Society of Portrait Painters (2020, 2023, 2025), Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize (2011) and Figurative Art Now (2021).
Richard has exhibited solo shows in the UK and internationally and was a participant in Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year in 2018. His work hangs in various public and private collections.
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