Portrait Painting Workshop
Note: Refunds minus the credit card transaction fee are available up to four weeks before the beginning of the workshop. After that, the student must find a replacement and negotiate payment with the replacement. If you need to cancel, contact us. The team may be able to help find a replacement. Please see the LAA Cancellation and Refund Policy.
LAA Members: Use your member code during check-out for a discounted price. The member code can be found in your membership confirmation email and any LAA newsletter.
Portrait Painting: A structured approach with limited palette
July 12-13, 2025 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Instructor: John Cross
LOUISVILLE ART CENTER
801 Grant Ave, Louisville, CO 80027
Member $110
Non-member $140
In this workshop John will remove some of the mystery and fear of painting portraits by teaching you strategies that simplify the structures and proportions of the human head and explain how light and shadow play across the surface of the face. We’ll explore the subtleties of warm/cool color relationships using the Zorn palette and a painterly approach to laying in and building up color in flesh tones.
About John Cross
John Cross is an artist and educator based in Longmont, Colorado. As an educator, John has over 25 years of experience teaching all levels of painting and drawing at the college level. He is currently the chair of the art department at Front Range Community College. John received his MFA in painting from Fontbonne University in St. Louis with a focus on traditional approaches to painting, drawing, and sculpting the human form. John’s artwork has been exhibited nationally and in Colorado he is known for his murals which can be seen all along the front range corridor. His paintings can be eclectic, highly representational, abstracted, and stylized. All of his work displays his love for color and the intricate ways various hues can play together in a composition.
“I find the human face one of the most challenging subjects for an artist. The subtlety of the shifts of color across the form fascinate me as does the challenge of trying to capture the spirit of the person being painted.”
Some of John’s work, in progress and finished:
MATERIALS:
There will be a materials fee of $15, which includes the painting panel and glass palette. Gamsol is also provided in case you don’t have any.
- Oil paints:
- Titanium White
- Ivory Black
- Yellow Ochre
- Cadmium Red Medium
- Brushes: A set of oil painting brushes (various sizes)
- Filbert in a variety of sizes from 2-10 (based on Princeton Art Brush sizes) I prefer soft bristle brushes but medium or stiff work here too.
- I like Princeton Heritage 4000FB series brushes as they simulate sable bristles, but just about any will work. I prefer filberts for their flexibility voter flats or rounds but that’s just me.
- Medium: Galkyd or another fast-drying medium. Liquin is very fragrant so a different mostly odorless medium is advised.
- Solvent: Gamsol is preferred but odorless Mineral Spirits will work. NO TURPENTINE
- Palette knife 1” long by ½” wide, diamond shaped
- Standing Easel
- optional light for your easel
- OTHER ITEMS
- Paint scraper
- Paper towels
- Smock
- Other favorite brushes
- Paper Towels if you have a preference. Otherwise
Portrait Painting: A structured approach with limited palette
Member $110
Non-member $140
LAA Members: To get the discounted price, use your member code during check-out. The Member Code can be found in your membership confirmation email and any LAA Newsletter.
Questions? Go to the Contact Us form and be sure to specify this workshop with your question.