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Mastering Portrait Painting
3 students
Mastering Portrait Painting
Learn expressive portrait painting techniques using oil paint — from first sketch to final details.
Created byLeanne Pearson
Last updated 7/2025
English
What you'll learn
- How to use the gridding technique from a photo to ensure accurate proportions.
- Effective ways to approach large-scale portrait paintings.
- A clear understanding of facial proportions and placement.
- Step-by-step demonstrations of two portrait paintings from beginning to end.
- How to draw with paint to establish form.
- The use of warm and cool light when painting skin tones.
- How props (such as glasses) can help with structure and interest.
- Using complementary colours to enhance your portraits.
- Techniques to create dynamic, expressive brushwork.
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Course content
2 sections • 5 lectures • 1h 27m total length
Requirements
- No prior portrait painting experience is necessary — this course is suitable for beginners and intermediate artists.
- Basic familiarity with handling a paintbrush and setting up a palette is helpful but not essential.
Description
Take your portrait painting skills to the next level with Leanne Pearson’s detailed and accessible online course. Whether you’re working from life or using a reference photo, Leanne guides you step-by-step through her portrait process using oil paint. Her approach is clear, encouraging, and packed with practical techniques that will help you create portraits with structure, likeness, and life.
In this course, you’ll learn how to map out accurate proportions using the gridding method, sketch directly with paint, and develop tonal values and colour harmony. Leanne breaks down her process in a way that’s easy to follow — perfect for beginners, yet rich in insights for more experienced artists. You’ll explore how to work with light and shade, understand facial structure, and bring personality into your portraits through expressive brushwork and strong composition.
Throughout the course, you’ll complete two full portrait demonstrations, each offering new challenges and learning opportunities. From capturing form and facial features to choosing the right colours and finishing details, every stage is demonstrated in real time, so you can paint along at your own pace.
Whether you’re picking up a paintbrush for the first time or looking to refine your portrait skills, this course offers a solid foundation and inspiration to grow. Taught by an award-winning Australian portrait artist with over 30 years’ experience, it’s the perfect starting point — or next step — in your creative journey.
Who this course is for:
- Beginner to intermediate artists wanting to learn how to paint portraits.
- Anyone interested in oil painting, particularly portraiture.
- Artists who want to improve their understanding of facial proportions and how to achieve a likeness.
- Those looking to develop confidence with colour, light, and structure in their portrait work.