Drawing the Human Face

Seven Kinds of Self-Portrait

A free illustrated talk exploring how artists have approached self-portraiture — not as documentation, but as invention, disguise, mythology, and reinvention.

From Rembrandt to Cindy Sherman, we'll look at how the self-portrait becomes a space for performance, identity, and imaginative transformation.

The seven kinds of self-portrait:

• Self-portrait as a philosophical, psychological investigation
• Self-portrait as a bold personal manifesto
• Self-portrait as an artist's signature within their masterpiece
• Self-portrait as an artist's personal narrative
• Self-portrait as a statement on the ravages of time
• Self-portrait as sleight of hand
• Self-portrait: the artist is the line, the line is the artist

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Portraits with Character: Inspired by French Artists From Daumier to Degas

What makes a portrait feel alive rather than merely accurate?

In this five-week online course, artist Tim McCormack explores portraiture as a creative process that balances observation with interpretation, structure with atmosphere, and likeness with expressive intent.

Working through both drawing and painting approaches, each class takes inspiration from a different French artist who reshaped the language of portraiture. From Daumier's sculptural sense of volume and psychological intensity, to Toulouse-Lautrec's fusion of caricature and Impressionist observation, to Degas's narrative portraits placed within evocative settings, students will discover how portraits can capture gesture, mood, and character simultaneously.

Through live demonstrations, close analysis of masterworks, and guided exercises, participants will explore how line, tone, colour, and composition work together to build portraits that feel both structurally convincing and emotionally resonant. Emphasis will be placed on the head and shoulders as a dynamic field of movement and design, where silhouette, shadow, and rhythm transform observation into personal expression.

This course is ideal for artists who want to deepen their portrait skills while developing a more imaginative, character-driven approach to drawing and painting the human face.

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