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1. Portrait Project With
After studying the drawing fundamentals as well as the anatomy of the head and neck we are ready to start our first portrait project. Using traditional media such as sanguine, chalk, and stretched paper we will start our first portrait of a man’s head from the 3/4 front view.
Level 2
In this famous assignment from the Repin Academy you will be drawing a portrait from life (or from provided reference) at a large scale over stretched paper. You will be introducing the hands and the upper body into your work, requiring more planning and development of the composition in this challenging project.
In this livestreamed video demonstration, Iliya draws a portrait in sanguine from a live model and answers live questions from an online audience about his education, his art, and technique.
Common Questions
The "Russian" or "Repin" drawing method refers to the drawing approach taught at the Repin Academic Institute of Fine Arts (former Saint Petersburg Imperial Academy of Arts). Seldom taught outside of Russia, the “imperial” drawing and painting method was uninterrupted by the modern art movements that transformed representational art in the West. This training has been preserved from one generation to the next within an institution which has changed remarkably little over the last 250 years. In modern parlance we would describe this approach as a hybrid between constructive and optical or graphic approaches.
Before beginning this course we recommend that you at least take Fundamentals of Observational Drawing and the Anatomy of the Head & Neck courses with instructor Iliya Mirochnik.
Sight-size is a primarily optical and observational drawing approach where the value patterns as they fall on the eye are transferred in 1:1 scale from life to the paper or canvas. The Russian approach is observational as well but it also utilizes construction which produces a more three-dimensional and solid look.
Yes, this course is the first part of the Complete Russian Drawing Program. Because of the course's massive size we have split it into individual courses. If you want to do the entire Russian Drawing Program click here.
The NMA Coaching program provides professional art mentors to students. The coaches develop personalized curriculum and guide students in their artistic development. Availability is limited. Learn more here.
If you're not in the coaching program you can still share your progress with other subscribers in the NMA Community Forums. We highly encourage students to work together on projects and help each other progress.
You can read a description of this course by New Masters Academy founder Joshua Jacobo here.
You would need to travel to Saint Petersburg and study at the Repin Academy. You can learn more here.
Like all New Masters Courses you can follow along digitally with a tablet. Because software and digital drawing and painting techniques change quickly, you will need to decide how to interpret the information presented into your drawing application of choice. We recommend avoiding drawing layers, undo, automatic line straightening or clean up or other shortcuts for this course.