Painting the figure in oils.

WITH JOE WHYTE

Develop your skills further. Long pose figure painting.

This course is designed for artists who want to deepen their skills in representational oil painting, with a specific focus on the human figure. Students will explore classical techniques and modern approaches to capturing the gesture, proportion and most importantly, the emotion of the figure through oil paint. 

The course will take us from quick foundational drawings in pencil, through to multi-week poses using oils as we develop form, proportion, and structure, all whilst deepening our understanding of light and shadow, and their role in creating lifelike forms. 

Working from the live model, students will work from direct observation to develop both their technical abilities and their personal artistic voice. The course includes structured lessons on drawing, underpainting, and layering techniques, as well as exploration of brushwork and texture.

By the end of the course, students will work on a single four-week figure painting, showcasing their ability to capture the human form with accuracy and expressive detail.

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Tutored 9 week term
Starting Tuesday February 4th and finishing April 1st, 2025.
Tuesday afternoons 2.30 - 5.30pm
$450 per term


Tutored 9 week term
Starting Tuesday February 4th and finishing April 1st, 2025.
Tuesday evenings 6.30 - 9.30pm
$450 per term


If you would like to be notified when places in future courses from Joe Whyte become available send an email.


You can email Joe for any more specific information about the course.
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Materials list to be confirmed.

Joe Whyte

Joe is a Naarm/Melbourne-based Visual Artist. After graduating from Monash University with a degree in Visual Communication, he spent time studying classical drawing and painting in Argenton-Chateau, France.

Working in oils, his intricate paintings make exceptional use of light.

Joe has exhibited widely, and has been shortlisted for numerous awards both nationally and internationally. He was the winner of the 2023 National Emerging Art Prize.


Awards

2024

Hadleys Art Prize - Finalist

2023

The William Fletcher Travelling Fellowship & Rome Residency - Winner

National Emerging Art Prize - Winner

Harden Art Prize - Winner

Hadley’s Art Prize - Finalist

Kennedy Prize - Finalist

Lethbridge Landscape Prize - Finalist

Lethbridge Small-Scale Art Prize - Finalist

Maldon Landscape Prize - Finalist

2022

AME Bale Traveling Scholarship - Finalist

Lethbridge Landscape Prize - Finalist

2021

Communication Arts Award of Excellence - Winner

Rick Amor Drawing Prize - Finalist

American Illustration - Juried Selection

2020

AME Bale Drawing Prize - Winner

2018

AME Bale Traveling Scholarship - Finalist


  • DRAWING :

    Weeks 1 and 2 will be focused on drawing. Our materials will be:

    Drawing paper:

    Sheets of smooth drawing paper, roughly A2 size.

    Week 1 we will be doing many quick sketches, so aim to bring half a dozen sheets of cartridge paper. Please avoid newsprint.

    Week 2 will be a single drawing, so a 180-300gsm sheet of smooth drawing paper is recommended. Cartridge paper is ok if on a budget.

    -Bulldog clips

    -Greylead Pencils- 2h, Hb and 2b

    -Kneadable eraser

    -Pencil sharpner

     

    PAINTING

    We will not begin painting until week 3. If you are unsure about specific painting supplies, feel free to ask me on week 1 or 2.

    -Palette. I typically use plastic, but wood is also good if it is properly sealed.

    -A dipper for medium

    -Odorless solvent (gamblin, langridge etc)

    -linseed oil.

    (Please no turpentine)

     

    Canvases:

    I typically paint on loose primed linen which I cut to size and tape to board.

    Pre-prepared canvas panels are also fine.

    (If you choose to use loose canvas/linen, Chapman and Bailey, Senior art supplies, and Fitzroy stretches all offer an excellent range. Both ‘oil primed’ and ‘universal primed’ are fine)

     

    We will be working on 2x smaller pieces, (I would recommend roughly 25x35cm)

    And 1x larger painting, 

    (40x55cm roughly)

    Sizes are flexible if you have a preference for slightly smaller or larger.

     

    Brushes:

    I recommend soft synthetics, small to medium size.

    Mostly filberts, with some flats and rounds.

    (Smaller rounds are great for details)

     

    Palette knifes. A couple you feel comfortable with, small to medium sized.

    I recommend art spectrum no.4

     

    Paints:

    I mostly use Gamblin paints, but other brands are fine.

    I strongly recommend the use of the following colours:

     

    *Titanium white

    *Yellow ochre

    *Cadmium yellow

    *Cadmium Red

    *Quinacrodone magenta OR Alizarin crimson

    *Ultramarine Blue

    *Vandyke brown (gamblin)

    *Ivory black

     

    Optional colours which I use on my palette:

    Cadmium Lemon

    Cadmium yellow deep

    Pthalo turquoise

    Transparent brown oxide

     

    Substitutions are ok. I understand that paints can be very expensive, so please feel free to ask if you have a choice of colours that you typically use and would like to substitute.

If you are at all unwell do not attend sessions at HAS. If you have tested positive, or feel you may have COVID-19, do not come to the studio until a week after you have recovered.

Under our COVID-safe plan, places are currently limited. Contact class convenors to make sure there is a place for you.