Alla Prima Portrait Workshops Start Off Strong

Today, we kicked off the first Saturday Alla Prima Portrait Workshop, which is our weekly 4-hour workshops that will take place every Saturday in March.

Alla prima painting is a master technique that is also called “direct painting” because painters apply the paint directly to the canvas without creating an initial base layer. Because we don’t use an underpainting in alla prima, it is a much more spontaneous approach. It is also called “wet-to-wet” painting because painters can mix colors right on the canvas itself, making it a great chance to experiment with colors.

I love painting alla prima because it is where I challenge myself to be fast and loose, but, to be very honest, I was a little nervous to teach the alla prima workshop because even when I paint alla prima things can get messy quickly. Nevertheless, these brave and fearless students in today’s workshop proved how important it is in alla prima to be bold and have fun!

What I think helps students today was starting off with an organized palette. Students made sure to organize their alla prima palette by mixing important base skin tones and colors on one side. With their palettes organized, this group of students had the confidence to made bold choices with their brush strokes.

Our model this week was Sarah, a local musican. She is the singer and song writer for the band Molly Ringworm. It was so great to have her here today to kick off our workshops.

If you’re interested in joining next week or later this month please sign up at the link below: