Workshop Highlight: Drawing the Portrait in Chalk

Renaissance Inspired Portrait with Katie Whipple 

It was towards the end of my first year at GCA when I flipped through a borrowed copy of Dover's "Holbein Portrait Drawings" for the first time. My knowledge of Renaissance works was severely limited, and I was amazed by how much I loved these simple line drawings. Four years of study at GCA and many art books later, I headed to Italy to drink up all the old masters had to offer. Almost accidentally, I dove head first into the Renaissance. 

Anne Boleyn by Hans Holbein 

It wasn't long after arriving in Rome that the Renaissance works dazzled me and I quickly became hooked on the Quattrocento. While copying Lippi's works, I realized I was rediscovering everything I loved about drawing. Painters of the Quattrocento and Renaissance have an exquisite understanding of line. These artists were able to use line to describe form, volume, light effect, and structure so elegantly and simply. And on top of that, the beauty of design in these finished pieces and studies took my breath away. 

Copy of Filippo Lippi drawing by Katie Whipple, "Head of a Woman" 1452

In this upcoming workshop, I want to explore and share these elements of drawing that so excite me. There is much to be learned from old master drawings. However, painters often copy a drawing or painting giving little thought to how they will apply the ideas and techniques to their own work. Even the seemingly primitive drawings (to our contemporary eye) of the early 15th century have so much to contribute to current techniques and methods. 

Cartoon for the Angel Gabriel by Katie Whipple, inspired by Fra Angelico, 2016

Filippo Lippi described his work as "a deliberate blend of the plausible with the beautiful." Constantly striving for this in my own work, I hope students in this workshop will be encouraged to blend the beautiful techniques and aesthetic of the Renaissance with the likeness and character of a live model. 

"Self Portrait after Holbein" by Katie Whipple, 2013

Drawing the Portrait In Chalk: Renaissance Inspired Portrait 

November 11th - 13th

9am - 4pm 

Friday through Sunday 

sign up here!