Workshop = £145
10 Places Only
£145.00
6 in stock
Workshop = £145
10 Places Only
6 in stock
Level: Beginners to Intermediate
Medium: Oil Paint
Step into the world of John Singer Sargent and learn how to harness the expressive power of his brushwork, colour handling, and paint application. In this immersive two-day mastercopy workshop, you will study and recreate Portrait of Helen Sears, one of Sargent’s most captivating works.
Guided step-by-step, you’ll explore the exact materials and techniques he used — from the flowing, decisive brush strokes to the subtle layering of stand oil glazes and the bold textures of impasto highlights.
Brushwork Analysis & Recreation
Break down Sargent’s hallmark strokes — elegant, fluid, and deceptively confident. Learn how to mimic their energy and clarity.
Mediums: Stand Oil & Impasto Techniques
Understand how to handle stand oil to achieve luminous, controlled transparency, and how to build impasto passages that create movement and texture.
Value Structure & Edges
Study Sargent’s mastery of edges, value groupings, and simplification — essential principles for expressive portraiture.
Full Mastercopy Process
From drawing setup to final accents, complete your own mastercopy of Helen Sears to take home.

Expert Demonstrations
Step-by-step demos showing Sargent’s approach to brushwork, mixing, glazing with stand oil, and building impasto passages. You’ll see each stage clearly before applying it to your own painting.
Individual Guidance Throughout
Personal feedback tailored to your skill level. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced painter, you’ll receive hands-on support to help you understand and recreate Sargent’s technique.
Drawing & Composition Setup
Guidance on how to block in the portrait, establish proportions, group values, and simplify shapes — all crucial lessons drawn directly from Sargent’s process.
Mediums & Technique Breakdown
Learn how to handle:
Stand oil for subtle glazes and controlled blending
Impasto paint for expressive, textured highlights
Sargent-inspired layering methods and edge control
Colour Mixing Instruction
A clear approach to mixing the limited palette used for the workshop, showing how Sargent created harmony, temperature shifts, and those signature glowing flesh tones.
Materials List Provided in Advance
A full, easy-to-follow materials list to keep your setup simple and cost-effective. Recommendations for paints, mediums, brushes, supports, and optional extras.
Tea, Coffee & Light Refreshments
A relaxed, friendly studio environment with drinks and light snacks included to keep you fuelled as you work.
If you’re considering enroling in the Year-Long Academy Portrait Painting Course 25-26, this workshop offers an excellent opportunity to experience our facilities first-hand before committing.
As an added bonus, the cost of the Imprimatura Portrait Workshop will be fully deducted from the Portrait Painting Course when you decide to join. READ MORE
Here are some snapshots from our recent workshop, where students worked on the Pre-Raphaelite Style Workshop. As you can see, the participants achieved impressive results.
Beginners and experienced people are welcome. Understanding is key and nobody gets left behind. Each student will be helped until they grasp the principles of the lesson. Louis will be demonstrating each step in front of the group and on students work if needed.
Louis Smith studied Classical Art in Florence and has exhibited his work in the National Portrait Gallery and Royal Society of Portrait
Organisation is a challenge faced by most beginners. The studio is equiped with work stations so that everything is at hand. The students will be using the same paints and canvas that the teacher uses for demonstration, eliminating a number of problems that students have when they bring their own paints and canvas. Each workstation includes;
(Offer does not include brushes – Information on dedicated suppliers shall be provided)
The studio is thoughtfully equipped with easels and workstations, providing students with a convenient space to organize their materials and concentrate on their artwork. Balanced lighting enhances the environment, helping to eliminate common challenges when working with a color palette.
The image showcases a workstation, featuring an Alla Prima painting for display purposes only.