LIVE ONLINE COURSE
Paint Portraits Like a Master
with Zhaoming Wu, Master Artist & Mentor
Merge classical techniques with your personal portrait painting style in this live, personalized course.
You Will Learn:
Traditional Alla Prima Technique: Master the art of direct, wet-on-wet painting for portraits.
Composition & Color Mastery: Understand the crucial interplay of composition and color in creating lifelike portraits.
Light & Form Understanding: Gain insights into illuminating your subjects to bring out three-dimensional form.
Value & Edge Management: Learn techniques to balance values and edges for mood and depth.
Personalized Guidance: Receive direct feedback and insights from Zhaoming Wu for individual growth in portrait painting.
Audience: Fine Art Painters
Mediums: Oil
Stage: Emerging, Accomplished, Professional
Session Dates & Times:
Saturday & Sunday
May 10 & 11. 2025
10:00 am – 6:00 pm MT
1-hour lunch break
$580.00
Out of stock
Price in USD
Course Description
Embark on a transformative 2-day online workshop with Zhaoming Wu, delving into a time-honored oil painting technique. Focusing on portrait painting using the painterly Alla Prima approach, you’ll grasp key elements like composition, color theory, and understanding light on form.
Learn to skillfully play with values and edges, infusing mood and atmosphere into your artwork. Engage in live demonstrations by Zhaoming, receive personalized guidance, and refine your technique through constructive critiques.
Discover the secrets of creating captivating portraits with a blend of classical mastery and personal style under the mentorship of an acclaimed artist!
🎥 COURSE RECORDINGS available for 1-MONTH after the course ends!
High School, University, and College students get 20% OFF. See FAQs at the bottom of page.
Supply List
Portable Easel Box, any type as long as it’s easy to set up
Wet Painting Carrier Box
Palette, any type except paper palette
Brushes
- Good quality Flat brushes for the small to medium sizes (#0,#1, #2, #4, #6, #8, #10 and #12)
- Three good quality synthetic brushes for the larger sizes (one inch or one and half inch)
- Two Fan Brushes (#2)
- Angle shape watercolor brush used for oil, #5 #8 (optional)
Canvas
- You will need 3 canvases, 18×14 or 16×12 for portrait paintings or clothed figure painting
- Gamsol (odorless mineral spirits) or Odorless Turpenoid (turpentine substitute)
- Linseed Oil
- Paper Towels
Paint
My recommended palette:
- Titanium White
- Cad. Yellow
- Cad. Orange
- Cad. Red
- Terra Rosa
- Alizarin Crimson
- Burnt Sienna
- Van Dyck Brown or Raw Umber
- Ultramarine Blue
- Cobalt Blue
- Cerulean blue
Instructor Bio
Born in Guangzhou, China, Zhaoming Wu grew up during the Cultural Revolution. He began to study Chinese brush painting at the age of 8. Following high school, he became a graphic artist at an advertising agency. He credits this experience in helping him to develop substantial painting skills as well as the art of story telling. Later, he graduated from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art where he earned a BFA in painting and was as an assistant professor there for seven years. After moving to San Francisco, California, he received his MFA in painting from the Academy of Art University where he is currently an instructor. Active for many years as both an artist and a teacher, Zhaoming has works exhibited in museums and private collections around the world.
Although he is best known for his figurative painting, using live models with flowing drapes, he is inspired by and paints the landscape. The natural elements remind him of the curves of the body and folds of the cloth. Influenced by the 19th century French painters, he describes his work as “representational, but not traditional classical.” This technique can be seen through the combination of more modern elements and understanding of graphic design. Utilizing his knowledge of heightened colors and values, he makes powerful, conscious decisions about their application.
Recent national and international publications have highlighted his vibrant career and technique. He has been featured in major domestic art magazines such as Fine Art Today, Fine Art Connoisseur, American Art Collector, Southwest Art and Plein Air Magazine. International publications include Arte Y Libertad (Spain), Art of Watercolor (China) and Pratique des Arts, (French). He has published 11 books and was featured in 3 instructional DVDs.
Major awards and honors have been given to Zhaoming Wu. These organizations include the International Artist’s Magazine, Oil Painters of America and the National Oil and Acrylic Painter’s Society, among others. For 7 consecutive years, he was a juror of an international art contest at the European Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona, Spain
