Expressive Life Drawing into Life Painting with Alan McGowan (EN)

€575,00

Uitverkocht

During this Summer holiday, Scottish artist Alan McGowan is giving a five-day course in live model drawing & painting.

  • Date: 17th – 21st of August 2026
  • Time: 10:00 – 12:30 and 13:30 – 16:00
  • Teacher: Alan McGowan
  • Price: € 575,-
  • Max. 14 students

Pictures shown on this page are works by Alan McGowan.

Students of the Vakopleiding and Basisopleiding receive a 10 % discount on summer courses. You can apply this discount by entering the code STUDENT10 as a ‘voucher’ at checkout.

Uitverkocht

Deze cursus is vol. Laat je e-mailadres achter, dan krijg je bericht zodra er een plek vrijkomt.

What is this course about?

Deze cursus wordt in het Engels gegeven.Over the first three days we will work on a series of rapid and longer duration drawings in charcoal, pastel and oil paint. Days 3 and 4 will be for painting.Day 1: Introduction. Ways to approach drawing; working from inside the form, and working with mass and tonal value.Day 2: Drawing with light, and freeing contour line.Day 3: Exploring mark making.Day 4: Drawing with oil paint and pastel, two half day life poses working with oil paint.Day 5: One day oil painting.This summer course is designed to help the student further develop their skills in drawing and painting the figure from life whilst also enabling an increase in the expressive aspects of technique.Under Alan’s guidance, students will explore different aspects of representation; of different ways to begin drawing, working from inside the form, drawing with light, line, mark-making, and working with oil paint, to deepen understanding of these aspects and enlarge their creative potential. Working with life models, questions will arise of our relationship to mistakes and accuracy, finish, atmosphere and emotion, as well as sensitivity to the model and our materials.The consideration of accuracy of observation and measurement will be looked at in relation to freedom of expression, exploration of materials and engagement with an expressive and individual creative language. We will consider composition, approaches to drawing with paint, colour palettes, and finding the “story” of a painting in technique.Students will receive regular one-to-one guidance throughout the course, as well as presentations showing the relevant work of both historical and contemporary figurative artists.

For who?

This course would suit students who have some experience and want to improve their skills or develop a more loose/expressive approach.

About the teacher

Alan McGowan is a Scottish artist whose figurative life painting is noted for its expressive brushwork and dynamic use of colour in combination with lively and sensitive draughtsmanship.His painting has featured at the BP Portrait exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Threadneedle Prize for Figurative Art, the Society of Portrait Sculptors exhibition and The Ruth Borchard self portrait exhibition as well as regularly at the Royal Scottish Academy. In 2014 he was a semi-finalist in the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the year and his work is featured in the international painting annual review INPA5, published in 2016 by Manifest in Cincinatti USA.He has taught at a number of art institutions including the National Portrait Gallery London, The Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin and Edinburgh College of Art. He has exhibited widely in the UK, regularly at the Royal Scottish Academy, and in New York, Lisbon, Helsinki, South Korea and Prague, and his work appears in several public collections including that of the Royal Scottish Academy and Stirling University.Book publications of his work include  The Language of the Body (2012) and Unstill Life (2017) . www.alanmcgowan.com

Aanvullende informatie

Ervaring

Gemiddeld, Gevorderd

Interesse gebied

Model tekenen of schilderen

Lesdagen

Maandag, Dinsdag, Woensdag, Donderdag, Vrijdag

Soort opleiding

Zomercursussen

Startmaand

Augustus

Tijd

Overdag

Toegangseisen

Nee

Week

Costs

The price for this week with Alan McGowan is € 575,-.
It is not possible to pay for only a part of the class.

After paying

There is a cooling-off period of fourteen days from the moment you have registered. You make use of this right of withdrawal by letting us know within these two weeks that you want to cancel the agreement. In case of cancellation after this time, you remain obliged to pay the full amount.

Other costs

You do not pay registration fees, model costs or VAT (because the Wackers Academy is a foundation, there is an exemption from VAT). In addition to any materials (see tab materials), there are no other costs.

See also our General Terms and Conditions

Facilities

Access pass

It is possible to create an access pass if you have a debit card or an OV chip card. You can have your pass activated at the secretariat so that you have access to the school. At the entrance of the Wackers Academy there is a cabinet on the wall where you can swipe your activated pass. You will then have access on the days/times that you have lessons at the Wackers Academy.

Paper

There is a possibility to buy different types and sizes of paper at the Wackers Academy. The paper can be found in the shelving unit of the kitchen on the first floor. You only pay with your debit card.

Coffee and tea

On the ground floor in the kitchen there is a coffee/tea machine where you can buy coffee and tea for a fee. You also pay for this with your debit card.

Other facilities

The Wackers Academy has a beautiful courtyard which is accessible to students of the academy. This is also a wonderful place to paint in the summer. The Wackerstuin is part of a neighbours project where neighbours can use the garden and grow their own fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, the Wackers Academy has a spacious canteen on the ground floor and a beautiful roof terrace.

Painting/still life objects

On the first floor there is a shelving unit with a wide range of painting props. There are also easels, heaters, lamps and other painting materials available.

Models

Booking models is done by the secretariat. Students treat models respectfully and do not take photos of models. This is only allowed if the model specifically gives permission for this. We also ask students to be careful when using smartphones in class, so that a model does not feel unsafe.

Materials

This list is provided by Alan McGowan. Please buy and bring your own materials:

For drawing:

  • Willow charcoal
  • Putty rubber
  • Fixative
  • White conte pastel, white oil pastel, black oil pastel

Surfaces:

  • 10 x White Cartridge (A2).
  • 1 x Neutral toned coloured paper (gray/buff) (A2)
  • 3 x black coloured paper (A2)
  • 2 x Canvases/ boards an appropriate size for 1 day painting.

For Oil Painting:

  • Brushes
  • Palette
  • Odourless solvent
  • Jar with lid (for solvent)

Suggested colors:

  • Yellow Ochre
  • Titanium White
  • Zinc White
  • Paynes Gray
  • Burnt Sienna
  • Prussian Blue
  • French Ultramarine
  • Yellow (Primary yellow or chrome yellow etc.)
  • Warm Red (Cadmium Red(hue) or Vermillion)
  • Alizarin Crimson
  • Raw Umber