Portraiture and Facial Expression

Ages: 18+
Term: Autumn
Length: 10 weeks

Overview

Uncover the art of capturing human emotion and character through portraiture in this new and engaging course.

To book your place today, simply click Book Now to be taken to AUB's secure online store, where you can complete your booking. You can also sign up to our newsletter for short course updates.

Course information

Over the span of 10 evenings, you'll learn how to observe, analyse and depict faces – focusing on expressions, personality and mood.

This course is designed for those looking to refine and advance their skills, offering a supportive environment to build confidence in your drawing and painting abilities. Guided by highly experienced tutor, Dhanraz Ramdharry, you’ll explore a variety of essential techniques from sketching and shading to working with different mediums, while developing your own style and understanding of how to communicate emotion visually.

Throughout the course, you'll work from live models, photos, and your own observations, practising how to accurately capture features and the subtle nuances that make each face unique. Whether you’re interested in portraiture as a hobby or as a stepping stone for further artistic development, this course encourages you to expand your creative expression and see the human face in a new light.

Guided by experienced tutor, you'll learn to observe, interpret and depict a variety of faces, capturing personality, emotion and character with confidence and creativity.

Guided exercises in sketching and painting faces and expressions.
Techniques for capturing likeness, mood, and character.
Practice in understanding proportion, anatomy, and facial features.
Approaches to working with different mediums (pencil, charcoal, paint).
Tips on lighting, shading, and background to enhance portrait work.
Opportunities for feedback and group discussion to develop your style.

At the end of the course you'll:

Develop fundamental skills in portrait drawing and painting.
Gain confidence in observing faces and capturing expressions authentically.
Understand how to depict mood, personality, and emotion through facial features.
Produce a portfolio of portraits exploring a range of facial expressions and moods.
Leave with increased technical ability and a new perspective on capturing human character.

You can request a certificate to confirm your achievements, providing you've a 100% attendance record. To request a certificate please get in touch with us at academy@aub.ac.uk and confirm your name and the title of course you've completed.

Will I be assessed?

No, there's no formal assessment. As the course progresses your tutor will measure your overall performance and offer essential guidance and feedback, so you know how you're getting on.

What you need to know

Autumn term 2026

Monday 5 October – 7 December 2026 (10 Monday evenings, 18.00–21.00)

Age

Suitable for adults aged 18+.

Level

Anyone with some experience who want to refresh or develop their skills further.

Experience or qualifications required

Previous experience in life drawing and/or drawing and sketching is desirable to fully benefit from this course.

If you'd like to discuss if this course is suitable for you, get in touch with us: academy@aub.ac.uk or 01202 363222.

£375

Any additional costs

You may wish to purchase some drawing materials for this course – please refer to the ‘What to bring to class' section for more information.

Additional materials and resources will be provided by AUB and is included in your course fee.

A notebook for notetaking and drafting.
Basic drawing supplies such as pencils, erasers, and charcoal are recommended.
You're welcome to bring with you a selection of oil paints.

Please note: throughout the course, you'll be mainly using charcoal and oil paints.

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Suggested Suppliers

Information about resourcing specialist materials/consumables that you may need to bring these with you

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AUB Academy FAQs – Evening and Weekend and Saturday Art School

If you have any questions about our Evening and Saturday Short Courses, you may find the answers in here.

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AUB Academy booking T&Cs

Please read our Terms and Conditions carefully before booking onto our Evening and Weekend courses.

Meet your tutor

Dhanraz Ramdharry

Dhanraz Ramdharry is a Bournemouth-based artist, specialising in portraits, classically trained in sight-sized techniques.

Book your place today

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Beyond the course

This could just be the start of your creative journey! After this course, you could further your artistic skills with another short course or look to the future and explore our creative qualifications that can prepare you to further your current career, enable you to retrain to an alternative career path or prepare you for future creative arts studies.