Painting Portraits in Oils
Four Night Residential Check-in Monday 12th April 2027 Check-out Friday 16th April 2027
Available spaces
Join Sara Reeve, Brighton-based portrait artist and semi-finalist on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year, for an inspiring and practical four-day masterclass dedicated to painting portraits in oils. Sara specialises in oil portraiture and is known for her bold use of colour, strong shapes, and her ability to help students develop confidence and a more expressive approach. As a tutor at Draw Brighton and presenter on Sky TV’s Art Made Easy, she brings clarity, energy, and a deep understanding of oil painting techniques to her teaching. This course is ideal for both beginners and more experienced painters who want to develop their skills in oil portraiture. Sara will guide you from the fundamentals right through to loosening up and beginning to find your own personal style. Day 1: Getting Started with Oils Sara will take you back to basics, covering everything you need to know about using oil paint for portraiture. You’ll explore materials, kit, mediums, colour mixing, and how to see and simplify tone and temperature (cool and warm colours). You’ll also learn how to approach a portrait confidently using limited palettes. Day 2: Alla Prima Portrait from Life Putting theory into practice, you will paint a direct alla prima portrait from a live model. Sara will demonstrate how to mix fresh, lively skin tones and avoid muddy colours, helping you work with confidence and clarity. Day 3: Loosening Up This day is all about freedom and expression. Through a series of targeted exercises and approaches, you will explore ways to loosen your style, develop more painterly marks, and start moving towards a more personal and expressive way of painting portraits. Day 4: Pop-Up Portraits (Morning) On the final morning, you’ll have the opportunity to create quick, lively “pop-up” portraits, consolidating everything you’ve learned during the week in a relaxed and creative session. This masterclass offers a perfect balance of technical instruction and creative encouragement, helping you build solid foundations in oil painting while giving you the confidence to develop your own artistic voice. All materials and equipment are provided. This Masterclass includes a full board four-night stay at Cober Hill, just outside Scarborough. Check-in from 3pm on Monday 12th April 2027 Check-out by 10am Friday 16th April 2027
Cancellation Policy
All Classes, Courses, Workshops and Masterclasses are priced including VAT charged at 20%. By completing this purchase you are securing a place for the Masterclass and accommodation at Cober Hill. We understand that plans can change, so we’ve outlined our cancellation and rescheduling policies for our masterclass and accommodation at Ampleforth Abbey to ensure clarity and flexibility. Masterclass Rescheduling: You can reschedule your booking up to 4 weeks before the start of the masterclass. We will transfer your booking to an alternative date and provide written confirmation of the change. Cancellations: You may cancel your booking up to 4 weeks before the masterclass for a full refund, which will be processed to your original payment method within 3–5 business days. Within 4 Weeks of the Event: Cancellations made less than 4 weeks before the masterclass will not be refunded. However, if we are able to rebook your place within the 4 week period we will be able to process a full refund. Accommodation Rescheduling: Accommodation can be rescheduled up to 6 weeks before your stay, subject to availability. We will confirm the new booking details in writing. Cancellations: You may cancel your accommodation booking up to 6 weeks before your stay for a full refund. Within 6 Weeks of the Stay: Cancellations made within 6 weeks of the arrival date will incur a 50% cancellation fee. If we are able to rebook your accommodation, we will refund the remaining balance to your original payment method. Your Right to Cancel If you are a customer living in the United Kingdom or the European Union you have the right to cancel your contract to purchase services from us within 14 days of purchase without giving notice. The cancellation period will end 14 days from the date of purchase when you purchased a service. To exercise your right to cancel you must inform us of your decision to cancel within the cancelation period. To cancel, contact us by email at info@bookaclass.org.