Portraiture In Oil Pastel
with Samir Rakhmanov
£399.00
4 week Live online Course
This 4 week online course consists of 5 live sessions and includes 4 additional pre-recorded video demonstrations.
Course Overview
Unlock the vibrant world of oil pastel portraiture with this 5-part live online course, designed for artists eager to explore color, expression, and detail. Over four weeks, you’ll immerse yourself in the art of oil pastels through guided live sessions and pre-recorded demonstrations, developing a rich understanding of technique, creative freedom, and the subtleties of portraiture. Each Friday, you will join a live, one-hour session via Zoom, where Samir will cover everything from the fundamentals of oil pastels to advanced concepts like light and shadow, expressive mark-making, and adding nuanced details.
Live session dates
Friday 14th March 2025, 17:00 (GMT)
Friday 21st March 2025, 17:00 (GMT)
Friday 28th March 2025, 17:00 (GMT)
Friday 4th April 2025, 17:00 (GMT)
Friday 11th April 2025, 17:00 (GMT)
Samir Rakhmanov
Samir Rakhmanov, born in Ukraine and raised in Azerbaijan, is a figurative artist celebrated for his dynamic integration of decorative and abstract elements. A graduate with distinction from the esteemed Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture in St. Petersburg, Russia, Samir’s work is rooted in a deep exploration of harmony, inspired by Vladimir Weisberg’s idea of revealing harmony on the canvas rather than simply observing it.
His art balances realism with abstraction, capturing the beauty and emotion of the world in bold colours and intricate textures. Influenced by “The Nabis” and the concept of figurative abstraction, Samir’s pieces are visual journeys that reflect his dedication to the timeless tradition of learning, teaching, and evolving art for future generations.
LESSON PLAN
Session 1
Introduction, Color sketching with oil pastel
The first class will introduce students to oil pastels. This one-hour introductory presentation will provide an overview of oil pastels, including their history and technology. I’ll cover different types of oil pastels, their unique characteristics, various application methods, mixing techniques, suitable surfaces, and ways to combine oil pastels with other materials. The class will conclude with a Q&A session.
After the class, participants will receive a pre-recorded, narrated demonstration on using oil pastels for quick portrait color sketches. These sketches can serve as preliminary studies before starting a larger oil painting. Oil pastels allow for rapid application and yield more expressive, colorful results that you can later incorporate into your oil painting.
Session 2
Building on a scribble
The second class will feature a feedback session on participants’ work from the previous week, including live feedback and overpaints, followed by a Q&A.
After the class, participants will receive a pre-recorded and narrated demonstration on creating an expressive, colorful portrait using oil pastels, starting from a simple scribble. We’ll set aside strict rules of anatomy and form, focusing instead on a more abstract and formalist representation of a person’s likeness. This approach encourages improvisation, embraces mistakes, and involves repainting to build a rich, punchy, and expressive portrait.
Session 3
Light and Shadow
The third class will feature a feedback session on participants’ work from the previous week, including live feedback and overpaints, followed by a Q&A.
After the class, participants will receive a pre-recorded and narrated demonstration. In this session, we’ll dive into a rendering of light and shadow with oil pastels. We’ll begin by setting up a portrait with carefully chosen lighting. Starting with a precise underdrawing in charcoal, we’ll then approach the portrait using a methodical “chiaroscuro” technique. This involves
Portrait Painting with Oil Pastel Online Course for The New School of Art 2
rendering light and shadow to create convincing volume and depth in the portrait.
Session 4
Suggesting a detail
The fourth class will feature a feedback session on participants’ work from the previous week, including live feedback and overpaints, followed by a Q&A.
After the class, participants will receive a pre-recorded and narrated demonstration. This final class demonstration will focus on refining your oil pastel portrait with finer details. It will show how to work on intricate elements and subtle nuances using an expressive medium like oil pastel. More importantly, it will teach you how to suggest details that aren’t explicitly drawn, creating a more cohesive and picturesque look in your portrait paintings.
Session 5
Finale
The final class will feature a feedback session on participantsʼ work they did during the week (with live feedback and overpaints) a Q&A.
My hope is that participants in this course will not only develop technical skills but also learn to see portraiture as an expressive art form where each stroke and colour choice contributes to a deeper, more vibrant connection with the subject. I want students to experience oil pastels not just as a medium but as a tool to explore light, shadow, and detail in a new, intuitive way. Through each session, from building a composition from a simple scribble to refining intricate details, I hope students discover their unique artistic voice and gain the confidence to experiment, to let go of strict rules, and to embrace the unexpected in their work. Ultimately, I want this course to be a space of creative growth, exploration, and joy.
Samir Rakhmanov
Frequently Asked Questions
WHEN, AND WHERE DO THESE COURSES TAKE PLACE?
This is a live online course with each live session taking place on Zoom. You will be provided with a link to access each session.
In addition to this you will have access to pre-recorded content that you can watch on our online platform at anytime during or after the course.
CAN I REWATCH THE LESSONS?
Yes! Each live session will be recorded and you will be able to rewatch at any time via our online platform.
CAN I TAKE THE COURSE IF I DON’T LIVE IN THE UK?
Yes – our courses are taught in English but you can access them from anywhere in the world.
HOW LONG DO I HAVE ACCESS FOR?
Forever! After enrolling, you’ll have unlimited access to the course via our website. You can access the course from any and all devices you own.