THE EDINBURGH DRAWING SCHOOL
High quality art instruction tutored by professional artists for Children, Teens & Adults
Portrait Painting: 5 Day Masterclass
with artist & tutor Laura Espinosa, Monday Monday 23rd to Friday 27th November 2026
Available spots
Service Description
Join Florence Academy of Art Graduate in Residence and Instructor Laura Espinosa for an immersive five-day workshop dedicated to the art of portrait painting from life. Working directly from a live model for six hours each day, students will be guided through the complete process of creating an oil portrait, from the initial drawing and block-in to colour mixing, form modelling, and the refinement of the final painting. Through demonstrations, lectures, and individual instruction, Laura will share the principles and methods she learned through her training at the Florence Academy of Art. Throughout the week, students will explore essential concepts of academic portrait painting, including structure, anatomy, simplification of form, value relationships, colour harmony, and the translation of three-dimensional form into paint. Particular attention will be given to observation, accurate drawing, and developing a clear and organised painting process. Working from life remains one of the most powerful ways to develop as an artist. It allows us to understand form, light, colour, and presence in a way that photographs cannot replicate. This workshop places direct observation at its core, training students to see more clearly and paint with greater intention. Suitable for artists with some previous drawing or painting experience, this workshop offers a structured and demanding approach rooted in the traditions of classical atelier training. Based in Florence, Italy, Laura Espinosa travels to Edinburgh to share the methods and principles of contemporary academic painting firsthand. A graduate with honours from the Florence Academy of Art, she currently serves as Graduate in Residence and Instructor. Her work has been exhibited internationally in Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and has been recognised with the Florence Academy of Art's Best Painting of the Year Award. What the Workshop Includes • Daily demonstrations and lectures • Live model throughout the course • Individual guidance and critiques • A comprehensive step-by-step approach to portrait painting • Exclusive workshop notes and educational materials • Training in observation, drawing, colour mixing, and form modelling • A complete portrait painting developed from life over five days
Upcoming Sessions
Cancellation Policy
We will provide a 50% refund if you give written advance notice up to 30 days before the course start date. 0% refund 30 days before a course starts. Please note there is an administration fee of £5 payable in respect of such refunds to cover payment processing fees. You will need to inform a member of administration staff in writing by emailing EDS at info@edinburghdrawingschool.co.uk. Additionally, if you withdraw for any reason after the course has started you will not be entitled to a refund. We are a small business and we depend on every booking to ensure that classes can go ahead. If a tutor has to withdraw from teaching the scheduled course for any reason (medical/personal/professional) before the start of a scheduled course, during a scheduled course, if the course is 8 weeks long or scheduled as x3 terms of 8 weeks long each, The Edinburgh Drawing School will find a replacement tutor for the course designed by that tutor for The Edinburgh Drawing School. The course content will be the same as the originally booked course. A student will not be entitled to a refund should the school have no option but to find a replacement tutor. If a tutor leaves and starts work elsewhere, and a student prefers to take classes with them personally at the tutor's new workplace, that is at the discretion of the student and no refund is entitled to them or will be given. If a student is unable to attend a class due to medical/personal/professional reasons, then EDS must be informed immediately so that the tutor can be notified. If you are missing a class because you suspect that you have developed Covid-19, please let us know immediately so that we can alert fellow student and tutors. Non-attendance of classes/workshops does not automatically mean a refund, however EDS will assess the circumstance If a tutor cannot teach a class due to illness, the scheduled class will be covered by another tutor or the class will be postponed and rescheduled for the following week at the same time on the same day of the week. Make up classes are scheduled during the half term week, or in the week following the end of term. E.D.S. runs make up classes in 1/2 term or during an additional week at the end of term. If classes cannot take place in the studios for any reason at 13 or 13a Great King Street, they will an in alternative venue. Thus, the business always completes it's contractual obligations to booked students. If a student cannot attend a make up class, no refund is due.
Contact Details
13A Great King Street, Edinburgh, UK
+ 0131 556 0971
info@edinburghdrawingschool.co.uk