Course Prices
Inside UK
£300.00
Outside UK
£325.00
Instalments UK & International
£300.00 in 3 instalments at £100.00 each
International students will not be supplied with a paper copy
Portrait Painting Online Art Course
Tutored by Alan Dedman BA, RAS, PGCE and Heather Jolliffe
The Portrait Painting Course is a Diploma Course.
The Portrait Painting Diploma Course teaches you how to capture the essence of a person through art. You’ll learn how to draw people accurately and bring their personality to life through facial expressions, gestures, and carefully chosen backgrounds.
Portraits have held an important place in the history of art for centuries, and remain one of the most popular commissioned artworks today. This course will help you build the skills and confidence to create compelling portraits in a variety of media.
What you will learn
- Understanding the structure and proportions of the human head
- Capturing character, expression, and likeness
- Building depth and realism with light, shadow, and tone
- Using different media for portrait painting, including oils and acrylics
- Working from life and photographs effectively
- Composing portraits with engaging settings and backgrounds
With expert feedback on your assignments, you’ll gradually develop your technique and gain confidence in portraying people. The course typically takes around 6 months to complete, but you’ll have up to 2 years to finish at your own pace. Students should have some prior drawing and painting experience to get the most from the course.
Meet your tutors
Alan Dedman and Heather Jolliffe are experienced portrait artists and art educators. Their constructive, supportive feedback will help you refine your skills and develop your own artistic style.
🖼️ Student Gallery
See examples of work created by our portrait painting students: Visit the Portrait Painting Student Gallery →
❤️ Student Feedback
"I was a complete beginner at portrait painting and at using oil paints when I started this course. I found it very well structured and gained experience across different media. The tutor’s feedback was specific, actionable, and extremely useful."
— T Gill"I enjoyed the course because I love painting and each assignment was a challenge to me, painting subjects I wouldn’t normally choose. I felt a bit deflated when it was complete, so I will consider another course!"
— P McDonald"I really enjoyed the whole course. The feedback was interesting and helped me look deeper into my perspective of art."
— G Brook"The comments of my tutor were very useful and encouraging. Thank you very much!"
— S Täuber
❓ FAQs
Do I need experience to take this course?
Yes, some drawing and painting experience is recommended. This course is designed for students who want to develop and refine their portrait skills further.
What materials will I need?
You’ll need basic drawing and painting supplies. The course covers multiple media, so a selection of pencils, brushes, paints, and canvas or paper is ideal.
How long do I have to complete the course?
Most students complete the course in around 6 months, but you have up to 2 years to study at your own pace.
Will I get feedback on my work?
Yes, your tutors will provide constructive, personalised feedback on each assignment to help you improve your portrait painting skills.
Students are able to upload their artwork to the 'The Art Room' on our website. Each student is
given a unique username and password on enrolment for their own private area in
The Art Room.
Students can upload their artwork for the tutor to collect and
critique. The tutor will then upload feedback for the student to download. If
you do not have facilities to upload your artwork, you can mail your artwork to
the tutors centre and receive your artwork back with your critique.
It is essential you label all
packages/artwork with your student number.
All our courses are written to be your comprehensive guide into
each of their subject matters. We understand that students appreciate
clarification about various aspects of their work from a course tutor, whom
provide reassurance that techniques are put into practice effectively.
Each courses has its own dedicated Tutor. The tutor keeps the
course up to date and relevant to today's students. They are available to the
individual student for advice and encouragement. Each course has regular
exercises and assignments that are constructed in such a way as to give the
student the opportunity to practice the techniques learnt on the course and to
test themselves as they go along. Students are encouraged to submit the
assignment work to the college for the tutor to critique.
Coursework can be submitted online, as digital photographs, in your individual art room account and the tutor will upload their critique for you to download and retain forever.
On many courses the assignment work may be suitable for inclusion in a student's Portfolio of Work that could be very useful later. The college will use the assignments submitted as the basis for your award of a certificate.
On successful completion of this course you will have studied new skills and gained knowledge for your own enjoyment and development.
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Below are a few images from the course.
I was a complete beginner at portrait painting and at using oil paints when I started this course. I found the course to be very well structured in a way that meant I gained experience in using a variety of media as well as learning the key elements of portrait painting. I received very useful ( specific and actionable) feedback from my tutor and would not hesitate to recommend this course to anyone wanting to develop their skills as a portrait artist.
I enjoyed the course because I love painting and each assignment was a challenge to me, painting what would not normally be my choices. The online services were good. I felt a bit deflated when it was complete. So therefore I will consider another course.
I really enjoyed the whole course ... feedback was interesting and helped me look deeper into my perspective of art.
Many thanks to London Art College and specially Mr. Alan Dedman.
The comments of Alan were very useful and so thank you very much for it.