Portrait Sketch En Trois Crayons with Patrick Byrnes (Apr 2023)

In this three-day workshop, artists will create three portrait drawings from three different live models using the technique of trois crayons: red, black, and white dry media on paper.

Dating to the Renaissance and continuing in popularity today, trois crayons has been exploited to masterful effect by artists such as Parmigianino, Rubens, Boucher, Watteau, and more recently Anthony Ryder and Robert Liberace. Typically, black is used for the construction lines, shadows, and cold tones, red for the warm tones, and white for the highlights. Instruction will include a comprehensive demonstration from start to finish, as well as in-depth personal critiques with a particular focus on cultivating an organized, rational process.

Two distinct steps will be emphasized throughout: building an accurate linear block-in, then interpreting values, hues, and chromas to effectively to create a sense of sculptural form and a strong aesthetic point of view. Cranial anatomy, colour theory, materials, line quality, resolution/abbreviation, edges, and the physics of light will also be discussed throughout the course.

Who is the tutor?
Patrick was born in Busan, South Korea in 1984 and raised in La Grange, Illinois. He earned his undergraduate degree in Art History and English from the University of St Andrews in 2006. Patrick moved to New York in 2010 to train under Jacob Collins at Grand Central Atelier. Following the completion of his studies in 2014, he worked as an instructor of painting and drawing in the atelier’s full and part time programs. In 2017 Patrick relocated to Paris, France, where he now lives and works. His work is exhibited at galleries in New York and Massachusetts. www.patrickbyrnespaintings.com

Materials list (recommended by Patrick)
-BLACK, RED, and WHITE pencils.
Patrick recommends coloured pencils for their versatility and control as tonal and graphic tools— Prismacolor Col-Erase brand pencils (in black, white, and terra cotta/scarlet red) work especially well for this project. Alternatively, charcoal or graphite, white chalk, and sanguine may be used.