Expressive Figure Drawing with Alan McGowan (July 2026)

What we are doing in figure drawing, and what we want from it, is rarely straightforward. Throughout history, artists such as Michelangelo, Delacroix, Rodin, Egon Schiele, and Jenny Saville, for whom qualities such as feeling, atmosphere and energy are as vital as accuracy or measured precision. Very often, what we seek in drawing is some shifting combination of all these things.

For me, expressive drawing involves three interdependent elements:
the subject, our personal reading of the subject, and the materials and techniques we choose to employ. Each influences the others. And by understanding the possibilities within techniques such as line, tone and measuring, we can actually liberate our capacity for representation and our expressive potential.

This implies choice—choice of approach, of emphasis, of technique. There is no single “correct” way to draw; rather, there is a spectrum of possibilities, and the choices we make inevitably reflect who we are.

During this short course, we will examine what we are trying to do in drawing and connect those aims to practical methods. Alongside studio work, we will look at artists who have grappled with these questions—Delacroix, Michelangelo, Raphael, Ingres, Giacometti, Coldstream, Eugene Carrière, Anne Gale, Rodin, Picasso, among others—each offering different ways of thinking and working.

Course Structure

Over three days, working from life models, we will explore:

• Different ways to begin a drawing
• Drawing with light
• Tonal value
• Accuracy and inaccuracy

Materials

• Willow charcoal (assorted)
• Putty rubber
• Fixative
• White Conté pastel
• White acrylic paint and brushes

Surfaces

• 4 sheets of newsprint
• 10 sheets of white cartridge paper (A2)
• 2 sheets neutral-toned paper (grey/buff, A2)
• 3 sheets of black paper (A2)

About Alan

Alan McGowan has been a practising artist for over 30 years. His work has appeared in many significant exhibitions of contemporary figurative art, including the Scottish Portrait Awards (2017), the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Threadneedle Prize for Figurative Art, the Society of Portrait Sculptors exhibition, and the Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait exhibition.

He was a semi-finalist in the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year (2014), and his paintings are featured in the international INPA annual reviews (volumes 5, 6, and 7) published by Manifest in Cincinnati, USA. His work is held in the public collections of the Royal Scottish Academy, Stirling University and Art in Healthcare. He is also the recipient of the Wood Award (Visual Arts Scotland), the Bowie Award for Painting (Paisley Institute), and the Powderhall Foundry Award for sculpture.

McGowan has exhibited widely across the UK and internationally, including group exhibitions in South Korea, Portugal, Finland, Italy, the Czech Republic and the USA, and recently in A Bit of Brit at the Westbeth Gallery in New York.

In addition to his studio practice, Alan teaches figure drawing, painting and anatomy for artists. He has taught at the Royal Academy (London), the National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh College of Art, Dundee University, the Museum of London, the Royal Hibernian Academy (Dublin), Leith School of Art, and the Royal Collection Gallery at Holyrood Palace.

His first book of drawings, The Language of the Body (2012), explored the relationship between life-studio practice and the philosophical concerns of writers such as Montaigne and Proust, and was named Best Art Book of 2012 by About.com. He published Unstill Life in 2017.

How many students will there be?

There is a maximum of 12 participants, and the tutor will customise the course according to your individual needs.

Studio Access & Parking

The studio and car park open at 9:30 am each day. We kindly ask that you do not arrive before this time, as staff will be preparing the space.

We close at 5:30 pm, so please ensure you are packed up and ready to leave by then. Thank you for helping us keep everything running smoothly! 

If you have any questions, please see our frequently asked questions or contact us.