Struggling with portraits? Take a masterclass with someone who truly knows their craft.
I recently joined a series of four-hour workshops with Adelaide-based artist Ignacio Rojas, whose teaching on the fundamentals of portraiture was both grounding and inspiring. The first session focused entirely on black and white, a perfect place to return to the essentials of tonal composition. The second explored portrait construction using just four colours — white, yellow ochre, cadmium red, and black.
Armed with what I learned from these two masterclasses (and my investment of time and money), I decided it was time to put the lessons into practice. After all, there’s little point in taking a masterclass if you don’t follow through. Practice doesn’t make perfect — but it does make you better. I hope the portraits I’ve painted since then show that growth.
I’ve shared them below in the order they were painted, so you can see the progression for yourself.
During Ignacio’s classes, we worked from photographs. Later, I came across a stunning book of portraits by Steve McCurry. His photographs, particularly of children, are deeply engaging because of one thing: the gaze. Each subject looks directly into the camera, meeting you, the viewer, with an intensity that captures something profoundly human.
That directness is, for me, the essence of portraiture. When the subject’s eyes meet yours, something happens; a quiet recognition, a moment of connection. Without that gaze, the point of a portrait can be lost.
In my own paintings, I don’t seek to replicate McCurry’s photographs exactly. Instead, I interpret them by adding my own sensibility, my brushwork, my choices of tone, texture, and colours. That’s the beauty of painting: the translation of another person’s reality through your own eyes.
Out of respect for his artistry, I reached out to Steve McCurry for permission to use his photographs as reference material. He granted it graciously; a generous reminder that art thrives through shared creativity. When artists inspire each other, the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts.
So, here I share my latest portrait studies, the outcome of many hours of learning, experimenting, and refining my craft. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I’ve loved creating them.
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