Portrait Painting Bootcamp 2025

with Arthur Gain

An intensive, practice-driven course on portrait painting, where Arthur Gain teaches his award-winning methods of direct oil painting.

March 8th - April 12th

Join Arthur in this exciting artistic journey and learn the fundamental skills and methods needed for painting stunning portraits.

In this 6-week workshop, Arthur will share and explain his award-winning method of painting portraits with oils.

During the workshop, Arthur will guide you through the process of creating an expressive portrait while covering key elements: head studies, painting hands, and rendering additional aspects like backgrounds, clothing, and accessories.

From tools and materials to composition and advanced rendering techniques – this well-structured, beginner-friendly experience will help you improve your painting skills and deepen your knowledge of oil painting.

Schedule (Eastern Time, every Saturday):

• 10:30 AM – Preparations & Q&A

• 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM – Live demo & paint along

• 2:00 PM – 2:15 PM – Wrap-up

Duration: 6 weeks | 03/08 - 04/12

Skill level: Any

Recording of each session will be available the next day.

Recording Access: 12 months

You will learn:

Efficient and direct ways to block in a portrait using a combo of constructive and observational methods

1

2

How to mix natural looking skin tones and how to use temperature shifts.

3

How to paint heads, hands and costume elements

Using textures, varying opacity levels, and different paint applications to achieve visual impact.

4

5

How to compose and design the painting to express the mood

6

How to use the direct painting method in a multiple session project

Week I

March 8th
Materials, Tools, and Studio Practices.
Working with a full-color palette. Lessons from the Old Masters. Painting a head study from life. Measurements and likeness.
Week II

March 15th
Expressive Portrait Study. Mixing strategies for skin tones and how to integrate the environment and costume. Demonstration on using photo references effectively.
Week III

March 22nd
How to compose a painting while avoiding overworking and monotony. Choosing the color harmony. Painting a portrait from life. Simplified approach to painting hands
Week IV

March 29th
From Studies to Finished Pieces. Starting a portrait with hands. Painting the head from life. Composing the painting.
Week V

April 5th
Painting the Hands. Simplification, anatomy, and gestures. Different rendering strategies. Second part of painting the portrait with hands.
Week VI

April 12th
Painting the Costume and Background. Finalizing the composition. Final part of painting a portrait with hands from life.

Excerpt from the Bootcamp 2024 (Week 3 Live Session)

What Students Are Saying:

“First class.....excellent course... I learnt so much and Arthur was attentive to my progress, patient and super helpful with any issues I was having. I really appreciated the recordings and how information was easily accessible with it being divided into smaller lesson titles. ”

Pavllou Kokko
“This was a very helpful bootcamp both in helping me ground my fundamentals, as a largely self-taught artist, but also to see how Arthur pushes away from the reference/model to make decisions as an artist.”

Martin
“I loved the way Arthur explained so many techniques in detail and shared so many insights... All over my learning curve was very steep and I understood a lot more than what I ever did with just watching YouTube videos or studying books. There is not much to improve - it was really the best art instruction course I ever did”

Sigi Dannheimer
"This was such a wonderful learning experience; I’m saddened that it is over but excited to put all this new knowledge to work! Many thanks for being an exceptional instructor and thanks again to Kelsey, an amazing assistant."

Lori Barrison
"Extremely helpful and thoroughly enjoyed it. The mixing of skin colors was the most beneficial and what colors can do on the canvas next to each other also."

Patrick Stacy
"It was exactly what I needed as I had been away from painting portraits for a couple of years and although had been attempting on my own some self-doubt. This challenge gave me the tools to feel confident and new approaches to make it more interesting."

Santiago Perez
"Completely satisfied. This was my favorite course to date. The instruction was extremely clear and the step by step approach enabled me to build solid foundations and retain important information. I am quite slow and am still working my way through the course but knowing that I can work at my own pace has made the journey a rewarding experience."

Roda Fisher

Spectate Tier

$350

Full Access to all live sessions, demos, materials and assignments

Recordings: 12 months

Access to Alla Prima Academy community

SOLD OUT

Weekly Private Critique Sessions

$800

Weekly 30 minutes private Zoom Critique session with Arthur Gain

Full Access to all demos, materials and assignments

Recordings: 12 months

Access to Alla Prima Academy community

SOLD OUT

No added VAT or extra fees. 30-day money-back guarantee

FAQs

Is this Bootcamp good for beginners?

It is absolutely great for the beginners and for experienced painters alike. Arthur’s method ensures covering all essential fundamentals while demonstrating and explaining all (including advanced) aspects of painting with oils.

What time and day do live sessions start?

For all six weeks of the Bootcamp, live sessions will take place every Saturday at 10:30 AM Eastern Time | 7:30 AM Pacific | 2:30 PM UTC | 4:30 PM Central Europe.

Each session follows this structure:

• 10:30 AM – Preparations & Q&A (a chance to ask questions before we start)

• 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM – Main session: Live demo & paint-along

• 2:00 – 2:15 PM – Wrap-up & final Q&A

To keep the session comfortable, short breaks will be included, allowing time for the model to rest and participants to recharge.

What if I can’t attend live session?

All live sessions are recorded, and students will have access to the recordings the following day. Don’t worry—you won’t miss a thing.

What is difference between Spectate Tier and Feedback Tier?

Feedback Tier students receive personal guidance from Arthur Gain during the Bootcamp. It includes access to a private mentorship dashboard and weekly one-on-one Zoom calls with Arthur.

Which materials do I need to participate in the Bootcamp?

You can check the list of materials here.

About Arthur Gain

Arthur Gain, based in Barcelona, Spain, is a self-taught oil painter with a diverse artistic journey. His works have been showcased in esteemed venues worldwide, including the MEAM in Spain, the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum in the US, and the Museo La Contea Del Caravaggio in Italy.

Arthur is a winner and finalist of numerous international competitions, including the prestigious BoldBrush Award, finalist multiple times in competitions such as BoldBrush, ModPortrait, and ARC Salon.

Nowadays, Arthur focuses on personal projects and commissions for private and corporate clients. Additionally he continues to share his expertise with a broader audience both offline and online, including professional artists seeking to enhance their skills in oil painting and alla prima technique, as well as students at the Barcelona Academy of Art.

Website: arthurgain.com

Portrait Painting Bootcamp 2025

with Arthur Gain

You will learn:

1

2

3

4

5

6

Week I

Week II

Week III

Week IV

Week V

Week VI

Excerpt from the Bootcamp 2024 (Week 3 Live Session)

“First class.....excellent course... I learnt so much and Arthur was attentive to my progress, patient and super helpful with any issues I was having. I really appreciated the recordings and how information was easily accessible with it being divided into smaller lesson titles. ”

“This was a very helpful bootcamp both in helping me ground my fundamentals, as a largely self-taught artist, but also to see how Arthur pushes away from the reference/model to make decisions as an artist.”

"This was such a wonderful learning experience; I’m saddened that it is over but excited to put all this new knowledge to work! Many thanks for being an exceptional instructor and thanks again to Kelsey, an amazing assistant."

"Extremely helpful and thoroughly enjoyed it. The mixing of skin colors was the most beneficial and what colors can do on the canvas next to each other also."

"It was exactly what I needed as I had been away from painting portraits for a couple of years and although had been attempting on my own some self-doubt. This challenge gave me the tools to feel confident and new approaches to make it more interesting."