FREEHAND PORTRAIT
WORKSHOP
WITH DRU BLAIR
Step By Step Instructions
Dru Blair shows you how to create a photorealistic portrait from start to finish.
Color Theory
Simple, comprehensive, and easy to understand . Learn all you need to know about color in one day.
Are you totally
satisfied with
your freehand skills?
Perhaps you realize that you are
capable of greater paintings, but
you haven’t quite figured everything
out.
Feeling like your work could use some improvement?
You aren’t alone. Most artists reach a certain level, but don’t know where to go next. You try experimenting, hoping to stumble across real answers, but you aren’t satisfied.
Slow growth?
Eventually, you realize that it's going to take years to figure everything out, and with NO guarantee of success. In the meantime, you still aren't getting paid what you are worth.
Do you want more
airbrush control?
If you are tired of seeing all the amazing art posted on social media, and want to create something equal to (or better than) the best that’s out there, then you have come to the right place.
Imagine being able to freehand whatever you want, as realistically as you please, with perfect smoothness and control. If you have a passion for painting, there is no reason not to pursue your dreams.
It's time to take your work to the next level
Why not train at the world's best airbrush school? We make airbrush painting simple, easy, and clear.
Realize your potential with the ultimate freehand airbrush workshop
Without solid training, you could spend years (or more likely, decades) trying to unlock all the secrets of freehand painting. Now it’s possible for you to gain total control of your airbrush in a fraction of the time that it would take if you practiced it on your own.
Color theory that solves all your color matching challenges
Learn all about Color Buffer Theory, Perceptual awareness, 21 elements of vision, Transparents vs Opaques,10 rules of Realism, Dot of Death recovery exercise, and how to begin a portrait... and that's on the first day!
The tricks you need
We aren’t just limited to teaching you all about straight freehand airbrush. We include a variety of other freehand tricks to help you make your present and future artwork the best possible.
What you will learn
01
Layout and composition
This is the most important foundation of any painting, yet it is the most overlooked. Here you will learn how to position the figure in its environment and make use of negative space.
02
Freehand Texture
Texture can be tricky with the airbrush because airbrush delivers, by nature, a soft line. We will show you how to tighten up those edges to create the textures you desire.
03
Freehand skin
Skin texture is subtle, with both soft features, and sharp features, making it a bit challenging to render accurately, We will show you, how to manage those features.
04
Seeing past the obvious
Most people paint the most obvious elements first, such as shadows, and gradients, but that practice can often cause difficulties with the painting in later steps. We will show you how to avoid those pitfalls.
05
Opaque vs Transparent paint?
There are a lot of opinions as to which is better. The answer is that each possesses unique characteristics which need to be considered first. You will learn the 8 differences, and when and why to use each.
06
Color Buffer Theory
Our original theory was initially conceived in the eighties and is now practiced in some form all over the airbrush world. This is a practical approach to color and color mixing that actually corresponds to the way paint behaves. It is comprehensive in scope, yet easy to understand.
07
How to use the Color Wheel
The color wheel is a compass. We will show you how to choose the right color wheel and how to use it correctly. It can be your best aid when mixing and matching colors.
08
Tired of painting in shades of gray?
Color can be intimidating, but fear of color will be a thing of the past after we show you how to match a color dead-on every time.
09
Dialing in the paint reduction
Freehand airbrush is more demanding of the viscosity of the paint in order for it to flow correctly. Too much thickness, and the paint won’t flow. If the paint is too thin, the result will be blowouts and splatters, and insufficient pigment load. We will show you how to correctly reduce the paint.
10
How to survive catastrophic errors
Freehand painting has an increased potential for errors. If you don’t know how to repair a mistake, your painting will be compromised. We will teach you several ways to repair a mistake, so you will always choose the correct one for your painting.
11
The 5 ways to transfer your image to the painting
You will learn how to maintain your proportions when transferring your photograph to the painting surface. and which ones are most effective.
12
Creating the Eye Freehand
The eye is the most important feature of the face, so we will take an in-depth look at why it appears as it does, and how to best render it. You will learn several different techniques to create lashes too as well as the “magic” paint formula for lashes and brow color.
13
Freehand Highlights
Brilliant crisp highlights can be difficult to achieve by freehand. Learn how to create brilliant razor-sharp highlights, without erasing or scratching.
14
The 6 rules to make hair look real
Follow these simple rules when creating hair for great results. We will show you some extra tips for even greater realism.
15
Managing edges and transitions
A challenging aspect of freehand airbrushing is controlling edges. Adjusting existing edges is often necessary, but can be a bit tricky. We will teach you how to change the sharpness or softness of an edge, even after you’ve created it.
16
Buffered Contrast Reduction, and how to use it
Contrast, along with proportions, and edges, can make or break a painting. Controlling contrast is simple using Buffered Contrast Reduction. We will explain what it is and how to use it.
17
5 solutions to fix your mistakes
Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees, and often mistakes go unnoticed. We will show you a simple technique that allows you to quickly spot problem areas that you would have otherwise overlooked, and the 5 options to dealing with problems.
18
How to develop observation techniques to expand your visual discrimination
It's difficult to paint anything accurately until you can really see it. We will teach you how to visually dismantle an object, then reassemble it on the painting surface.
19
Finally, get paid what you are worth
Learning about the business of art and marketing allows you as an artist to earn money for your creations. You will learn about pricing, galleries, copyright, prints, Giclées, originals, artist representatives, and most importantly, how to negotiate.
State of the Art Classroom
unlike any other on the planet
Color corrected lighting. Central Ventilation
On-site lodging on a 120-acre campus
nestled in a National Forest
What students are saying
I attended Dru's workshop with the hope of learning to paint, I left with the ability to "see" and a system that allowed me to develop my own understanding of painting and colours. Your system has given me the freedom to explore my own creativity.
Paul MacDonald
(Airvengers) Australia
Dru's teachings showed me how to create great detail and gave me the ability to achieve PHOTOREALISM in my artworks. Thank you for pioneering the world of photorealism in airbrushing, I doubt I would have got here without your long nights and many experiments .
David Naylor
Spain
Dru's workshop influenced the way I paint and gave me some new concepts, knowledge and skills to implement into the way I worked today I recommend it!
Mitch Lowther
(Airbrush tutor) Australia
Why should you take this class? Consider your options:
Option1. You could give up on your dreams and continue doing what you are doing, but let's be frank. No one wants to spend the rest of their life wondering "what if?". You are here because you believe that you deserve to be a better artist than what you are now. You aren’t the kind of person who’s going to settle for mediocrity.
Option 2. You could try practicing on your own hoping to figure it out someday. It's very difficult and time-consuming without all the shortcuts that we could show you, but it's an excellent choice if you have all the time in the world.
Option 3. Enroll in this course and enjoy the benefits of step-by-step guided instruction. You get what you need without wasting years or possibly a lifetime of guessing. If you don’t have time to travel to our workshops, try our Classroom in a box series and learn from home.
Our
Guarantee
We are so sure that we offer the best airbrush course in the world that we are willing to offer you tuition money back if you don’t notice an immediate improvement in your art, and in the way you see color after taking this course.
Freehand Portrait Trailer
Painting true to life portraits
You will learn a lot about freehand techniques in your workshop, but the most valuable lesson gained is for you to better understand and see the world differently, especially when it comes to color.
We will give you the power to create or re-create reality with stunning photorealism, and at a level no other airbrush workshop in the world offers. A photorealist painter can easily paint in any style, from abstract to impressionistic, and even mimic the old masters' paintings. The choices are limitless.
As artists, we take our inspiration from the visual world around us and re-create it on board, metal, or canvas. At the Blair School, we would like to show you how to do it more successfully
