The Lester Prize: Portrait Painting with Desiree Crossing

Join guest artists for workshops hosted for the Lester Prize Youth Awards, as we encourage the creative talents of young and aspiring artists.

Meet some of WA’s leading contemporary portrait artists and discover innovative ideas and techniques to develop your artistic growth. Explore the theme of identity, creativity and family through portraiture by visiting the Lester Prize exhibition and taking part in a workshop. 

Workshops are suitable for a class of up to 32 students. All resources will be provided as part of workshop. 

Portrait Painting with Desiree Crossing

In this workshop, The Lester Prize alumnus and artist Desiree Crossing will provide students with both the knowledge and practical skills to create a realistic portrait by mixing interesting and vibrant colours, in addition to understanding principles of form and tone. Using basic oil colours found in most painting palettes, students will learn how to identify which colours and tones to use and have the opportunity to put their new skills into practice. 

Students will also engage with The Lester Prize Youth Awards Exhibition, allowing them to view and discuss a diverse range of Portraits produced by students from across Australia.

Student Experience:

Students will:

• Learn colour theory and colour mixing techniques to achieve a realistic portrait.
• Utilise painting tools and materials to produce a portrait.
• Engage with a range of techniques, representations, contexts, and subjects through Portraiture.

Skills Development: 

This workshop links to the following strands of the Western Australian Curriculum: 

Visual Arts

Year 7

• Techniques and processes to support representation of ideas in their art-making (ACAVAM119; ACAVAM121)
• Application of techniques and processes suited to 2D and/or 3D artwork (ACAVAM121)
• Key features identified in the organisation of a composition (ACAVAR123)
• Key features identified in artwork belonging to a given artist, movement, time or place (ACAVAR124)

Year 8

• Key features considered when constructing a composition (ACAVAR123)
• Key features recognised in artwork belonging to selected artists, movement, times or places (ACAVAR124)
• Processes to develop and produce artwork (ACAVAM121)

Year 9

• Visual art language (visual art elements and principles of design) used in the development of artwork (ACAVAM125)
• Recognition and use of visual art conventions (e.g. examining the representation of the human form in cultural contexts)  (ACAVAM125; ACAVAM128)
• Identification of representations in artwork within a given context  (ACAVAR130)

Year 10

• Visual art language (visual art elements and principles of design) used in the development of artwork (ACAVAM125)