Join us at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum on Saturday and Sunday, June 14th and 15th, for a FREE 2-Day Portrait Drawing Workshop!
Improve drawing and observation skills through classical drawing techniques. Students will use graphite to copy a Charles Brague plate. Sessions will be 4 hours/day for 2 days. By the end of the two days, participants will have a finished drawing they can display in their home.
Reservations are required. Email edu@wichitahistory.org or call 316-265-9314.
The lesson starts promptly at 1pm and goes until 5pm each day.
Free Admission
Open to the public. Recommended for ages 15+.
Instruction provided by Hayley Williams of Wichita Fine Art Atelier, as part of the special exhibit Portraits In the Museum Collection.
This exhibit explores the urge to create or possess a visual representation of a specific person – a portrait – and its presence throughout history. Portraits are created for many reasons: from sentimental to celebratory, for public or private viewing, as memorials, and as icons. Until the introduction of photography in the 1840s, portraits were rendered by artists in both two and three-dimensional mediums such as paintings and sculptures. The Museum’s collection includes a variety of portraits, most of which depict local people. In this exhibition, we learn of portraiture and the people portrayed.
About Bargue Plates
Bargue plates are a series of 19th-century drawing studies created by artist Charles Bargue as part of a classical training method. These plates break down complex forms into simplified shapes and values, helping artists develop accuracy, proportion, and shading techniques. Used in traditional ateliers, they are a great way for beginners to train their eye and hand before drawing from life. Artists like Picasso, Van Gogh, and Sargent practiced drawing from the Bargue plates.
About the Instructor
Hayley Williams received a BFA from Laguna College of Art and Design and began her career as a commercial illustrator and web designer before transitioning to full-time art-making. With a strong foundation in traditional techniques, she now teaches painting and drawing at the Wichita Fine Art Atelier, where she shares her passion for classical art and helps students develop both technical skills and personal expression.