Embellishment: Drawing & Painting the Costumed Figure

January 16-18, 2026

Friday - Sunday, 9am-4pm each day

Do you love working with the figure? Or does the idea of drawing and painting the human form terrify you? Either way, you are in for a treat as we welcome internationally acclaimed artist Emily Ball back to Orlando in January 2026 for an inspiring NEW three-day course: Embellishment: Drawing & Painting the Costumed Figure.

As a wonderful bonus, her daughter will be joining us as muse and model. Eve, now entering her third year at Wimbledon College of Art in London, studies Costume Design for Stage and Screen. For this course, she will design, create, and model her own costume—inspired by an imaginative blend of Medieval and Elizabethan silhouettes and fabrics, reinterpreted through a modern, expressive lens. Her design celebrates the meeting of past and present, timeless elegance and contemporary spirit.

This course invites you to make bold, confident, and expressive drawings and paintings that explore both the poise and personality of the model and the luxurious textures, colors, and shapes of her garments. Together, we’ll discover how fabric itself becomes a language—wrapping, revealing, concealing, and transforming the human form.

You’ll be:

Exploring color, texture, and pattern as much as the figure itself.
Observing how cloth adorns and reshapes the body, how light pools in folds and frills.
Finding beauty in glimpses of skin and features that emerge from rich layers of fabric.

The course begins with a series of lively studies from the moving figure—quick, fluid sketches that awaken the eye and loosen the hand. You’ll then develop two or three longer paintings, learning to use paint expressively to capture the weight, direction, and sensual rhythm of fabric as it frames the body.

Throughout, Emily will encourage you to experiment, play, and take risks—to move beyond simple observation and let the language of paint become your storyteller.

We’ll draw inspiration from artists such as Matisse, Bonnard, Vuillard, Chantal Joffe, Alice Neel, and Jennifer Packer, as well as from Medieval and Elizabethan portraiture, where patterned garments and luminous faces speak of strength, grace, and individuality.

This is a rare opportunity to work closely with Emily Ball in an intimate setting, and to experience a collaboration that bridges fine art, fashion, and personal expression. Come ready to explore, to be surprised, and to discover the joy of painting the adorned figure.

Caption

The workshop includes:

Structured exercises
Demonstrations to help unpack the creative process
Strategies to foster an integrated approach to viewing sources of inspiration and responding to them in paint
Fun interactions with other participants
One-on-one support to help you develop work that is personal to you
Lots of opportunities for questions and feedback in a collaborative, supportive group environment

Mediums And Skill Levels

This course is suitable for:

Oils, Acrylics, or Mixed-Media artists
Advanced Beginners and Beyond (you must have familiarity with the basics of working with paints, mediums, and brushes/tools.)

Pricing

Early Bird price (through December 15, 2025): $725
Regular prices (after December 15, 2025): $850

Your fee includes group and individual instruction from Emily Ball, a live model, facility usage (including easel, wall space and tables for your materials and supplies), and hospitality (still and sparkling water, coffee and tea, and morning and afternoon snacks). You may either bring your own lunch or order from nearby restaurants and delivery services.

Your fee also includes access to photos and videos from the glass via Google docs (available soon after the class completes) and an invitation to a complimentary Salon with Emily at McRae Art Studios on Tuesday, January 20th from 7-9pm.

We will also be organizing an optional group outing for food and friendship on Saturday night, January 17th.

Please read Policies about Payment, Cancellations, and Refunds carefully before registering.