Portrait Painting from the Live Model with Robin Williamson
Mini Workshop
MADELYN AT 23 (Oil 16 x 12)
Robin Williamson is an award-winning artist living and working in Texas. She is also the founder of the DaVinci Studios in Sugar Land. She is best known for her refined, delicate, and realistic style of painting in oils. Painting people is Robin’s first love. She is intrigued by people of all walks of life and is endlessly inspired by the beauty and uniqueness of the human form. She particularly enjoys painting people in the arts, such as dance and music.
She is a graduate of Johnnie Liliedahl's School of Classical Oil Painting, and has studied at Studio Inseminate, Scottsdale Artist's School, The Ryder Studio, and The Coppini Academy. She also holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Texas A&M University and Southern Methodist University.
Robin’s artistic influences are some of the great master figurative painters such as Bouguereau, Sargent, Rembrandt, Repin, and of course Leonardo Da Vinci, an engineer, artist, and musician.
Robin is a Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America (OPA), the National Oil and Acrylic Painter's Society (NOAPS), and American Women Artists (AWA), and is a BoldBrush sponsored artist. She is a member of the Portrait Society of America (PSOA) and the Cecilia Beaux Forum, which promotes and supports women in the figurative arts.
Robin serves as a board member for NOAPS and is the Texas State Co-Ambassador for the Portrait Society of America. She has won numerous national and international awards and her work has been featured in International Artist, Southwest Art, and American Art Collector Magazines.
She has been juried into the Art Renewal Center International Salon three times and won top international awards in Oil Painters of America, Portrait Society of America, National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, and the prestigious Salmagundi Club
Robin recently received the Bronze Medal Award in the Oil Painters of America Western Regional exhibition in Philipsburg, Montana for her portrait painting "Satin & Fur” (seen here).
During this Mini Workshop, Robin will refine the portrait from the demonstration earlier in the morning with the same live model.
Time: 1:30pm - 4:30pm
Mini Workshop Fees - online registration is required
Member fee: $75
Non-Member fee: $100
Maximum of 14 students
Robin's Recommended Supply List
Paints – I recommend Winsor-Newton, Gamblin, Rembrandt, and Michael Harding oil colors. However, you don’t need to purchase these exact brands, you may bring what you have. I do recommend artist’s grade oil colors, not student grade or water soluble.
Below are the paints I will be using. All paints listed below are Winsor Newton unless otherwise noted. The main ones that you will need are marked with an asterisk *.
Ivory Black *
Dioxazine Purple
Ultramarine Blue*
Viridian
Sap Green*
Transparent Oxide Red (Rembrandt) *
Burnt Umber*
Transparent Oxide Brown
Alizarin Crimson
Cadmium Red
Cadmium Lemon or Cad Yellow Light
Yellow Ochre (Gamblin) *
Transparent Oxide Yellow (Rembrandt)
Titanium White (Sennelier or Gamblin) *
Note: Most of these paints can be acquired from Texas Art Supply, Jerry's Artarama, or Amazon.
Painting Surface:
For best results, I recommend an oil-primed linen with a smooth to medium texture. My recommendations would be one of these two:
- The Centurion 12x16 oil-primed linen pads with 10 individual sheets. You can tape the sheets to a board for painting.
- The Centurion oil-primed stretched linen. The oil-primed linen allows for the technique I use for the underpainting of toning then wiping out.
- Cotton and acrylic-primed is not recommended.
Brushes:
You can use what you have, but make sure you have a variety of brushes in good condition to choose from, both bristle and synthetic.
Here’s what I will be using:
Bristle brushes: a mix of large (for massing in shapes) and small. I use the Silver Brush bristle brushes (filbert) and Rosemary Ivory brushes (long flat), (sizes 3 and 4 )
Synthetic: Small rounds, and small and medium flats (I use Trekell Sprectrum 3000 Brights in sizes 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10)
Rosemary series 279 size 6 long flat for blending, and Rosemary Eclipse extra-long flat size 2
Combers: Rosemary Eclipse Combers sizes ¼” and 1/8”
Some small detail brushes in good condition, flat and round. I like the Princeton Velvetouch long rounds, sizes 1,2, and 4, and Rosemary Snowdrop pointed round size 0
Please note: The better your brushes, the more success you will have. Cheap or poorly made brushes will be a hinderance and will not allow you to paint freely.
Other:
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Palette – glass or plexiglass recommended
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Palette Knife (soft, flexible for mixing paint)
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Blue painter’s tape and drawing board or other rigid surface to tape canvas to (if not using stretched canvas)
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Odorless Mineral Spirits (like Gamsol from Gamblin)
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Sealable portable brush washer container
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Viva Paper towels
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Palette Scraper
If you have any questions about this Mini Workshop, please contact Sharla Hein, TWAL Workshop Sponsor at sharla.hein@outlook.com
TWAL Workshop Changes, Cancellations & Refunds Policy
Effective August 1, 2025
- Individual instructors may have make-up policies for missed workshops. Please check with your instructor.
- Refund requests must be made via email to the Treasurer at twaltreas@thewoodlandsartleague.org 14 days before the first day of a workshop.
- This applies to all workshops - mini-workshops, half-day or single-day workshops and multi-day workshops.
- Refund requests received less than 14 days before the first day of the workshop are non-refundable.
- No refunds are issued for “no shows” for a workshop.
- A $75 processing fee will be deducted for a refund on any workshop fee of $150 or over.
- A $25 processing fee will be deducted for a refund on any workshop fee of less than $150.
- Refund checks are mailed approximately 10-14 days after the workshop refund request is received by the Treasurer at twaltreas@thewoodlandsartleague.org
- Refunds will only be issued by checks.
- In the event the League must reschedule a workshop (mini-workshops, half-day or single day workshops and multi-day workshops), every attempt will be made to reschedule the workshop and notify all registrants before a refund is made.
- If the League is unable to reschedule the workshop, a full refund by check approximately 10-14 days after the scheduled start of the workshop will be issued.
