New York Academy of Art

Portraiture: The Alla Prima Technique

Learn about the “alla prima” or wet-on-wet technique through portrait painting!

The “alla prima” approach comes in handy when working on preparatory studies for bigger works or simply to achieve quick results in a bold and loose manner. Painters like Franz Halls and the bravura school masters such as John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla and Anders Zorn used it in the most brilliant and virtuosic way. In our class we will be working from the most fundamental aspects of it, such as paint application, the importance of its timing, creating textures, and the uses of specific materials. Working from still-life objects, fabrics, and casts as we move on to painting the portrait from a life model with a comprehensive understanding of the process.