Expressive Portrait Sculpture

COURSE CODE: WC2504053

COURSE DATES: Saturday & Sunday, 25th – 26th July 2026

TUTOR: Hazel Reeves MRSS SWA FRSA

DAYS: 2

TIMES: 10:00am - 4:30pm

EXPERIENCE LEVEL: Ages 18+, Intermediate

FEE: £210

LOCATION: Bankside Campus, 185 Park Street, SE1 9BL

Expressive Portrait Sculpture is an intensive, exploratory two-day workshop designed to push your understanding of portraiture beyond likeness and into emotion, movement, and psychological presence. Working from life, you’ll investigate what gives a portrait vitality and how gesture, structure, rhythm and surface can communicate character. Through fast-paced exercises and longer sustained studies, you’ll discover new ways of modelling the human head and upper body.
Sessions will cover:

– Quick portrait studies to loosen up observation and decision-making
– Armatures that capture movement and energy
– Subtraction techniques
– How drawing exercises can sharpen observation and inform three-dimensional form
– Composition & pose

This course is suitable for intermediate sculptors and combines discussion, live demonstration, and hands-on making.
Following Expressive Portrait Sculpture, students may be interested in continuing in one of our longer, intermediate courses such as Sculpting the Hand and Foot.

Please note: The course overview provides a general overview of course content and may be subject to minor changes at the tutors discretion.

Recommend booking by: July 11, 2026

Advanced

All attendees must be aged 18 and over.

Choose our Advanced courses if you have considerable knowledge in the taught medium. You are expected to be able to work independently and have critical discussions around your work. Our Advanced courses include our Masterclasses.

Please bring old clothes as you may get messy

Most equipment and materials are provided but depending on your chosen creative approach in the latter part of the course, you may need to source some materials yourself, also bring your own sketchbook if you have one.

If you work in clay without an armature, you will be offered the opportunity to have your clay pieces fired. Hollowing is necessary before a piece can be fired. This is optional and additional hollowing and firing costs will apply.

Hollowing Fees

£15 for a small figure; £20 for a portrait head; £20 for a large figure

Firing Fees

£15 for a small figure; £20 for a portrait head; £20 for a large figure

If you are using metal wire there may be an additional charge. The cost will depend on the amount of wire used.

The Hollowing and Firing process takes at least 6-8 weeks.  Make sure that you take a photograph of your work for identification. You will be informed by email when your sculpture is ready to be picked up.

HAZEL REEVES

Hazel Reeves MRSS SWA FRSA is an award-winning figurative sculptor who is passionate about people and their stories, and specialises in bronze figure and portrait commissions.

Hazel is never happier than when combining her passion for portraiture with telling stories of struggles for social justice and redressing the lack of representation of women in public statuary. In March 2018, her ‘Cracker Packers’ commission was unveiled, celebrating the lives of women biscuit factory workers from the Carr’s factory in Carlisle. Her much lauded bronze statue of the Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, was unveiled in St Peter’s Square, Manchester, on 14 December 2018, the centenary of when the first women were able to exercise their vote. Before becoming a sculptor Hazel spent many years promoting women’s rights internationally.

Hazel first came to public attention with her much-lauded monumental Sir Nigel Gresley statue, unveiled at King’s Cross station in 2016, and her bronze figure of Sadako Sasaki, who continues to inspire peace activism worldwide.

Hazel is an elected Member of the Royal Society of Sculptors, a member and former Council member of the Society of Women Artists (SWA), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the advising sculptor for the Hove Plinth initiative.

She has been teaching clay portraiture in London and the South East for many years.

Bankside Campus

185 Park Street,London SE1 9BL

tel: +44 (0) 207407 6969

This is our new purpose built accessible campus. Find more information here

Nearest Tube/ Rail: London Bridge or Southwark (both a 10-15 minute walk).

Please note that London Bridge has two exits, the most direct route is to follow signs to “Borough Market”.

Students are welcome to use The Hub during break times, where you can prepare hot drinks and/or food. You must bring your own keep-cup, water bottle or food container to the Academy as mugs, glasses, and containers will not be available in our Bankside campus.

Tea and coffee will be provided by the Academy and is available from the island unit at the end of The Hub.

Terms and Conditions

  • By booking onto one of our courses you agree to our Short Courses Terms and Conditions.
  • You will need to have paid in full before the first session of your class. Your place is not guaranteed until we have received full payment. Please book early in order to guarantee your place on the course.

Materials & Equipment

  • If you purchased a pack online this will be given to you on the first session of your course upon your arrival. Packs can be booked on our Materials Page or on this page when you book the course
  • Please don’t wear your best clothes as there is always a chance you will get messy. If possible bring an apron or overalls.
  • All artwork at the Academy MUST be taken home at the end of each session where possible, with the exception of oil paintings and sculpture works.
  • We cannot store materials at the Academy, so please take these to and from your sessions.
  • Please ensure that your mobile phone is switched off or is on silent during the class.
  • Health and Safety Guidelines will be provided to you a week before the start of your course.

Concessions and Discounts

We offer a number of concessions and discounts, please find more information on what we offer here.

Gift Vouchers

If you would like to purchase a gift voucher to be used on our courses then you can purchase these here.

Original price was: £210.00.Current price is: £189.00.

Expressive Portrait Sculpture Masterclass Hazel Reeves

Early Bird sale running until midnight 8th March.