Artistic Anatomy for Portraiture

Artistic Anatomy for Portraiture, Instructed by Rachel Suter

Wednesday, April 15 from 1-4pm

This workshop is ideal for artists of all levels looking to strengthen their portraits through anatomical insight, technical understanding, and guided practice.

In this workshop, artist and anatomy educator Rachel will guide participants through the underlying bony and muscular structures that shape the human face, and how to use this knowledge to create successful portraits. By combining her cadaveric dissecting experience with her background in figure drawing, Rachel offers a rare, anatomy-first approach to portraiture that brings clarity and structure to the complexity of the head and facial features. A live model will be used.

​Participants will:

• Learn the skeletal and muscular anatomy of the head and face, focusing on the forms that influence surface appearance

• Explore how anatomical knowledge can add predictability and structure to portrait work

• Use the Loomis method to understand proportions and spatial relationships of the head

• Practice drawing from a live model, guided by anatomical demonstrations and instruction

• Work with anatomical illustrations created by Rachel to support observation and deepen understanding

About the Instructor:  

​​Rachel Suter is an artist and anatomy enthusiast with degrees in Neuroscience and Art Practices from the University of Colorado Boulder. She graduated summa cum laude and was honored as the Outstanding Graduate for her development and instruction of her “Anatomy for Artists” workshop that she taught in CU’s cadaver labs.

With nearly two years of hands-on human dissection experience, and a passion for figure drawing, Rachel offers a unique and deeply informed perspective on artistic anatomy. She has been integrating art and science for years, and applying her anatomical knowledge to figure drawings and artwork is one of her greatest passions. Rachel has just returned from months in Florence, Italy, where she further studied and honed her artistic skills!

Her teaching style is enthusiastic, encouraging, and grounded in the belief that understanding the anatomy of the body enhances both artistic accuracy and expressive freedom.

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