If you live in the southern California area, you should do whatever it takes to attend classes at this art school, run by
Jeff Watts :
www.wattsatelier.com
Last week I had the opportunity to visit this atelier and it was an incredibly impressive place. I watched two separate oil portrait classes and it was such a joy to see so many students with superior drawing skills.
There is no subsitute for learning to paint from life. I was also very impressed with the blend of old and new technology at the school - many of the instructors are involved with the California filmmaking/advertising scene and the classes reflect this, as well as offering academic classes in cast drawing, for example.
A drawing by Jeff Watts is on the cover of the most recent
American Artist Magazine . I've attached a photo of a drawing class from the website.