ANDAMENTO LEVEL 7
FEATURES, FACES AND FIGURES: PART C
HISTORY, ANATOMY & ANDAMENTO
Level 7 Part C: Features, Faces & Figures – Contemporary Expression explores the power of mosaic to communicate emotion, identity, and human experience. Moving beyond observation and symbolism, students learn to create works that capture a fleeting glance, a moment of vulnerability, quiet contemplation, joy, grief, connection, or strength.
Through studies of eyes, facial fragments, portraiture, and expressive hands, students investigate how colour, composition, andamento, and material choice can be used to shape meaning and evoke feeling.
Supported by interviews with contemporary mosaic artists in our new VOICES OF MOSAIC series, this course encourages students to move beyond likeness and develop a personal approach to figurative mosaic that is expressive, authentic, and uniquely their own.
Through studies of eyes, facial fragments, portraiture, and expressive hands, students investigate how colour, composition, andamento, and material choice can be used to shape meaning and evoke feeling.
Supported by interviews with contemporary mosaic artists in our new VOICES OF MOSAIC series, this course encourages students to move beyond likeness and develop a personal approach to figurative mosaic that is expressive, authentic, and uniquely their own.
TERM 3 & 4: Contemporary Expression
UNIT 1 – Window to the Soul - Upper Face Study
UNIT 2 – It's All in the Smile - Lower Face Study
UNIT 3 – The Contemporary Portrait - Full Face Study
UNIT 4 - Hands that Speak - Hand Study
Term 3 & 4 Dates
UNIT 1: Wednesday 19 August
UNIT 2: Wednesday 16 Spetember
UNIT 3: Wednesday 28 October
UNIT 4: Wednesday 25 November
Times: 10am - 4pm
Materials:
Term 3 & 4 you can work in your choice of material and mixed media is encouraged.
Included
- Printed Resources and Imagery
- Adhesives, substrates, working boards, frames
- Use of studio tools and equipment
- Enrolment in the Online Class
- Access to Online Check ins
- Access to Class Padlet for feedback between classes
Not Included
- Tesserae
Term 3/4 FEES: $750 AUD
4 x 6hr Studio Classes at $25/hr
$150 Materials Fee
4 x Online Classes
4 x Online Check ins
UNIT 1: Wednesday 19 August
UNIT 2: Wednesday 16 Spetember
UNIT 3: Wednesday 28 October
UNIT 4: Wednesday 25 November
Times: 10am - 4pm
Materials:
Term 3 & 4 you can work in your choice of material and mixed media is encouraged.
Included
- Printed Resources and Imagery
- Adhesives, substrates, working boards, frames
- Use of studio tools and equipment
- Enrolment in the Online Class
- Access to Online Check ins
- Access to Class Padlet for feedback between classes
Not Included
- Tesserae
Term 3/4 FEES: $750 AUD
4 x 6hr Studio Classes at $25/hr
$150 Materials Fee
4 x Online Classes
4 x Online Check ins
Unit Outline
Unit 1: Windows to the Soul
The eyes are often the first point of connection between a subject and viewer. In this unit, students create a mosaic study focused on a pair of expressive eyes, exploring how gaze, viewpoint, colour, and subtle facial cues can communicate emotion, personality, and psychological presence. Working from contemporary reference material, students are encouraged to consider how mosaic can capture the unique spirit of an individual.
Unit 2: Its All in the Smile
A face does not need to be fully visible to communicate meaning. Focusing on mouths, noses, cheeks, and cropped facial details, students investigate how fragments can capture movement, personality, vulnerability, joy, tension, and human connection.
Unit 3: The Contemporary Portrait
In this major project, students create a contemporary mosaic portrait of their choosing. Emphasis is placed on moving beyond simple likeness to capture the unique presence, identity, and spirit of the subject through colour, andamento, composition, and material choice.
Unit 4: Hands that Speak
Hands can communicate emotion as powerfully as a face. Through studies of gesture, touch, and posture, students explore themes such as connection, contemplation, strength, worry, and unity, creating mosaics that tell stories without words.
The eyes are often the first point of connection between a subject and viewer. In this unit, students create a mosaic study focused on a pair of expressive eyes, exploring how gaze, viewpoint, colour, and subtle facial cues can communicate emotion, personality, and psychological presence. Working from contemporary reference material, students are encouraged to consider how mosaic can capture the unique spirit of an individual.
Unit 2: Its All in the Smile
A face does not need to be fully visible to communicate meaning. Focusing on mouths, noses, cheeks, and cropped facial details, students investigate how fragments can capture movement, personality, vulnerability, joy, tension, and human connection.
Unit 3: The Contemporary Portrait
In this major project, students create a contemporary mosaic portrait of their choosing. Emphasis is placed on moving beyond simple likeness to capture the unique presence, identity, and spirit of the subject through colour, andamento, composition, and material choice.
Unit 4: Hands that Speak
Hands can communicate emotion as powerfully as a face. Through studies of gesture, touch, and posture, students explore themes such as connection, contemplation, strength, worry, and unity, creating mosaics that tell stories without words.
Theoretical Study
This four-part theoretical series offers a historical signposts, tracing the evolution of portraiture from the Renaissance to contemporary practice and providing a rich conceptual foundation for developing expressive portrait mosaics.
UNIT 1 Renaissance: Discover how Renaissance artists transformed portraiture from the highly coded images of the Byzantine period to embrace a humanist ideal.
UNIT 2 Baroque to Realism: Explore how artists moved beyond physical resemblance to reveal emotion, psychology and character through light, gesture, composition and paint handling.
UNIT 3 Modernism: Follow the radical shifts of Modernism as artists challenged realism through colour, distortion, abstraction and multiple viewpoints, redefining what a portrait could be.
UNIT 4 Contemporary Portraiture, 1970 - Today: Examine how contemporary artists use portraiture to explore identity, memory, culture and personal narrative, where the portrait becomes as much about ideas as appearance.
UNIT 1 Renaissance: Discover how Renaissance artists transformed portraiture from the highly coded images of the Byzantine period to embrace a humanist ideal.
UNIT 2 Baroque to Realism: Explore how artists moved beyond physical resemblance to reveal emotion, psychology and character through light, gesture, composition and paint handling.
UNIT 3 Modernism: Follow the radical shifts of Modernism as artists challenged realism through colour, distortion, abstraction and multiple viewpoints, redefining what a portrait could be.
UNIT 4 Contemporary Portraiture, 1970 - Today: Examine how contemporary artists use portraiture to explore identity, memory, culture and personal narrative, where the portrait becomes as much about ideas as appearance.
Lesson structure
1: FEEDBACK
We start with a feedback session on the work that has been completed from the previous unit. In Unit 2 1 this will be reviewing the Byzantine Studies from the previous term.
2. VOICES OF MOSAIC
For each unit we will feature a contemporary artist working with in portraiture. We will hear about their journey and reflections of selected examples of their work.
3: HISTORY
In Part C our theoretical study covers signposts in the development of portraiture from the Renaissance to now.
4: ANATOMY
Understanding the anatomy of the face is essential. This becomes particularly important when aiming to convey facial expression and emotion which is created by the movement of muscles in the face and hands.
5: ANDAMENTO
Students source their own images for Part C of this course. We will learn contemporary approaches to andamento and focus on the transition zones in the face.
6: COLOUR
In Part C the colour theory broadens to include the manipulation of colour for expression and emotion.
7: MOSAIC
The mosaic study is completed for homework and progress uploaded on the class Padlet for feedback.
8: CHECK IN
Caitlin and Michelena offer an informal check in session between classes for feedback and live online discussion beyond the padlet.
Online access
All students enrolled in the in-person course receive automatic enrolment in the corresponding online course, held on the alternate Friday fortnight. This includes access to live online sessions, the LearnDash classroom, lesson recordings, supporting resources, and the international class Padlet for sharing work and receiving peer feedback.
If you are interested in the Online Course Only please visit www.artofandmento.com
1: FEEDBACK
We start with a feedback session on the work that has been completed from the previous unit. In Unit 2 1 this will be reviewing the Byzantine Studies from the previous term.
2. VOICES OF MOSAIC
For each unit we will feature a contemporary artist working with in portraiture. We will hear about their journey and reflections of selected examples of their work.
3: HISTORY
In Part C our theoretical study covers signposts in the development of portraiture from the Renaissance to now.
4: ANATOMY
Understanding the anatomy of the face is essential. This becomes particularly important when aiming to convey facial expression and emotion which is created by the movement of muscles in the face and hands.
5: ANDAMENTO
Students source their own images for Part C of this course. We will learn contemporary approaches to andamento and focus on the transition zones in the face.
6: COLOUR
In Part C the colour theory broadens to include the manipulation of colour for expression and emotion.
7: MOSAIC
The mosaic study is completed for homework and progress uploaded on the class Padlet for feedback.
8: CHECK IN
Caitlin and Michelena offer an informal check in session between classes for feedback and live online discussion beyond the padlet.
Online access
All students enrolled in the in-person course receive automatic enrolment in the corresponding online course, held on the alternate Friday fortnight. This includes access to live online sessions, the LearnDash classroom, lesson recordings, supporting resources, and the international class Padlet for sharing work and receiving peer feedback.
If you are interested in the Online Course Only please visit www.artofandmento.com
Who This Course Is For?
This course is intended for experienced mosaicists who already have a strong technical foundation.
You may be well suited to this course if you:
If you are unsure if this is right for you please contact Caitlin to discuss.
This course is intended for experienced mosaicists who already have a strong technical foundation.
You may be well suited to this course if you:
- Have completed earlier Andamento Levels 1,2 & 3 or have equivalent experience.
- Have completed Level 7 Part A & B or have some experience in creating features, faces and figures in mosaic.
- Have a working understanding of andamento, cutting tesserae and working with thinset
- Are interested in anatomy, structure and tonal modelling
- Want to deepen your relationship with historical mosaic traditions
- Are comfortable working independently between sessions
- Are able to engage with online learning comfortably
- Would like to work towards creating your own portraits
If you are unsure if this is right for you please contact Caitlin to discuss.
