Call for Entries: Series 12 of Portrait Artist of the Year (2025)

The competition to enter Series 12 of Portrait Artist of the Year in 2025 is now open. 

This is my guidance for you on what to expect

• This is a prestigious art competition - televised by Sky Arts
• It has a £10,000 commission as first prize (no such thing as inflation in this competition! Strictly speaking, if they were keeping up with inflation, the prize should now be worth £15,000)  
• the careers of some of the winners have been very productive and fruitful as a result of winning - but it's entirely up to you what you make of it and how you benefit as a result, even if you just participate in a heat
• The deadline for entries is NOON on Friday 7th February 2025 (the deadline has been extended in the past - but best not to assume this will happen)

This is A VERY LONG POST about:

• The nature of this art competition
• WHO can enter
• HOW to enter
• What the day of filming is like - and how long it lasts!
• Plus TIPS about this art competition
• AND TIPS about juried art exhibitions and art competitions generally (at the end).

About the competition

Quotations below are from the Terms and Conditions of the competition or as indicated.

This is an art competition as a television show.

The winner is awarded a commission - worth a TAXABLE fee of £10,000 - to create a portrait of a notable person for a (usually) prestigious organisation.

If you want to know why the prize money is taxable (which I think is a new word in the T&Cs) see my page on my website Art Business Info for Artists 

• about Tax on art awards and prize money 
• and/or Do artists have to pay tax on art prizes?

How it works - a summary

• Filming of Series 12 of Portrait Artist of the Year is planned to take place at (very probably) the Battersea Arts Centre in April 2025.
• In effect this is a 'reality' (i.e. real people/real artists) knock-out competition for portrait artists over eight heats
• Nine artists compete in each heat
• there are three "celebrity" sitters (some you will know/ some you won't! There's a good mix of age, sex, gender, ethnicity and background)
• each sitter has three artists drawing / painting / printing their portrait - in various 2D media
• you have just four hours to complete a portrait - unless you work through lunch which some do.

The Shortlisted Artists will have a maximum of 4 hours over a 5-6 hour period (or such other period as the Producer at its discretion may determine) to complete their Heat Artwork.

• The Sitter gets to choose a portrait - and if it's your portrait this is gifted to the sitter.
• The Heat Winner - from a shortlist of three - goes through to the semi-finals
• Eight heat winners get to compete at the Semi-Final
• Three people from the semi-finals are selected for the Final which involves:
• a commission completed between semi final and final
• four hours to complete the portrait of the celebrity sitter in the final

The dates and times that the Finalists shall be given to complete the first of the Final Artworks shall be determined by the Producer, and may be within a set time period on a single day or over a number of days, and the Producer may film any or all of this process. A space of the contributor’s choice must be provided free of charge by the contributor to film any or all of this process.

Sadly, the days of the Final being at the National Portrait Gallery seem to be over!

TIP You need to know about the conditions you work under on location!

Artist of the Year Masterclass: Week 2

Below you can find the details of all this week's classes in the brand new series of Artist of the year: Masterclass. It's the same tutors as last week - but different topics this week.

Week 2 of Artist of the Year: Masterclass

As before the the programmes are

• on Sky Arts every evening this week
• the first programme starts at 6pm and lasts 30 minutes
• the second programme starts at 6.30pm
• so basically an hour of tuition covering two topics every evening.

So far as I am aware, these classes are only currently accessible to those living in the UK via Sky Arts (on Freeview). You can also watch on catchup if you subscribe to either Sky or Now TV.

If you follow the Artist of the Year Facebook page or Instagram account you'll get a reminder about each programme - which will include a list of the materials being used.

Here's the Facebook post for the two programmes this evening. (Sorry I've had to replace the Instagram video one - as the video just appeared as a great big blank space on my blog!!)

How did you find the new series of Artist of the Year: Masterclass last week?

It's certainly not a definition of masterclass that I'm familiar with. The artists are dealing with basics of the sort usually taught to beginners or improvers.

Speaking personally, I also found it difficult to set aside the hour each evening to watch "live". However, since I subscribe to NOW TV I was able to access the programmes already broadcast on catch-up. My preference would be to see two back to back programmes each week on one set day - over a period of weeks.

I also found that it was very easy to tell which are artists are experienced at teaching at this level - because it was very clear that they

• prepared their lesson well in advance 
• delivered the instruction in a very structured way
• didn't drop art terms into what they said without explaining what the term means
• had very clear instructions as to what materials are required
• knew how best to teach online
• did a good demonstration

Not all tutors were experienced and competent at teaching at this level.

Postscript: 

It did occur to me that maybe this skills development series is being done with the aim of improving the skills levels of painters applying for and getting selected for the two series of Portrait Artist of the Year and Landscape Artist of the Year.

What do you think?

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Review: Semi Finals of Portrait Artist of the Year 2024

This is all about the semi-finals of Portrait Artist of the Year 2024 (Series 11) which was broadcast on Wednesday night. 

It covers various observations about the Semi-Final (the reality and the programme) including:

• The Semi Finalists (Heat winners)
• The Heat Portraits
• The Sitter setup and setting
• Themes of the semi-final
• Judging and Finalists
• Sitters for the Final
  

(PS Did anybody notice the "not deliberate" mistake?)

I've been to semi-finals at the Battersea Arts Centre twice and the way they change it for the semi-finals makes you wonder how on earth the artists will be able to cope. The segment structure is gone and there is a very imposing set surrounded by eight easels!

The Semi Finalists (Heat Winners)

The Semi Finals of Portrait Artist of the Year 2024 is about to start....

"A lot of very ambitious painters" 

The semi finals include 8 heat winners - who are six women and 2 men! 

 The Heat Portraits

Just think about it from the semi finalists perspective. They've met the other semi-finalists but have absolutely no idea about the competition and how competent they are until they enter that big hall at Battersea Arts Centre and see the other Heat Portraits hanging next to their heat portrait. I'm guessing that might generate a few butterflies in the tummy

 

The wall of Heat Portraits

I highlighted the semi-finalists in my post on Wednesday The Semi Finalists - Portrait Artist of the Year 2024 and - as there is no wildcard additional artist this year (which has happened in the past), I'm going to leave it at that.

The Artists in the PAOTY Semi Final 2024
Note the different size of the supports they are working on.
Moving up to the semi-finals means moving up in size for most.

They are - in Episode order:

• Episode 1 - Paul Lee (Instagram) - review of Episode 1
• Episode 2 - Polly Pincott (Instagram) - review of Episode 2
• Episode 3 - Brogan Bertie (Instagram) - review of Episode 3
• Episode 4 - Jennifer Anderson (Instagram) - review of Episode 4
• Episode 5 - Jenna Waldren (Instagram) - review of Episode 5
• Episode 6 - August Lamm (Instagram) - Review of Episode 6
• Episode 7 - Rosie Phillips (Instagram) - Review of Episode 7
• Episode 8 - Kirstin Mackinnon - Review of episode 8 

To be frank, for me there were only four serious contenders and a maybe.

Before it started - and while writing my previous post I decided that the two I was absolutely certain would get to the Final were Jennifer and Paul (i.e. VERY experienced, fabulous eye for a person/painting, get on and paint people) - and after that there were two or three who could produce a good portrait on the day.

Plus it includes my commentary on what happened in the Semi Final. Just to note that it's my practice to never comment on those who do appalling paintings in the heat - but only reference themes which emerged during the programme.

 
HOWEVER as we get to the final stages of a very public art competition for a big money prize, I tend to become a tad more explicit in my commentary on how artists did - albeit I lean towards describing what happened as opposed to naming the artist. 

Bottom line the feedback / critique becomes more direct the closer you get to the prize. My philosophy is if you don't want people to comment, then you really think need to think very long and hard before entering art competitions with big money prizes.

The Setting and the Sitter

The Semi Finalists - Artist of the Year 2024

Just a quick reminder (I know I need one!) of who got through to the semi finals and what they've painted so far.

YOUR CHALLENGE - should you accept it - is to predict the three chosen to progress to the Final after reviewing their self portrait and heat portrait only.....

The images are of the portrait paintings by the artist to date.

The Semi Finalists

I've just noticed, all the semi-finalists are women but for two! So there's going to be at least one woman in the Final and there's a chance it might be all three!

Paul Lee (Instagram) - review of Episode 1

He is a visual effects animator who lives in Tunbridge Wells. He graduated with honours from Birmingham where he studied fine art (1989-91), specialising in painting, at between the years 1989-1991. Since 1994, he has worked as a character and VFX animator in the feature film industry. He returned to oil painting in 2022 and his instagram account clearly demonstrates that he is very capable of capturing both a likeness and expressions and loves to use colour - which he does very well. He has also exhibited at the annual exhibitions at the Mall Galleries (NEAC 2023, Royal Society of Portrait Painters 2024)

self portrait and heat portrait by Paul Lee

Polly Pincott (Instagram) - review of Episode 2

A full time professional artist based in Oxfordshire. She is a member of the Oxford Art Society and was a shortlisted artist selected to exhibit at the British Art Prize 2023. She made a point of practising in advance.  She was very surprised when she won - but shouldn't have been.

Self Portrait and Heat Portrait by Polly Pincott

Brogan Bertie (Instagram) - review of Episode 3

He was born in 1995 in South London and is now a painter and leatherworker based in Margate. In 2019, he graduated with a BA (Hons) in Illustration and Visual Media from London College of Communication. He worked in freelance illustration and animation until moving to Margate and training in leatherwork with Cope Studio.His self portrait took him 5 hours - but he's practiced painting a portrait within 4 hours before the heat

NEW: Artist of the Year Masterclass

 In a few minutes, at 6pm, a new art series on Sky Arts (Channel 36 on Freeview).

Further to my previous post Artist of the Year: Masterclass launches 2nd December. I now have more details as to how this is working.

It starts at 6pm and each programme lasts half an hour - however a second programme starts at 6.30pm EVERY evening.

The artists and topics are as follows - up until 9th December which is as far as my guide goes...