On November 2, 2007, over 100 students, artists, and Portrait Society members filled Bradley Hall at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco to see Chris Saper's portrait painting demonstration. Before the first brushstroke, she discussed lighting, bulb selection, and placement of the model using her hand as a guide for the height of the head. Once the painting commenced, she talked the audience through her thought processes and fielded questions.

Saper pointed out the fact that forensic artists use markers and vertical/horizontal relationships to render their subject accurately. She utilizes this same approach, highlighting her analytical approach to painting. As she progressed through the portrait, she advised her audience to look for landmarks (i.e. cast shadows, edge of the nose, etc.) and to begin separating lights from shadows.

Saper defines color as "shadow less saturated," and pointed out that it has less contrast but a common value. Known for her book on skin tones, Saper spent a large amount of time sharing with her audience her approach to achieving the correct skin tones. She noted that all skin tones, regardless of race, have some orange. When working with color, she is sure she has whatever she is working on right before moving on to the adjacent tone. With this in mind, she gave some helpful tips. For instance, ears, nostrils, the corners of the mouth, and the crease where the eyelids open are some places that have warm tones.

In addition to technical advice, Saper shared practical advice with her audience. She stressed the importance of looking for people that will honestly critique your work, and stated that she still looks for fellow artists that can paint as well or better than her to asses her work. She stressed never giving up, but cautioned the audience, "If the horse dies, get off." An artist has to know when it is time to scrap a painting and start all over. Those in attendance seemed to enjoy the opportunity to watch a painting progress, coupled with the commentary and professional development advice.

The next morning 20 artists returned to Bradley Hall for a more intimate painting workshop with models. Saper spent the entire day giving individual assistance and advice to the participants, often drawing the class's attention to certain issues, so everyone had the opportunity to learn from each other's work. She also took some time to demonstrate some of the features in Adobe Photoshop that can greatly assist artists working from photographs.

Overall, everyone in attendance throughout the weekend felt they had gained valuable knowledge and a new perspective that they could take home to their studios and implement into their work.

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