Learn the fundamentals of drawing with the vibrancy of colored pencil! Work from still life objects and arrangements, natural and urban landscape window views, and clothed portrait/figure models to explore descriptive and expressive line quality, light/shadow, composition, color relationships, cross-hatching and layering methods, as ways to render scenic form and space. Instruction will guide students through observational sighting and measuring techniques and color theory essentials to achieve a sense of realism and to serve as a solid foundation for future study. Tuition includes a $25 models fee.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Michelle Oosterbaan
Cost: $475
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

This 8-week course is for beginners who want to explore drawing and oil painting, and for more experienced artists who want to improve their artistic skills. Using still-life compositions, students will learn about form, space, design, value, and color through working observationally. In addition, the instructor will introduce a variety of artists who are representative of the lessons provided, and conduct in-process and final critiques for a helpful synopsis of the student’s progress and ideas. The class will be broken up into four weeks of drawing and four weeks of painting, but the student is open to work in any medium if they prefer.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Annie Thompson
Cost: $280
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

The convincing depiction of form in three-dimensional space is particularly important to portrait drawing. The main focus will be on issues of composition, texture, measure, likeness, proportion, and the study of form in a spatial context. We will be drawing from models using toned paper, white chalk and charcoal. Class members will learn how to render the effects of light and shadow to create a sense of volume. The goal is to encourage a sensitive approach to handling a wide range of values, in tandem with a variety of lines and edges. The class will include demonstrations, discussions of masterworks, both traditional and contemporary, and thoughtful feedback. This drawing course is for participants of any age and skill level.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Ernie Norcia
Cost: $335
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

This dynamic course invites artists of all skill levels to explore the limitless possibilities of mixed media. Students will learn to create richly layered artworks that express their unique artistic vision by combining various materials and techniques. Class sessions will cover a range of media, including acrylics, collage, ink, cut and torn paper, found objects, and more; while emphasizing principles of composition, texture, and color theory. Students will engage in hands-on experimentation, guided exercises, and individual projects, discovering how to merge different art forms into cohesive pieces. Whether you’re a beginner eager to try something new or an experienced artist seeking fresh inspiration, this course fosters creativity, self-expression, and an appreciation for the unexpected beauty of mixed media art.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Heidi Techner
Cost: $285
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Whether you are new or returning to oil painting, learn its materials and techniques and how to apply them effectively in this foundational course. Instruction will discuss and demonstrate a range of colors, paint brands, and painting mediums and demystify painting conventions such as “fat over lean” and “thick over thin.” Working from still-life subject matter, begin with simple “direct” alla prima sketches, and then advance to “indirect” layering approaches of building upon a tonal underpainting. Develop methodologies for the process of making a painting, including managing color and value, and constructing an engaging composition. Previous drawing experience recommended.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Cost: $295
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

For students seeking to expand their beginning drawing skills or those new to working from the figure, this class will focus on applying drawing’s basic elements to the human form. Starting with sculpture from PAFA’s cast collection and progressing to work from the life model in short and long poses, work in charcoal and graphite to explore figure-based concepts of gesture, proportions, anatomy, and expression. Instruction will cover sight-drawing and measuring techniques, use of materials, gauging value, and ways of defining form and space. This course is excellent as a foundation for future study in any discipline or for more advanced figure-based work. Note: This part 2 course includes the use of nude models. Tuition includes a $35 models fee.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Phyllis Laver
Cost: $330
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

In the spring of 1913, a group of American artists organized the International Exhibition of Modern Art in New York. Their intension was to display work by the best modern American artists. Better known today as the Armory Show, the results were just the opposite with works by European artists like Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and most infamously Marcel Dechamp stealing the headlines. This talk will explore the history and consequences of this groundbreaking exhibition with consideration of some of the works exhibited in the original show. William Perthes is an educator, author, and curator. He is the Bernard C. Watson Director of Adult Education at the Barnes Foundation. Bill has a background in philosophy and art history.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: William Perthes
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Paint from a life model in poses of varying lengths to develop and refine your figure painting compositions. Extended poses will allow students to adjust and resolve issues of surface, color, and composition. Instruction will cover a variety of topics including glazing, broken color, surface texture, composition and design, the relationship of the figure to the environment, the creation of atmosphere and color harmony, disrupted realism, and open- versus closed-form painting. All levels welcome. Instruction will be geared toward oil, but students are welcome to draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: David Wilson
Cost: $330
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Learn to paint beyond basic representation with watercolor in this one-day intensive workshop! Artist and educator Lou Schellenberg will guide you through the process of simplifying observed forms for effective painting, using the still life and/or your photographs as subject matter. Basic watercolor techniques will be explained and demonstrated. Open to all levels.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Lou Schellenberg
Cost: $95
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 267-514-8647

Artist, feminist, poet, and socialite Florine Stettheimer created a brilliant body of work that captured the excitement and glamour of the 1920s. Sophisticated and cosmopolitan Stettheimer attracted a circle of friends that included expatriate artists Marcel Duchamp and Elie Nadelman as well as Americans Marsden Hartley and Georgia O'Keeffe. Come experience the work of this fascinating artist and those in her artistic orbit. William Perthes is an educator, author, and curator. He is the Bernard C. Watson Director of Adult Education at the Barnes Foundation. Bill has a background in philosophy and art history.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: William Perthes
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Capture the active life of the city and its rich architecture. This is an excellent workshop for anyone who wants to learn to sketch on the bus or train, in cafés and public parks, or while traveling abroad. Topics include perspective, gauging proportions by eye, gesture figure drawing, and methods for simplifying form. All levels welcome.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Cost: $115
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632