Learn how to paint the human figure starting with a drawing and progressing to painting from the live model. Students will learn a systematic technique via painting models holding short and long poses. The great paintings throughout history always have a beautiful balance of proportion, value, color, and edge. These aspects are what give power and presence to one’s work. Figure painting is deeply rewarding, engaging, and bound to take one’s appreciation and skill to the next level. Aristides provides frequent demos, breaking down the process of painting into clear and consecutive steps, as well as critique and instruction each session.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Juliette Aristides, www.aristidesarts.com
Cost: $575 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

Through lecture and demonstration, this workshop will reinforce the student’s understanding of composition, form and various methods of applying paint. Somewhat different and more advanced than the workshop “Suggesting Reality” (April 19-23), students will work on specific assignments, exploring ways of simplifying and abstracting the subject while adding endless variety to the marks and colors used. Students will be shown multiple ways of starting and building a painting (both direct and indirect procedures such as Alla Prima and glazing) and ways of simplifying their palette preparation. This workshop inspires a more experimental approach, discovering new tools, methods, materials, as well as adjusting elements of the painting, such as the value key/color palette, shapes and edges.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Douglas Fryer, www.douglasfryer.blogspot.com
Cost: $685 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

Paint looser, and more confidently during this four-day workshop with Oregon artist Sarah Sedwick! Take a step-by-step approach to Alla Prima oil painting, from black-and- white studies to brilliant color. Build a beautiful composition with life and movement, get a new perspective on the still life, and learn tips for bringing inspiration to your home studio practice. Students will cover the basics of value and composition design, and do quick, fun exercises to focus on loose, energetic brushwork before creating a finished piece. Sarah will demonstrate and work with each student individually. Painters of all levels are welcome. Instruction will be in oils.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Sarah Sedwick, www.sarahsedwick.com
Cost: $525 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

Sculptor Alex Manzanares brings back from Italy the sculpting methods acquired from his years of study in Florence and Rome. In this three-day workshop, students will be sculpting a 3/4-life portrait using water-based clay. Working from a live model, students will learn how to measure accurately, establish and maintain symmetry, identify conceptual planes, and develop a working process of larger to smaller forms. Lectures in this workshop will include information on sculpting tools, key landmarks of the skull, major planes and structures, as well as nuances of the features. Alex will guide you through the entire portrait sculpting process, from the initial clay application, to composition and final finishing techniques to achieve a likeness of the subject.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Alex Manzanares, www.alexmanzanares.com
Cost: $315 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

The ability to understand color can easily be broken down into logical methodical elements. First, we will learn how to mix what we see by defining a color in terms of hue, saturation, and value. With this method, students will gain the capability to match any color with ease. Next, we will discuss the use for a split primary palette, and the effects of transparent color. Students will understand the strengths and limitations of every color on and off their palette. Students will then see how to choose their palette for each painting to support their specific color goal.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Jessica Garrett Lawrence
Cost: $210 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

This class will teach you my favorite tricks for turning small studies into large studio works. You will learn how to choose a good subject and how to turn it into a compelling composition. Class will begin with a simple demonstration of creating a sketch and color study. Students will then be able to make their own studies to prepare them to work larger. The following days of the workshop will be your opportunity to work on your studio piece. Amery will walk you through transferring your idea onto the large canvas and then how to color match from your study. Please bring multiple reference images for this class.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Amery Bohling, www.amerybohling.com
Cost: $315 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

Have you ever wondered if what you’re doing in your work as an artist is truly what you’re supposed to be doing? This workshop is intended to serve as a vehicle to aid in finding your path. We will open up dialogue and explore creative ways to meet this challenge. The purpose of this workshop is not about the utilization of tools or learning specific painting techniques. It’s more about finding out who we are as artists and allowing that discovery to play a dominant role in what we intuitively express in our artwork. It’s about feeding our souls. This class is designed for the intermediate to advanced student, but is open to all levels of experience and learning.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Ron Hicks, www.ronhicks.com
Cost: $750 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

This five-day workshop is for all levels and will focus on designing a studio painting from plein air studies and/or photos. Artists will learn to analyze the information they gathered in the field interpreting color and value relationships in order to create depth in a landscape painting. Many outdoor painting principles will be discussed – including how to design a landscape, and the importance of values, shapes and edges – but with a greater focus on composing a finished piece. There will be slide presentations, demonstrations, critiques and lots of one-on-one instruction.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Dave Santillanes, www.davesantillanes.com
Cost: $750 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

Participants in this dynamic workshop will have the opportunity of working with and learning from celebrated landscape painter and teacher David Dibble. This course will focus on composition and strong design using the foundational principles of drawing, value, and color. Landscape will be the primary focus but artists of all subject matter will find this three-day intensive workshop to be an exciting and enlightening step forward.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: David Dibble, www.dibbleart.com
Cost: $395 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

This beginner’s course will teach students how to build a portrait with basic but foundational techniques. First, the course will cover the appropriate uses of dots, lines, and simple shapes in creating portrait outlines. Students will then build on those outlines with tones and values. Finally, students will learn how to look at each portrait in its full composition to unify the painting.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: James Jiang, www.instagram.com/jamesjiangart
Cost: $95 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

Award-winning artist, Rob Adamson, will teach this four-day workshop. This workshop will provide students the painting fundamentals needed to create stunning, vibrant cityscapes. Students will work from photo reference (provided by instructor, but are also welcome to bring their own cityscape reference) to paint day and night city scenes. Students will be taught a simplified 1 and 2-point perspective to create memorable paintings. Other topics covered are design, drawing, value, color, edges, and lighting and glazing techniques. The instructor will provide lectures, demonstrations and individual instruction. Beginners through advanced artists are welcome.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Rob Adamson, www.robadamsonstudio.blogspot.com
Cost: $550 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

A strong likeness is foundational for a portrait, but finding poetry in identity should be a portrait artist’s goal. This four-day workshop will inspire portrait painters to reach for the next level in their painting journey. Louis will break down the elements of a portrait into digestible blocks which progressively build on each other. Likeness, composition, gesture, and emotion will kick off day one. Creating dimension with the properties of paint such as value, color, transparency and opacity will continue the next two days. Developing character through edges, texture, and glazing will close out the final day. Louis will demonstrate these concepts each morning and students will apply what they learn in the afternoon with individual instruction.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Louis Carr, www.lcarr.faso.com
Cost: $650 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

Painters often use photographic references when creating works of art. During this two-day class, students will paint the subject of their choice using their photographic reference. The painter must understand that photography often misrepresents the true relationships of the value, color and perspective. With guidance, the student will learn to consider the photographic reference as raw material, to be interpreted rather than slavishly copied. Let’s make “art” from photographic reference! This class is open to all levels of experience and all mediums! Please bring several photos of interest to each class. Students may choose to paint still life arrangements.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Robert Lemler, www.robertlemler.com
Cost: $250 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

This workshop will focus on an analytical and emotive approach to painting the human figure with an emphasis on color and value relationships. The development of form through an observation and interpretation of plane shifts projecting and receding from the eye will be stressed. Aspects of anatomy, proportion and movement will be discussed along with the development of an Alla Prima technique, which involves both scumbling and glazing. Steven will guide you with techniques for dealing with the changes that occur as a model poses, learning to hold and interpret what you see with a selective eye. Each day will consist of lectures, demos and one-on-one critiques. Students will benefit from Steven’s representational style and extensive knowledge of the human figure.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Steven Assael, www.stevenassael.com
Cost: $850 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

Because you can always have a living model...and with it you can explore and learn all aspects of painting. From mark making to surface texture and even emotional connections. Three days of beautiful set-ups to inspire you. There will be demonstrations, critiques and individual instruction.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Nancy Chaboun, www.nancychabounfineart.com
Cost: $350 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

The pure pigment of pastel is an ideal medium to create the light and drama of the Southwest landscape. The delicate glazing and layering of pastel create a vibration of color not possible in other mediums. In this workshop you will learn the basics of landscape painting and the tools to create depth, light and atmosphere of the desert southwest using pastel. In this studio class, Kathy will demonstrate her process and provide photo reference for students, or they may work from their own appropriate photos, sketches or plein air reference.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Kathy Howard, www.kathyfallahoward.com
Cost: $330 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

In this workshop, students will paint a figure from life over the course of four days, and discuss choices for setting up the pose, composition, color harmony, lighting, pacing, and bringing the painting to a decent level of resolve. Joseph will discuss the language of describing paint in order to better understand mixtures. Joseph will explain his approach to figure painting and demonstrate by painting along and illustrating his ideas about the approach. Previous drawing experience is highly recommended.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Joseph Todorovitch, www.todorovitch.com
Cost: $575 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

In this workshop Paolo will share with you the process and techniques used in sculpting desert animals. In addition to the basic sculpting fundamentals, such as finding forms, basic block ins, anatomy and proportions, we will take time to study the animals we are sculpting. Discussing their environment, behaviors, and life span. All of these things can play a huge role in the shape and character of an animal. Understanding these things can give personality to the sculpture and help bring it to life. Students are encouraged to bring reference material if they want to sculpt a particular animal. Paolo will also have references available. All clay and tools will be provided and students will be able to keep the tools.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Paolo Acuna, www.paoloacuna.com
Cost: $315 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

This course provides an introduction to figure painting and composition for beginning and advanced students who want to develop their painting and observational skills. Students will learn storytelling skills as used in illustration, animations, or toward the Fine Arts field. There will be an emphasis on color, light, design, and composition. Students will develop their ability to visually communicate, conceptualize, and express their creative ideas. Through exploration of materials, colors and applications, students will consider and apply the aesthetic and conceptual developments. This course emphasizes drawing, painting techniques, and exploration of the subject for accuracy, understanding, and point of view.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Sunny Apinchapong-Yang
Cost: $380 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

Every professional artist says, “Work from life!” But sometimes we have no choice. Unfortunately, photos lie to us. There are four elements to realistic painting: shape (drawing), value, color, and edges; the problem is that even in the best of photo references three of the four are always wrong! So, we become very adept at copying wrong information…and it shows in our paintings! While there is no substitute for plenty of life-work, in this workshop you will learn how to spot the errors in the photo reference, and more importantly, compensate for them. William will demonstrate in both oil and pastel - a complete head study as well as several “mini-demos” (painting eyes, mouth, etc).
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: William Schneider, www.schneiderart.com
Cost: $575 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

This workshop is aimed at the more experienced landscape oil painter who wishes to explore the ideas, techniques and issues involved with expanding upon studies successfully in the studio. Jill Carver will discuss concepts and techniques aimed to resolve and strengthen motifs and improve overall design, from initial ‘thought boards’ to actual techniques. She will discuss the science of how we see and how we can control and excite eye movement. Moving on from advanced design concepts, Jill will tackle the practical techniques of scaling up a design through ‘surface quality’ issues of working larger, working wet-over-dry, re-working passages that need correction, and the use of mediums, glazing techniques and varnishes. Students will work from their own visual material.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Jill Carver, www.jillcarver.com
Cost: $685 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

This workshop is aimed at the more experienced landscape oil painter who wishes to explore the ideas, techniques and issues involved with expanding upon studies successfully in the studio. Jill Carver will discuss concepts and techniques aimed to resolve and strengthen motifs and improve overall design, from initial ‘thought boards’ to actual techniques. She will discuss the science of how we see and how we can control and excite eye movement. Moving on from advanced design concepts, Jill will tackle the practical techniques of scaling up a design through ‘surface quality’ issues of working larger, working wet-over-dry, re-working passages that need correction, and the use of mediums, glazing techniques and varnishes. Students will work from their own visual material.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Jill Carver, www.jillcarver.com
Cost: $685 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

Although painting a person in watercolor may seem daunting, it is every bit as approachable as creating a still life or landscape. Ted Nuttall will demonstrate the techniques, and instill the confidence to enjoy painting people. Ted will discuss the benefits of photographic reference, as well as how to interpret a photo in order to give life and energy to the subject. In Ted’s daily demonstrations and presentations, he will share his personal approach to painting. Plus, he will introduce the work of other artists with the objective of inspiring enriched seeing and thinking skills. What’s more, significant time is allowed for one-on- one instruction in an atmosphere that’s both creative and supportive – regardless of skill level.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Ted Nuttall, www.tednuttall.com
Cost: $700 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707

In this workshop, most of the time will be spent indoors, with some painting time spent outdoors as well, weather permitting. Tim is best known for the light in his paintings coupled with strong composition. The primary focus will be how to convey the sense of strong sunlight in a painting by identifying, clarifying, and pushing the values. Exercises will be used to help simplify these concepts. Students will also work on achieving clean color in their paintings and utilize value patterns to aid in developing successful compositions. There will be discussions on materials, scene selection, and brushwork. Tim will create a demonstration painting each day and work with students individually on their paintings throughout the day.
 
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Instructor: Timothy Horn, www.timhornart.com
Cost: $715 (not including fees)
Sponsor: Scottsdale Artists' School
Website, email, (480) 990-1422 or (800) 333-5707