The foundation of a good drawing or painting is "composition," or the arrangement of shapes, lines, textures and colors. Learn to create effective and pleasing compositions in this instructive and fun drawing workshop with artist, educator and Cerulean Collective member Alyce Grunt! Alyce will guide you through the process of making an adjustable viewfinder, then to practice seeing a still life arrangement as a collection of shapes that fit together like a puzzle. Learn to make “thumbnail” sketches – small, quick drawings – to determine the ‘must-haves’ and what you can leave behind in your composition. Take your favorite thumbnail sketches and make a drawing or two based on your most satisfying compositional arrangements.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Alyce Grunt
Cost: $75
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 267-514-8647

Color temperature is the perceived warmth and coolness of a color. It’s a vital tool for any artist for creating contrast and focus, establishing relationships between light and shadow, suggesting space or distance, and generating mood and meaning. This two-day course will investigate color temperature through a series of still-life exercises that will encourage experimentation, enforce understanding of color’s relative nature, and help you promote temperature effects in your work. Examples from historic and contemporary artists will be discussed. Instruction will be conducted chiefly in watercolor, but painters of all media are welcome!
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Keith Leitner
Cost: $195
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

During this one-day intensive workshop, Beth shares her unique technique for painting with water mixable (soluble) oils. Known for blurring the line between watercolor and oil paintings, Beth Bathe's unparalleled style evokes feelings of nostalgia, like an old sepia-toned photograph. Beth uses unconventional tools including squeegees and Q-tips, along with her brushes focusing on composition, values, edges, and drawing rather than color. In the morning Beth will do a demo from a still life setup and show how she uses simple apps on her phone to simplify forms enhance value and emphasize composition. In the afternoon students will work from similar still life setups. This workshop is for all levels.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Beth Bathe
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553