This class will introduce students to acrylics, watercolor, inks, pastels, crayons and collage materials. Learn to play with these mediums and express yourself in your own unique way. Students will explore texture, shape, line and color with a focus on composition and design. Come unleash your creative spirit!
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Laurie Daddona
Cost: $235
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Watercolor painting is spontaneous, fun, elusive, and challenging! Students experience the excitement of watercolors, integrating the elements of design, color, composition, and light., as they learn to enjoy the "process of painting" and develop their own personal style.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Laurie Daddona
Cost: $280
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Qiang’s approach to still life painting will be demonstrated with particular focus on creating dramatic set ups by observing the light distribution, and using bold and loose strokes to create a powerful and accurate representation on canvas. Using demonstrations and individual assistance, Qiang will explain his process of creating energetic paintings by manipulating values, colors, edges, and brushwork. Personal attention will be given to each student according to his or her current skill level and personal goals in art. The workshop is designed for indoor practice with live settings. Qiang has developed computer tools to help artists to see color more accurately and simplify the painting process. He will share his color study and introduce the tools in this workshop.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Qiang Huang
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Jill Carver will discuss how unity and variety are paramount to create overall harmony in a painting, exploring design tools relating to the core components of shape, value and color. Not only will she be explaining how to manage each of these elements but also how to explore the visual ‘what-if’s’, experiment, and identify ways to produce personal, poetic, intentional paintings. Jill embraces the notion that creativity - and fun - are rooted in the design choices we make. She will also explain how the choice of design/compositional tools should be dictated by the subject matter and what an individual artist wishes to say about it. Jill will structure the workshop through set exercises, slide-shows, lectures, demos and brainstorming discussions.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Jill Carver
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 comprehensive 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 – first with a limited selection of transparent and opaque colors, and later with a more extended palette. 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: $450
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Color is perhaps the most misunderstood and confusing element of painting for people. This workshop will focus on color’s theoretical underpinnings —how it works and why it works— and how to apply these principles when faced with the reality of painting with artist's pigments. Key elements of understanding and mixing color effectively will be covered. Participants will work to develop their own vocabulary of color through making color studies and scales, and paint from a still life to practice seeing, relating and mixing colors. This workshop is designed for beginning through intermediate painters who are looking to gain a greater understanding of color and the color mixing process. Participants may choose to work in oil or acrylic.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Bruce Garrity
Cost: $95
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery and Studio
Website, email, 1-267-514-8647

Strengthen and hone your foundational drawing skills through a series of one- and two-day projects. Topics of concern will be design, structure of space, perspective, and light and shade. Subjects will include interior space, single objects and still life arrangements, and the life model. All levels from beginner to advanced are welcome. Note: Tuition includes a $15 models fee.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: John Horn
Cost: $310
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Capture Philadelphia’s picturesque historic and commercial architecture, using fundamental observational drawing techniques. Learn simple methods for applying the principles of linear and atmospheric perspective to your drawings, giving them dimension and depth. Students at all experience levels are welcome, with instruction designed to appeal both to those who enjoy portraying landscape subjects in the open air and to students seeking to hone their basic drawing skills. This course takes place in easy-to-access Central Philadelphia and University City locations. Restrooms are available near all sites. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to drawing locations.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Cost: $295
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Painting the human form from observation is one of the cornerstones of PAFA's long tradition of rigorous instruction. Working from the nude model, investigate color mixing, proportion, and composition using oil paint as a medium. Focusing on alla prima painting techniques and a limited flesh-tone palette, learn to model the human form through gesture, shape, volume, and temperature – excellent for painted sketches and preparatory studies, foundations for extended work, or an introduction/refresher to figure painting. Intended for all skill levels, this course also offers the valuable opportunity for more advanced students to continue to hone their skills to deepen their understanding of the language of painting. Instruction will be geared toward oil, but students may draw-only, or use other appropriate media.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: David Wilson
Cost: $330
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Perspective is at the heart of good drawing. It allows us to transform the 3D world into a believable 2D image, and it need not be difficult to understand. With still life and interiors as subject matter, learn basic principles and simple methods presented in clear language and without the need for special tools or complex geometry. This workshop serves as a good foundation for further study in drawing. A modest amount of previous drawing experience is recommended.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Cost: $195
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Wondering what Water Mixable (Soluble) Oil paints are all about? 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. During this one-day intensive workshop, Beth shares her unique technique with students. 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 level of painters.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Beth Bathe
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Explore flowers and other natural forms, beginning with line and value drawing and progressing to full-color rendering in watercolor and mixed media.  Topics will include sighting techniques, line quality, tone and value, creation of depth, composition, texture, and basic color. All levels welcome. Tuition includes a $15 materials fee for floral subjects, provided. 
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Linda Gist
Cost: $465
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Without question, every oil painter benefits from color mixing instruction:  Understanding how to accurately see, mix, and adjust color not only allows you to achieve the results you want in your work but also enables you to avoid the pitfalls of wasting paint though inaccurate and poorly understood pigment mixing.  Explore key methods and principles for effective color mixing, using a limited palette to create prismatic hues and earth tone colors. Instruction will address the role of light in the visual perception of color, as well as subtractive and additive color systems. Work from varied still life arrangements to put your color comprehension into practice, and advance your painting skills for all subject matter. 
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Cost: $295
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Draw what you see competently and with confidence. Drawing is not only the basis for other creative endeavors like painting and sculpting, but also a powerful means of describing the world around you and expressing yourself. Instruction will address fundamental concepts including line, shape, perspective, value, and composition. Draw from still life objects, the life model, and more while learning the proper use of drawing materials, sight-measuring methods to accurately gauge proportions and space, shading techniques to develop three-dimensional form and contrast, and means of developing personal expression. Ideal for beginners and those in need of a refresher. Tuition includes a $10 models fee.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Cost: $305
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Explore both the versatility of watercolor and the exciting possibilities of color through still life painting. Learn to capture form with the freshness and fluidity of all prima techniques. Promote color in your work through instruction on color properties, mixing, and basic theory, as well as how to use hues in combination to create impactful compositions. Discussions and in-depth demonstrations will enforce all content so that students gain the facility and freedom to use color and painting techniques as means of personal expression.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Keith Leitner
Cost: $295
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Many artists can feel frustrated in front of a blank canvas, unsure of how to start and what to paint. This workshop offers a step-by-step technique which will enable you to paint with confidence by tapping into your intuitive process and finding inspiration more easily. Experienced instruction and advice from the instructor will push students to take chances and explore unexpected directions and accidental marks as a means of achieving artistic discoveries. Demonstration of different drawing and painting techniques will enhance your knowledge of the process of painting. Students will utilize line, color and space, as well as the possibilities of editing, to create busy/calm areas and focal points in their paintings. Painting experience recommended.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Cost: $225
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

If you’ve never drawn before, or your skills are a little rusty, then this class is for you. Learn to draw what you see with confidence. Work from still life arrangements, interior spaces, and the human figure to master the drawing elements: shape, contour line, composition, light and shadow, texture and perspective. Instruction will guide students through sight-drawing and measuring techniques, use of materials, shading methods, and ways of defining form and space. This course is excellent as a foundation for future study, including for painting and other disciplines. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Phyllis Laver
Cost: $485
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

The primary focus of this 3-day in-classroom workshop will be on color. While Cynthia is known as a palette knife painter and will give a knife demo, the aim of the workshop is to help people find their own visual voice. What separates you from your fellow painters, what are your particular skills and strengths from which to grow?
 
Location: Marietta, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Cynthia Rosen
Cost: $450
Sponsor: Susquehanna Art Workshops
Website, email, 717-314-9551