A six-week studio course focusing on projects dealing with the materials and techniques of drawing, including basic concepts of line, perspective and value as well as figure drawing.

1. Contour & Cross Contour Line Drawing: Learn to perceive the edges of things as they really are and capture the edges and details that we overlook. Contour drawing is commonly defined as ‘the outline of a figure or body.' Contour line drawing has a three-dimensional quality and indicates the thickness, length and width of the form it surrounds. Cross-contour drawing describe form and volume. An object is viewed from a particular angle and represented in a linear fashion so that it appears threedimensional on paper.

2. Hatching, Cross-Hatching, and Basic Forms: Render basic forms and still life and create value using hatching and cross-hatching. Much like cross contour drawing, HATCHING uses parallel lines drawn closely together to create the illusion of shade or texture in a drawing. CROSSHATCHING is the drawing of two layers of hatching at right-angles to create a mesh-like pattern. Multiple layers in varying directions can be used to create textures.

3. Value Studies: Basic Forms Through Observation (Still Life):  Render basic forms and still life using full range, blended value. Value is essentially how light or dark something is on a scale of white to black. Blend, or create smooth gradations of value, by adjusting the amount of pressure applied to the medium or by using a blending tool, such a blending stump.

4. Perspective: Explore rendering space using one-and two-point perspective. We’ll explore atmospheric perspective as well.

5. Figure Drawing: We will explore gesture and contour figure-drawing techniques utilizing various methods drawing from imagination, the skeleton, and the model. We will also explore measuring and sighting angles.

6. Figure Drawing (Continued): We will continue exploring gesture and contour figure-drawing techniques. We will also explore measuring and signing angles as well as proportions of the human figure. We will have a very brief study of musculature.

Suggested Reading:

Sale/ Betti. Drawing: A Contemporary Approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2004.

Bert Dodson. Keys to Drawing. Cincinnati, Ohio: North Light, 1985.

Loomis, Andrew. Figure Drawing for All it’s Worth, Titan Books, 2011.

Hampton, Michael. Figure Drawing: Design and InvenAon M. Hampton, 2009.

Bridgman,George. Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life, Union Square, 2009.

Materials included. Ages 18+.

Learn the basics techniques of painting while exploring the unique characteristics of acrylic paint. Students will put concepts like value, color mixing, texture, and composition to action as they work on creating their very own still-life, portrait, and landscape paintings. No previous experience necessary.

The main goal is to enhance familiarity and comfort with the acrylic medium by exploring its fundamental techniques and concepts (and to have fun!). This will be achieved through the completion of three distinct projects, each designed to build skills incrementally. The projects will focus on various aspects of acrylic painting, such as color mixing, layering techniques, and texture creation, allowing for a comprehensive investigation of the medium. By the end of these projects, participants will have a deeper understanding of acrylics and increased confidence in their ability to utilize this versatile medium effectively. This session is divided into three projects with two classes to work on each project. Each project will focus on several or a combination of these fundamentals:

Line (your starting point. Thick, thin, expressive, controlled)

Shape (giving weight and dimension to objects)Space (perspective, depth)

Color (Color wheel! Color relationships!)

Texture (fun with additives and using the right brush/tool for the desired effect)

Value (lightness/darkness of color, not what the painting is worth at a Sotheby’s auction)

Using principles learned from the Fundamentals, Figure/Head, and Painting classes, we’ll apply our knowledge and skills to Great Master artworks. We’ll learn watercolor basics (wet on wet,wet on dry, color mixing). Each week we’ll look at various artists such as Rubens, Rembrandt, Winslow Homer and more. From each, we’ll cover the human figure, landscapes, and abstracts.

Course Outline

Week 1: Overview/ Review, Wet on Wet, Wet on Dry/Damp, Water Control Brushes, Strokes Pencils, paint, ink

Week 2: Simple Volumes, Visualizing simple masses Value

Week 3: Monochrome, Using Black and Earth-tones, Rubens and Rembrandt

Week 4: Warm and Cools

Week 5: Color, Working with Primaries, Color Mixing, Winslow Homer scenes, Georgia O’ Keefe abstracts, Sargent

Week 6: Long-Form Master Study, Applying our skills to a single study

Suggested Reading:

1) Figure Drawing For Artists by Steve Huston

2) Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters & Master Class In Figure Drawing by Robert Beverly Hale

Take your painting skills to the next level with Intermediate Acrylic Painting. While building upon the basic ideas and techniques of painting, we will expand into more advanced topics around color theory, mark making, and modes of representation. A focus of the course will be on the effective use of color harmonies and contrasts so that you can feel confident choosing and mixing colors.     

Week 1 - Introductions and Review: In our first class we will talk through our painting experiences and goals, while working on some introductory painting exercises to review basic ideas and techniques. Topics: materials, color theory basics, mark making, approaches to building a painting.

Week 2 - A Study of Natural Forms: Focusing on natural forms curated by the students, we will explore how to create convincing textures and light effects. Topics: texture, natural color palettes, color transitions, acrylic mediums.

Week 3 - Contemporary Landscapes: After looking at examples of both traditional and contemporary landscape paintings, each student will develop their own color palette to use in a landscape painting. Topics: traditional vs. contemporary color palettes, creating and manipulating the illusion of depth, using reference materials effectively.   

Week 4- A day to finish projects and talk through problems and share discoveries.

Week 5 - Portraits: We will paint a portrait using either a mirror or a photograph. Topics: planar construction of the face, mixing skin tones, contemporary approaches to figuration. 

Week 6 - Portraits: During our last class, we will finish working on our portraits.

 All supplies and materials provided

Explore the vibrant world of watercolor, learning key techniques like wet-on-wet, dry brushing, and expert color mixing. Perfect for beginners and those looking to refine their skills, this class provides hands-on guidance to help you build confidence with every brushstroke. Dive into the medium and create stunning effects while gaining a deeper understanding of watercolor's unique qualities.

All supplies included.  Ages 18+