A CE course or workshop makes a great gift!  Artists of all levels will appreciate the opportunity to hone their skills or try something new under the expert instruction of PAFA faculty and amidst an enthusiastic community of fellow student-artists, online or in-person.  With courses available year-round in a variety of subjects, lengths and formats, recipients can be sure to find the perfect art-making gift experience they'll enjoy! 

CE course pricing varies by course length, format, and credit option.  Gift Certificates start at $50, with add-ons for following amounts* (selection available during checkout):

$100 

$150

$250 (covers most 6-week online short courses)

$300 (covers most 6-week in-person short courses)

$500 (covers up to 10-week in-person courses)

* Specific course tuition or other amounts available upon request.

Purchase your gift by registering below.  Gift purchasers must register under their own name and contact information to make payment and receive receipt confirmation.  Don't worry -- we'll ask for your gift recipient name and contact information, along with your gift amount selection, later on the registration form!    

Gift purchasers will receive a digital gift certificate with a redemption code to their registration email within 2 business days.  Print and present your gift certificate or have it sent directly to your artist recipient!  Please purchase no later than 5 p.m. on December 20 for receipt by Christmas Day. 

Note:  PAFA gift certificates are nonrefundable but may be transferred to other individuals and from semester to semester.

Membership discounts are not available for gift certificate purchases.

For questions or advice on course/amount selection, or if you wish to request another amount, please email continuinged@pafa.edu or call 215-972-7632. 

Image: Allison Syvertsen.

Become a PAFA Member at the Friend Level or above, and save 10% on CE Classes, Workshops and Master Classes! Discount not included for special programs such as Open Academy or Summer Studio Critique Programs.

Friend Membership confers all the benefits of Household Membership for 2 adults and their dependant children under 18, plus:

• Six complimentary guest passes to share with family and friends
• 10% discount on Continuing Education classes and workshops
• Complimentary admission to the members-only Curator Conversation lecture series
• Reciprocal membership to 1,200+ museums in North America through the Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM) and the North American Reciprocal Museum Program (NARM)

Learn more about all the PAFA Memberhip Levels!

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Keith Leitner
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Embrace the beauty and versatility of watercolor through alla prima painting. Discussions and in-depth demonstrations will acquaint beginners and those with limited experience with the basic materials and techniques. Working from still-life subjects, students will be encouraged to engage with the medium to find their own personal means of expression.

Image: Keith Leitner.

Register by: November 27 

Materials List

Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies

Friday - Sunday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.  
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi 
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

This workshop is not about the traditional way of painting the figure. If you are tired of getting lost in the details and traditional modes of representational painting, and you want to take a risk by exploring new ways of expressing the human form, this class is for you. Paint and draw the human figure in a looser and more expressionistic contemporary manner. Refine your painting skills to create a lively surface which will be considered a playground for intuitive creativity, technique, and skill. Expert instruction and advice from the instructor will push students to explore new possibilities and work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. Establish pictorial unity through visual metaphor and focal points and explore the power of using “active” and “quiet” areas. PowerPoint presentations and examples of contemporary ways of using the figure will enhance your understanding of the abstract qualities of space, line and color. Sessions will include live painting time, with critiques and advice from the instructor as he works one-on-one with each student. Open to all levels: You do not have to have extensive experience with painting the figure to make successful paintings. Note: Due to the emphasis on live instructor feedback and in-class painting, this Zoom class is not recorded.

Image: Kassem Amoudi.

Register by: December 1 

Materials List

Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies

Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.  
Instructor: RA Friedman 
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Using inexpensive materials, this hands-on workshop will introduce the concepts and methods needed to create a strong sense of dimension and likeness in your portrait drawings. Explore the proportions and planes of the head, neck and shoulders. Learn how to create astructural foundation and how to easily manage anatomy by breaking down forms into simplegeometric shapes. Instruction will address different strategies for creating a finished tonal portrait as well as tips and tricks that will help you draw like a pro!

Image: RA Friedman.

Register by: December 1 

Materials List

Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies

Tuesdays, 8:30 - 11:20 a.m.
Instructor: Bruce Samuelson
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5 Undergraduate Credits (see description)

NOTE: This is an Open Academy (PAFA BFA) course.  The full schedule of regular Continuing Education courses will be posted shortly.

PAFA’s Open Academy provides the opportunity for Continuing Education (CE) and non-matriculated students to enroll in select BFA courses for credit or non-credit.  Open Academy students enrolled in PAFA’s renowned studio arts courses learn technical skills, creative expression, and critical thinking from master artist-teachers while working amongst dedicated full-time students in PAFA's classrooms. 

The purpose of this course is to promote an individual way of seeing and working from the human figure and develop personal vision. This includes approaching the figure either as an end in itself or as a point of departure, and exploring an individual use of materials and techniques. Instruction for this course will be directed to the individual along with some group criticism and group discussion.

Optional: This course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $1,400. Select credit option with price adjustment during registration.

Image: Bruce Samuelson.

Register by: January 11
Materials List
Open Academy Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Tuesdays, 8:30 a.m. - 3:50 p.m. 
Instructor: Al Gury  
Credit: Non-credit or 3.0 undergraduate credits (see description)

NOTE: This is an Open Academy (PAFA BFA) course.  The full schedule of regular Continuing Education courses will be posted shortly.

PAFA’s Open Academy provides the opportunity for Continuing Education (CE) and non-matriculated students to enroll in select BFA courses for credit or non-credit.  Open Academy students enrolled in PAFA’s renowned studio arts courses learn technical skills, creative expression, and critical thinking from master artist-teachers while working amongst dedicated full-time students in PAFA's classrooms.

Life Drawing will focus on developing skills and exploring the use of the figure with the following concepts: (1) structural and anatomical delineation of human form with line and tone. (2) The figure as an expressive end in itself. (3) Simple group compositions in interior as well as invented space. The class is open to various media & techniques.

Optional: This course is available for 3.0 undergraduate credits for $2,800. Select credit choice with tuition adjustment during checkout.  

Image: Al Gury.

Register by: January 11
Materials List
Open Academy Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Tuesdays, 1:00 - 3:50 p.m. 
Instructor: Renee Foulks

Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5 Undergraduate Credit (see description)

NOTE: This is an Open Academy (PAFA BFA) course.  The full schedule of regular Continuing Education courses will be posted shortly.

PAFA’s Open Academy provides the opportunity for Continuing Education (CE) and non-matriculated students to enroll in select BFA courses for credit or non-credit.  Open Academy students enrolled in PAFA’s renowned studio arts courses learn technical skills, creative expression, and critical thinking from master artist-teachers while working amongst dedicated full-time students in PAFA's classrooms. 

Students will learn the structure of the portrait, the history of historic and contemporary portraiture, methods and materials of portraiture and will be encouraged to develop a personal point of view in portrait painting. Issues of form, spatial concepts, color, visual and critical thinking will be addressed. Individual and group critiques will be conducted.

Optional: This course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $1,400.  Select credit option with price adjustment during registration.

Image: Renee Foulks.

Register by: January 11
Materials List
Open Academy Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies