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All CE Summer 2024 In-Person and Online Courses
Holistic Figure Drawing (In-Person)
with John Horn
Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: John Horn
Six-Week Condensed Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Develop your ability to render the human form through the time-honored combination of anatomical study and life drawing. Learn the methods and technical skills traditionally associated with beautiful figure drawing, such as measuring, tonal rendering, anatomical structuring, and establishing the effects of light on the figure, using graphite on white paper, charcoal and chalk on toned paper, and reduction techniques. Through the instructor’s in-depth anatomical drawing demonstrations and work from the life model, learn the structural aspects of the human form: basic landmarks, essential volumes, and proportional relationships. Progress to the main muscle groups to identify their surface effects and aesthetic characteristics, and how they influence mass and movement. Learn to incorporate your knowledge of figure anatomy to capture the elegance, dynamism, and subtleties of the human form through drawing from the model in short and extended poses. This course is ideal for anyone interested in strengthening their figure drawing, painting, or sculpture skills, as well as for those interested in future medical illustration. Note: Tuition includes a $50 models fee.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $745 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Image: John Horn.
Register by: June 24
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Drawing from Photos (Online)
with Alicia Mino
Tuesdays, 6 – 8 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas content)
Instructor: Alicia Mino
Six-Week Short Course (18-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Learn strategies to translate your photographs into drawings that both retain the photo’s realism and promote your personal expression. Using colored pencil (which combines the possibilities of color with the ease of dry media), explore tactics for accurately translating your imagery to your drawing surface; identifying, mixing, and layering color to achieve vibrant effects; creating realism through the study of texture, light, and contrast; and employing addition and subtraction techniques to expand your range of mark-making. Work from your choice of photographic subject matter – a great option for students seeking to make art from personal experiences, capture family and friends who cannot pose for portraiture, or expand their interests and skills in landscapes, animals, or other subject matter not easily accessible. This course is excellent for beginners or those interested in colored pencil or photorealistic drawing techniques.
Image: Alicia Mino.
Register by: June 24
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses
Oil Painting: Comprehending Color (In-Person)
with Roger Chavez
Wednesdays, 9 a.m - 12 p.m*
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
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.
*Note: No class on August 7.
Image: Roger Chavez
Register by: June 24
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Plein Air Painting in Valley Forge (Outdoor)
with Charles Muldowney
Wednesdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Instructor: Charles Muldowney
Five-Week Short Course (20 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Enjoy open-air painting in beautiful Valley Forge National Historical Park, the encampment site of George Washington’s Continental Army in 1777-1778 and now home to a painter’s delight of lush scenery and historic architecture! Located in Montgomery County, 35 minutes northwest of Center City Philadelphia, the park features great views of the Schuylkill River, Valley Creek, the Valley Forge Farm, Mt. Joy, Mt. Misery, and many valleys, cabins, and colonial houses, with ample parking and access to restrooms. Working from diverse landscape subject matter, students will learn the essential materials, tools, techniques, and strategies for painting on site. Instruction will cover a variety of plein air approaches, including painting with a knife and brush, painting from an imprimatura, Macchiaioli painting, and working from sketches to block in local color. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation.
Image: Charles Muldowney, Valley Forge Arch.
Register by: June 24
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Essential Drawing Techniques (In-Person)
with Roger Chavez
Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m.*
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
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.
*Note: No class on August 7.
Image: Roger Chavez.
Register by: June 24
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Watercolor: Depicting the Natural World (Online)
with Roberto Osti
Wednesdays, 2 – 4:30 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas content)
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Six-Week Short Course (18-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
The natural world is an infinite and fantastic source of inspiration for the artist, and the versatility and luminosity of watercolor make it the perfect technique for recording nature in a fresh and fun way. In this course, learn fundamental drawing techniques and essential watercolor techniques to create both quick field sketches and detailed, finished artworks. Subject matter will include flowers, plants, and animals. Reference images will be gathered through observational sketches and photography. An ideal course for those interested in both the fine arts and the Illustration field.
Image: Roberto Osti.
Register by: June 24
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses
Drawing with Ink (Online)
with David Wilson
Wednesdays, 6 – 8 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas content)
Instructor: David Wilson
Six-Week Short Course (18-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Drawing with ink offers a wealth of descriptive and expressive possibilities for fine art and illustration purposes. Learn pen, brush, and quill techniques to create rich values, crisp lines, textural or decorative effects, and atmospheric washes. Hatching, cross-hatching, stippling, and wash methods will be covered, as well as preparatory drawing and corrective strategies. Students will work from still-life, interiors, and photos with demonstrations, critiques, and posted content from the instructor toward helping each individual realize their goals in the medium.
Image: David Wilson.
Register by: June 24
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses
Taking the Leap: Summer Studio Session (Studio Rental and Instruction)
with Roger Chavez
Open studio access: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. daily, six weeks, July 8 - August 16, with weekly instruction on Thursdays.
Weekly Meetings/Studio-Visits: Thursdays, July 11 - August 15, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Guest instructor/critic, TBA, on August 8.)
Instructor/Lead Critic: Roger Chavez
Credit: Non-credit
Taking the leap to start or cultivate an art-making practice in a private studio space can be both exciting and daunting. Learn how to create work and stay motivated on your own terms in this new and unique combination studio-rental and classroom course! Tuition for this six-week program will confer an individual studio space in PAFA’s Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, as well as weekly meetings for critique and instruction on a variety of artist’s concerns led by artist-instructor/critic Roger Chavez. Studios for this program are approximately 9 x 16 feet, white-walled, with easel and stool provided (students are responsible for additional furniture or equipment needs). Students have two studio options (select preference during registration):
- Studios within a group space are located side-by-side within a private, key-secured corridor for an engaging community atmosphere. Each space is curtained (no individually locked doors), opening out to the corridor’s large east-facing windows for the benefit of abundant natural light.
- Interior studios spaces (not located along PAFA’s windowed exterior walls) offer increased privacy with individual lockable doors, without natural light.
Weekly meetings will feature both one-on-one in-studio critiques/discussions as well as group instruction on art topics designed to motivate and assist you in your work, including drawing sessions, assignment prompts, materials and techniques demonstrations, gallery visits, and critiques from guest critics. This class is perfect for artists of varying levels of experience wanting to jumpstart or advance their personal practice, for students considering application to a studio-centered certificate or degree program, or for anyone lacking a home studio and seeking a space to pursue their work -- with the motivation and encouragement that come from being part of an artistic community! Participants will benefit from some prior art-making experience and the ability to work independently.
Note: Registration requires a $200 studio deposit that is refundable upon satisfactory return of the studio to its original condition at the end of the program. Students must agree to and sign PAFA’s studio agreement form. Membership and early registration discounts cannot be applied to course tuition, but students are eligible to receive 10% off additional Summer CE courses to supplement their studio pursuits.
Image: CE Summer Studio/Critique Program, 2022.
Registration Deadline: Rolling, on a space-available basis. Late registration (after first weekly meeting) available.
Materials List (Approved Materials)
Summer CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies