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All CE Winter/Spring 2025 In-Person and Online Courses
The Landscape Oil Sketch (Outdoor)
with Roger Chavez

Wednesdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Six-Week Short Course (24 Hours)*
Credit: Non-Credit Only
The oil sketch is a traditional way for painters to execute preparatory ideas and quickly capture initial impressions – perfect for plein air painting! Learn useful techniques for rapidly encapsulating color and form while working directly from observation. Locations with shade and restrooms include Bartram’s Garden along the Schuylkill River and the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, near Philadelphia International Airport. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
*Please reserve a rain date of May 14, should any session be postponed due to inclement weather.
Register by: March 26
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
The Figure in Clay Workshop (In-Person)
with Colleen O'Donnell

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Colleen O'Donnell
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Learn the techniques and tools of figure sculpture through demonstration and hands-on sculpting from the model. Explore anatomy, proportion, gesture, and design through the versatility of clay. Personal expression will be emphasized though representational and abstract approaches. Open to all levels and perfect for beginners. Note: Tuition includes a $40 models fee.
Register by: March 28
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
City Landscape Drawing and Painting (Outdoor)
with Larry Francis

Sundays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Instructor: Larry Francis
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)*
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Capture the small-town beauty Manayunk's hilly streets, rowhomes, and storefronts. Learn to create a convincing sense of space, light and time of day while depicting streetscapes, trees, water and sky. Color mixing and painting techniques for oils will be demonstrated, but all drawing/painting media are welcome. Located just 15 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Manayunk offers engaging urban and riverside neighborhood subjects with parking, shade, provisions and facilities available. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
*Note: No class on April 20.
Register by: March 28
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
The Portrait in Watercolor Workshop (In-Person)
with James Toogood

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Learn to paint the portrait in watercolor! Instruction will cover drawing the head structure and features, mixing flesh tones, various application techniques will be discussed. Materials and techniques will be discussed, including the selection of papers, brushes, and pigments, as well as transparent and opaque painting methods. Students will have the option to work from portrait models or their own photo source material. All levels welcome. Tuition includes a $35 models fee. All levels welcome.
Register by: April 4
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Plein Air Painting at Ridgeland Mansion (Outdoor)
with Joseph Sweeney

Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Rain Dates: May 3 – 4*)
Instructor: Joseph Sweeney
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Paint on location on the grounds of beautiful Ridgeland Mansion, the historic 18th century Federal-style house located in west Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. Landscape painting topics will include color mixing to achieve a sense of light and air, capturing time of day, compositional fundamentals, and sound painting practices for oil, acrylic, or pastel painting. Students are responsible for their own transportation.
* Rain Dates: May 3 - 4. Please reserve the rain dates in your schedule when registering – no refunds for withdrawals less than one week prior to the original workshop date, including for students unable to attend the postponed date. See policy guide, below.
Register by: April 18
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Saturday Sketch (Online)
with Susan Sullivan

Saturdays, 1 – 3 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas content)
Instructor: Susan Sullivan
Three-Week Short Course (9 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Sketching is the foundation for any artist's practice. A few thumbnail sketches can be the start to a larger project by triggering an idea or capturing a place or object. Whether you are new to the practice of maintaining a sketchbook or are already in the habit of drawing on the train or in cafés, this short course is designed to keep your hand in action and guide you toward your next art pursuit. Using your surroundings as well as arranged still lifes as your subject, learn to consider line, value, shape and light as means of efficiently encapsulating both places/objects and your emotional response. Topics of discussion and exploration will include how master artists have used the sketch in their own practice and each student’s goals for their current work. This engaging class is for both the beginner and the seasoned artist.
Register by: April 18
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses
Sketch-on-the-Go Workshop (Outdoor)
with Frederic Kaplan

Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Includes Rain Date: May 10)*
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Capture the active life of the city and its rich architecture. This is an excellent workshop for anyone who wants to learn to sketch on the bus or train, in cafés and public parks, or while traveling abroad. Topics include perspective, gauging proportions by eye, gesture figure drawing, and methods for simplifying form. All levels welcome.
Learning Objectives
Students will learn:
- Gesture figure drawing methods
- Basic perspective as applied to architecture
- Simplification of complex subjects
*Rain Date: May 10. Please reserve the rain date in your schedule when registering – no refunds for withdrawals less than one week prior to the original workshop date, including for students unable to attend the postponed date. See policy guide, below.
Image: Cynthia Heininger [CE Student], Logan Square.
Register by: April 25
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Certificate of Art (CA) Application: Core Curriculum
This is the registration/application portion only to enroll in the Core Curriculum Certificate of Art.
If you're new to art, interested in taking classes but unsure of your direction, or returning to art after a long absence, the Core Curriculum Certificate of Art (CA) is designed for you! Composed of 8 CE courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, and printmaking, including electives in your areas of interest, this structured curriculum provides a firm foundation across fine arts disciplines and direction for future studies or personal practice. Discover your creative voice and move forward in your art-making by developing your observational skills, exploring a variety of materials and techniques, and cultivating personal expression.
Program and Enrollment Instructions:
- Review the complete Core Corriculum CA description and policies before registering.
- To be accepted to the Core Curriculum Certificate, students must first enroll via this application portal.
- Students must enroll in courses within CE’s catalog to meet their certificate requirements.
- Students must register for at least one credit-bearing Continuing Education course at the time of application.
- Students may keep track of their own progress using PAFA's CA Course List.
- Certificate Application Deadline: Rolling. See course descriptions for individual class registration deadlines.
Additional Information:
- Please note that Certificate application fees are non-refundable. Courses taken within the program are subject to CE’s standard withdrawal/refund policies. See Procedures and Policies information or the Policy Guide included at the bottom of each course description.
- For course selection, please review Certificate course requirements before enrolling to ensure application to the program. Be sure to select the credit option for credit-bearing courses or to gain approval for non-credit courses. For questions or course advice, contact PAFA’s Continuing Education Programs Office at 215-972-2029 or continuinged@pafa.edu.
- Students are not required to enroll in Certificate programs to register for individual CE classes: members of the public are welcome to study on a course-by-course basis, for credit or non-credit, as their time and interests allow, for personal enrichment and enjoyment. However, only students who are registered for a certificate program, and are completing credit course requirements, are eligible to earn a certificate credential upon completion.
- Certificates of Art do not constitute official academic undergraduate or graduate degrees (such as college associate's, bachelor's, or master's degrees).
- By enrolling in this program, students agree to abide by the policies and regulations detailed on PAFA's Certificate website.
Learn More About PAFA's Part-Time Certificate Programs: