Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Register by December 16 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSPRING2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Winter/Spring classes and workshops only. Studio rental programs, Open Academy (BFA) courses, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible. 

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

Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Rain Dates: May 3 – 4*)
Instructor: Joseph Sweeney
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Register by December 16 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSPRING2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Winter/Spring classes and workshops only. Studio rental programs, Open Academy (BFA) courses, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.  

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

Saturdays, 1 – 3 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas content)
Instructor: Susan Sullivan
Three-Week Short Course (9 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Register by December 16 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSPRING2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Winter/Spring classes and workshops only. Studio rental programs, Open Academy (BFA) courses, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible. 

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

Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Includes Rain Date: May 10)*
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Register by December 16 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSPRING2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Winter/Spring classes and workshops only. Studio rental programs, Open Academy (BFA) courses, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.  

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