Mondays, 1 – 2:30 p.m. (Zoom meetings supporting majority asynchronous content)
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Six-Week Condense Course (30-Hour Equivalent) 
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Exploit the unique qualities of acrylics to create paintings infused with light and rich, transparent shadows. Through a combination of online videos and illustrated lessons plus live Zoom sessions, learn how to build your paintings in layers of radiant opaque and transparent colors. A variety of acrylic painting techniques will be addressed, including the tenebrism of Baroque master Caravaggio. A rich resource of information about the wide array of acrylic painting materials is also provided. This course is appropriate for students at all levels, including beginners, but drawing experience is recommended.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering. 

Image: Fred Kaplan

Register by: October 28 

Materials List

Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  

Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Mondays, 6 – 8 p.m. (Zoom) with Asynchronous Canvas Content 
Instructor: Michelle Oosterbaan
Six-Week Course (18-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Dogs, cats, and other animals at home or in nature have been depicted in master drawings and paintings throughout the centuries — as portrait subjects themselves or as a part of landscapes, domestic scenes, still lifes, and other genres. Find inspiration in the creatures of the great outdoors or those curled up on your own couch to make animals a meaningful part of your painting practice. Utilize sketches and photo references to explore ways of realistically and expressively depicting domestic or wild animals, to capture facial features, posture/gesture, and textural effects of fur, feathers and whiskers while learning sound visual principles and techniques in water-media. Content will include examples from historical and contemporary art, engaging homework assignments, and discussions about the role of animals in art and tactics for making them a special focus in your own work. Instruction will focus on drawing and watercolor or gouache painting, but students are welcome to work in other media.

Image: Honoré Desmond Sharrer, Study for "Two Dogs in a Still Life" (detail), mid 20th century, casein or gouache on paper, 11 x 14 in. Collection of PAFA, gift of Adam Zagorin and the late Perez Zagorin. Copyright © artist or artist’s estate.

Register by: October 27 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Mondays, 6 – 9 p.m. 
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Six-Week ShortCourse (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

If you haven’t drawn in a while, this course will help to rebuild your skills in translating the 3D world to the 2D surface of your paper. Hone your ability to interpret and define proportions, shapes, and value structure while working from observation from city views, interiors, and still-life objects. Content will address shading techniques, principles of perspective, and line quality in charcoal or pencil. Students will learn to:

• Reduce complex forms to simpler elements

• Gauge proportions and shapes using sighting techniques and other methods

• Use light and shadow to model form three-dimensionally

• Employ shading techniques

• Practice fundamental perspective principles and methods

Image: Fred Kaplan

Register by: October 27 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Instructor: Roger Chavez 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Cultivate fluid mark-making and bold approaches to subject matter through rapid and loose painting studies. Tight and precise painting, especially in the early stages of an artwork, can sometimes lead to work that appears stiff and over-labored, or to locked-in compositions that are difficult to change or correct. Working from the still life, cityscapes, and the life model, utilize short, small painting exercises to learn new ways of starting paintings, keeping compositions open to adjustment, and both initiating and retaining a sense of freshness in your forms and brushstrokes. Instruction will address color mixing, painting materials and methodologies, and the importance of cultivating viablemethods for growth in your painting practice. Discover the beauty and freedom of loosening up your painting! Note: Tuition includes a $15 models fee.

Image: Roger Chavez

Register by: October 28 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Wednesdays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Kandice Fields Portalatin
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Explore lithography through non-toxic, easy-to-learn paper plate and polyester plate processes in this excellent entry-point printmaking class. Students will work with toner-based drawings tolearn the fundamental principles of using grease and water resistance to produce prints.Instruction will cover drawing methods using toner or Sharpie, plate processing, hand-printing, and layering techniques. Students will come away with: 

• The demystification of lithography through simple, approachable methods 

• Experience using sustainable alternatives to traditional stone and metal plates

• Strengthened drawing/mark-making skills in a new medium

• A small edition of alternative litho prints

Tuition includes a $20 lab fee.

Image: Kandice Fields Portalatin, I pick up my life and take it with me (Quilted) (detail), lithograph, 11 x 14 in.

Register by: October 29 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Clay Tenhula
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Learn the traditional methods and materials of hand-papermaking in PAFA’s state-of-the-art Richard C. von Hess Papermaking Studio! This workshop will focus on sheet production. Instruction will familiarize students with the rules and practices of the studio, introduce new students to the basics of handmade papermaking, and challenge those with papermaking experience to try new techniques or fibers. Students will have supervised time to practice techniques in pulling paper with the mould and deckle, pressing using a hydraulic press, and drying with a restrained dried system. Students of all disciplines and levels are encouraged to bring their ideas to this tactile medium. Tuition includes a $50 lab fee which covers all supplies.  See materials list for clothing/studio considerations. 

Note: This is Workshop 1 of 2 independent papermaking classes. Students can enroll in one or both workshops; the first class is not required for enrollment into the second.

Image: Clay Tenhula

Register by: October 31 
Materials List
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Highly reflective and transparent/translucent surfaces, such as metal and glass, can be a challenge for oil painters to represent accurately: distortions, abrupt shifts in value, and color influences by surrounding objects can make it difficult for the artist to discern what they are actually seeing or how to capture these effects. Through straightforward demonstrations, learn logical step-by-step approaches for painting each of these challenging subjects, and follow up with hands-on practice working from glass- and metal-themed still life arrangements. Prior drawing and painting experience strongly recommended. Note: This workshop is designed for oil painters, but acrylic painters are also welcome.

Image: Frederic Kaplan

Register by: October 31 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

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. Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

Image: Colleen O’Donnell

Register by: October 31 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies