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.

Image: Roger Chavez, Sketches of Baile an Chasil #10.

Register by: March 28
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

THIS COURSES DATES HAVE CHANGED. REGISTRATION IS STILL AVAILABLE!

Thursdays, 6 - 8 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas content) 
Instructor: Michelle Oosterbaan 
Six-Week Short 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: Registration Still Open!
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood
Four-Week Extension Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor! This newly-added bonus/extension class both offers students who completed the ten-week In-Depth Watercolor course the option of continuing their studies with James Toogood and provides new students the opportunity to try out this engaging, all-levels watercolor class in a short four-week format. Group and one-on-one instruction is designed to equip each participant with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings. Note: This course does not include use of models. Students need not have completed the full-length In-Depth Watercolor class to participate in this extension.  

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

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, 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

Thursdays, 1 – 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Roger Chavez 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit Only
No class on June 19 (Juneteenth)

Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 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 Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

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 $15 models fee.

Register by: May 8
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Thursdays, 6 - 9 p.m.
Instructor: RA Friedman
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
No class on June 19 (Juneteenth)

Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 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 Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

Whether you are a fine artist, illustrator, comic book creator, or simply enjoy drawing people, this fascinating course will prompt you to expand how you envision the human head and face. Learn methods of working that lead to accuracy and animated likeness. Starting with geometric solids in space, instruction will focuslargely on structure and form as youunderstand volumes and ways of defining the foundation of the head. The course also examines the construction of facial features and how to handle light and shade. Students will work from a variety of references including two sessions with a live model.

Note: This course is Part 1 of an optional two-part course. See Portrait Drawing: Expression and Likeness for continued or alternative study. Students need not enroll in both sections, and Structure and Features is not required for Expression and Likeness.

Register by: May 8
Materials List 
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Fridays, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood
Six-Week Condensed Course (42 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)

Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 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 Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques from your choice of landscape, still life, portrait, and figure subjects. The course is designed to equip each participant with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings. Open to watercolorists of all levels and to acrylic/oil painters looking to broaden their skills.

Learning Objectives

• Students will learn about color theory as applied to watercolor.

• Students will receive a comprehensive explanation of watercolor materials and tools, with particular focus will be paid to the properties of paint and pigments as they interact with the paintbrushes and paper.

• Through both discussions and demonstrations, first time participants and beginners will learn a variety of techniques that are fundamental to watercolor, presented in a systematic step by step method. Participants can expect to have regular individual instruction, given at their current skill level.

• Focus also will be paid on acquiring the skills needed to achieve a richness of color and a feeling of light.

• Participants will work from direct observations from the still life and model, or from their own source material. Those not taking the class for credit will have the option to work on landscape, still life, portrait and figure or abstraction, as they wish.

• Participants will be exposed to a variety of watercolor styles and encouraged to discover one’s own personal aesthetic.

Optional: This course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $995. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Register by: May 9
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies