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Continuing Education at PAFA



CE Courses by Subject

Essential Drawing Techniques (In-Person)

$310

with Roger Chavez

Calendar Current session started May 15, 2025 at 1 pm, runs for 6 weeks

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

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.

Image: Roger Chavez.

Registration still open!
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Portrait Drawing: Structure and Features (In-Person)

$310

with RA Friedman

Calendar Current session started May 15, 2025 at 6 pm, runs for 6 weeks

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

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.  Tuition includes a $15 models fee.

Note: For continued or alternative study, see Portrait Drawing: Expression and Likeness. Students need not enroll in both sections, and Structure and Features is not required for Expression and Likeness.

Image: RA Friedman

Registration still open!
Materials List 
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Figure Painting: Alla Prima and the Limited Palette (In-Person)

$330

with David Wilson

Calendar Current session started May 17, 2025 at 10 am, runs for 6 weeks

Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Instructor: David Wilson
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
No class on May 24 (Memorial Day Weekend)

Painting the human form from observation is one of the cornerstones of PAFA's long tradition of rigorous instruction. Working from the nude model in poses of varying lengths, investigate color mixing, proportion, and composition using oil paint as a medium. Focusing on alla prima painting techniques and a limited flesh-tone palette, learn to model the human form through gesture, shape, volume, and temperature – excellent for painted sketches and preparatory studies, foundations for extended work, or an introduction/refresher to figure painting. Intended for all skill levels, this course also offers the valuable opportunity for more advanced students to continue to hone their skills to deepen their understanding of the language of painting.  Instruction will be geared toward oil, but students may draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

For continued or alternative study, see also Figure Painting: The Extended Pose with the same instructor.  Students enrolling in one class need not enroll in the other, and Alla Prima and the Limited Palette is not required for The Extended Pose.

Registration still open! 
Materials List 
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Life Drawing and Anatomy (Online)

$295

with Al Gury

Calendar Current session started May 18, 2025 at 4:30 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Sundays, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. (Interactive asynchronous Canvas content supported by weekly Zoom meetings)
Instructor: Al Gury
Six-Week Condensed Course (30-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
No class on May 25 (Memorial Day Weekend)

Improve your skills and understanding of drawing the human figure and portrait! This fascinating and informative class will address the materials for drawing; the structure of the human body; how to understand the shapes, volumes, and anatomy of the figure; descriptions of the bone and muscular structures; and traditional figure drawing materials and techniques. Topics of study will include the visual history of drawing people, master techniques, and styles and expression in drawing the figure. Instruction will address techniques for gesture drawing, achieving realistic proportions, defining form through line and shading, drawing the portrait, and tackling hands and feet. Each class will include Q&A, problem solving, presentations of drawing approaches to anatomy, and video demonstrations by the instructor. Students will be assigned weekly projects which the instructor will critique and comment on via the online learning platform Canvas. Excellent for both beginners and experienced artists.

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

Registration still open!
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide,
including withdrawal/refund policies 
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Life Drawing: Medium- and Long-Pose (In-Person)

$330

with John Horn

Calendar Current session started May 20, 2025 at 9 am, runs for 6 weeks

Tuesdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Instructor: John Horn
Six-Week Short Course
Credit: Non-Credit Only

This course will be dedicated to three- and six-hour poses focusing on the structural and aesthetic characteristics of drawing from the model. Classes will begin with brief lectures covering spatial organization, volume, proportional relationships, and anatomy. The rest of each session will focus on drawingthe life model in a variety of standing, seated, and reclining poses, with attention to measuring techniques and rendering the figure through light and shade. Examples of drawings from the Old Masters,and discussions about their approaches, will supplement instruction.Students of all levels are welcome; those with less experience can make several studies during a long pose while experienced students can develop a single drawing. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

Registration still open!
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide,
including withdrawal/refund policies

Terracotta Figure Sculpture (In-Person)

$515

with Morgan Dummitt

Calendar Current session started May 21, 2025 at 9 am, runs for 6 weeks

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Instructor: Morgan Dummitt
Six-Week Condensed Course (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Modeling the figure in clay is the foundational skill of traditional sculpture. Working from a model, learn to sculpt in clay from initial gesture to surface finishing techniques. Topics of study will include proportion, composition, structure, and simplified sculptural form. Students will complete two sculptures in the course of the class. All work will be fired after class. Beginners welcome. Note: Tuition includes a $65 models fee.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Gain a basic understanding of the osteology, myology, and anatomy of the figure
  • Analyze and organize the various elements of the body into simplified sculptural forms
  • Carry out best practices for modeling and maintaining water-based clay sculpture
  • Understand best practices for creating ceramic sculpture

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $660, including models fee. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Register by:  May 20
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Foundry: An Introduction/All Levels (In-Person)

$615

with Pavel Efremoff

Calendar Current session started May 22, 2025 at 12:30 pm, runs for 10 weeks

Thursdays, 12:30 – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Pavel Efremoff
Ten-Week Condensed Course (35 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)
No class on June 19 (Juneteenth)

This course will cover all aspects of the foundry process. Demonstrations and hands-on instruction will be given in wax modeling and casting, ceramic shell techniques, bronze pouring, metal chasing, TIG welding and patination. All levels welcome. Note: Tuition includes a $75 lab fee.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credits for $770 (including lab fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: Pavel Efremoff.

Register by: May 21
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Painting over the Line (In-Person)

$450

with Kassem Amoudi

Calendar Current session started May 28, 2025 at 1 pm, runs for 10 weeks

Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Learn to explore new possibilities and paint more intuitively under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor KassemAmoudi. Work from personal subject matter (objects, images, emotions, or ideas) to find your own visual language, informed by examples from contemporary and modern art. Examine how to use concepts of color, harmony, focal point, space, and mark-making as powerful tools of personal expression. Open painting is heavily supported by critiques and advice from the instructor as he works one-on-one with each student to guide them in their personal style and goals. This course is excellent for students pursuing abstract or nonobjective imagery, seeking knowledgeable feedback and a focused community painting environment. Painting experience recommended. 

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

Image: Kassem Amoudi

Register by: May 21
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies





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