Thursdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Twelve-Week Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Note: No class on October 2 and November 27

Paint portraits from a variety of models using the direct painting method. Examine the proportions and volumes of the head, as well as the placement, structure, and characteristics of the facial features, through preliminary drawings and demonstrations. Develop color using a limited palette to understand how to use chroma, temperature, value, tint, and tone.Instruction will address materials, composition, paint handling, and color mixing, blending, and theory. Homework assignments working from photos, Masterworks, or oneself/others will encourage students to learn to make personal aesthetic and technical choices and to practice concepts addressed in class. Open to all levels, this course is excellent for beginners as well as experienced students who want to review fundamental techniques or who simply enjoy painting portraits from life. Note: Course tuition includes a $75 model fee.

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

Register by: September 4 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Thursdays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: John Horn 
Twelve-Week Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

This course will be dedicated to full- and multi-session 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 $75 models fee.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $770, including models fee. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: John Horn

Register by: September 4 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Mondays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Twelve-Week Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Note: No class on October 13

Figure paintingis a foundational part of fine arts training and one of the disciplines for which PAFA is most renowned. Practice direct painting technique from the nude model in varied poses toexplore color mixing and color theory, glazing, blending, and both limited and extended palette approaches.Instruction will address gesture, proportion, anatomical landmarks, volume, and color chroma, value, and temperature. Students will examine masterworks to appreciate different styles and work toward developing their personal expression.Instruction is geared toward oil, but students may draw-only if they wish. Open to all levels.Note: Course tuition includes a $75 model fee.

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

Image: Roberto Osti

Register by: September 4 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Instructor: David Wilson 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

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.

Image: David Wilson

Register by: September 12 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Open Studio Access (12-Week Rental): Mondays - Fridays, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (No access during Thanksgiving Break, Thursday - Sunday, November 27 - 30.)

Class Meetings/Trips/Critiques:  Thursdays, September 25 - December 11, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. or variable for critiques/trips. (No class on November 27.)

Instructor/Lead Critic: Roger Chavez

Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credits (see description)

Taking the leap to start or cultivate an art-making practice in a private studio space can be both exciting and daunting. Learn how to create work and stay motivated on your own terms in this unique combination studio-rental and instruction/critique course! Tuition for this twelve-week program will confer an individual private studio space in PAFA’s Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, as well as weekly meetings for critiques, exploratory trips to museums/galleries, archives visits, drawing sessions, and other professional practices-focused information led by artist-instructor/critic Roger Chavez, accompanied by visiting critics for select weeks.

Studios for this program are approximately 9 x 16 feet (144 sq. ft.), white-walled, with easel and stool provided (students are responsible for additional furniture or equipment needs). Studios are individual, interior-building spaces (not located along PAFA’s windowed exterior walls) on classroom floors, with private, lockable doors.

This program is perfect for artists wanting to jumpstart or advance their personal practice, for students considering application to a studio-centered certificate or degree program, or for anyone lacking a home studio and seeking a space to pursue their work -- with the motivation and encouragement that come from being part of an artistic community! Participants will benefit from prior art-making experience and the ability to work independently.

Notes:

• Registration requires an additional $200 studio deposit that is refundable upon satisfactory return of the studio to its original condition at the end of the program. Students must agree to and sign PAFA’s studio agreement form.
  
  
• No scholarships or membership/promotional discounts are available for this program. Membership discounts apply to regular CE courses only; special programs are not eligible for tuition deductions. 
  
  
• Students may work in their media of choice within PAFA's safety/clean-air guidelines (see materials list).  Access to print and sculpture shop facilities is not included in tuition:  Students must be enrolled in in-person CE printmaking or sculpture classes, or registered/approved for a PAFA Shop Membership, for access to the pertinent shop facilities and abide by shop rules and access hours.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $1,975. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Image: Instructor Roger Chavez in studio.

Registration Deadline: Rolling, on a space-available basis. Space is limited. Late registration (after first weekly meeting) available.

Materials List (PAFA-Approved Materials) 

Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies.  *Please note: A minimum 10% fee ($180) applies to cancellations any time after registration, including same day, to cover third-party processing charges.  Please check your schedule before registering.

By enrolling in the CE Taking the Leap Studio Rental Program, you agree to abide by PAFA's Procedures and Policies.

Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m. (Zoom) with Supplemental Canvas Content 
Instructor: Kate Samworth
Ten-Week Course (30-Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Explore color, painting methods, and composition in gouache – vibrant and easy-to-use opaque watercolor paint.  Instruction will address fundamentals including materials, paint application techniques,and control of flow.  Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding and mixing color, examining harmony, relativity, value, temperature, and chroma through guided exercises using limited palettes.  Subjects will range from pattern designs to copying masterworks. Instruction will include slide presentations, painting demonstrations, and feedback on student artwork.

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

Image: Kate Samworth

Registration open through October 7 (Zoom sessions will be recorded for missed classes)

Materials List
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies  
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan 
Ten-Week Course (30-Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below) 

Execute richly-hued paintings compelling in their realism using the unique arrangements in PAFA’s dedicated still-life studio as subject. Learn the fundamental vocabulary and techniques of representational oil painting: create a tonal underpainting, model form with opaque paint applications, generate depth and luminosity with transparent glazes and velaturas, and suggest texture with semi-drybrush scumbling. Content will address materials, color, effects of light, illusionistic space, and painterly treatments. This course is appropriate forbeginners, and is excellent for experienced painters seeking to develop pictures with a more believable sense of realism. Drawing experience strongly 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: September 24 
Materials List 
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 

Wednesdays, 12:30 – 3:30 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. Instruction is geared toward open painting time supported by critiques and advice from the instructor as he works one-on-one with students 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: September 24 
Materials List
Fall 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies