Thursdays, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Phyllis Laver
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

If you’ve never drawn before, or your skills are a little rusty, then this class is for you! Learn to draw what you see with confidence. Work from simple forms, still life arrangements, and interior and exterior spaces to master the drawing elements: shape, contour line, composition, light and dark, texture and perspective. Instruction will guide students through sight-drawing and measuring techniques, use of materials, gauging value, and ways of defining form and space. This course is excellent as a foundation for future study, as a precursor to more advanced drawing study or to painting and other disciplines. Note: This part 1 course does not include work from models. 

This class is part 1 of an optional 2-part course! See also Drawing Fundamentals: Cast and Figure for continued instruction. Students are welcome to enroll in either or both parts; Line and Form is not required as a prerequisite to Cast and Figure but is recommended for students with little or no drawing experience. 

Image: Ellen R. Warren, Begonia, ca. 1880, pen and black ink on white wove paper, 2 x 3 1-4 in. Collection of PAFA.

Register by: January 10
Materials List
Winter/Spring 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 (see below for combined 1.0 credit option)* 

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.

*Optional combined-course 1.0-credit offering:  Students wishing to earn 1.0 undergraduate credit may combine this class with the Extended Pose course, for a 12-week credit-bearing course by registering here.  See academic credit policies in the CE Policy Guide, below. Note: Because changes in academic status must occur prior to the third class for 12-week courses, credit registration is only available through February 7. See credit course description.

Register by: January 17
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Sundays, 3 – 4 p.m. (Interactive asynchronous Canvas content supported by weekly Zoom meetings)
Instructor: Al Gury
Ten-Week Course (30-Hour Equivalent)*
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Explore historic and modern methods of drawing in this deep dive into its materials and techniques. Examine both realistic and expressionistic approaches through topics of line, form, and value, utilizing visual examples from the Renaissance to the modern eras.  Survey staple artist’s materials including charcoal and graphite pencil, and pastel, as well as methods for watercolor and acrylic incorporations of color and mixed media. Weekly Zoom presentations will feature visual histories, examples, explanations of techniques, and demonstrations by the instructor. Additional presentations will be posted on Canvas, PAFA’s online learning platform, along with weekly drawing projects that will be critiqued by the instructor. This course contains valuable information for both beginners as well as experienced artists interested in expanding the creative possibilities of drawing in their work. 

*Note: No class on March 9. 

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

Register by: January 17
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses 

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) 

Examine the great traditions of color in art and how to improve color application and expression in your work. Instruction will present discussions of color topics including its visual history, materials, theories, and topical approaches, supplemented by demonstrations by the instructor.  Content will address techniques in oil, water media, and acrylic, with a focus on advancing color organization and expression in your work. Weekly projects in Canvas, PAFA’s online learning platform, will be assigned and critiqued by the instructor. This course is ideal for both students struggling with color concepts and artists seeking to deepen their use of color in their work; beginning and advanced students welcome.  

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

Register by: January 17
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Wednesdays, 10 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. (Interactive asynchronous Canvas content supported by weekly Zoom meetings)
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Six-Week Condensed Course (30-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)  

Master the fundamental materials and techniques of acrylic painting in just six weeks! Through a combination of online videos, illustrated lessons, and live Zoom sessions, learn to paint opaquely and transparently in both alla prima and layering styles, blend color and value, and employ various layering techniques. Color mixing and theory are also addressed, and a rich resource of information about the wide array of acrylic painting materials is provided. This course is appropriate for students at all levels, including beginners, but drawing experience is recommended. Weekly Zoom meetings will supplement asynchronous instruction. 

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

Register by: January 17
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Mondays, 12:30 – 3:30 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 setting a viable learning environment for your painting practice. Discover the beauty and freedom of loosening up your painting! Note: Tuition includes a $15 models fee.

Register by: March 3
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Mondays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Richard Estell
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Explore the painting techniques of the masters who pioneered the 19th and 20th century American watercolor movement, including Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper, and Charles Demuth. Characterized by bright color and bold handling that includes accents of opaque watercolor and loose washes, work in this tradition captures subject matter with dazzling light-filled effects. Practice these classic methods and learn to incorporate them into your own artwork to achieve a greater freedom of expression as well as adaptability and control in the way that you paint. Demonstrations and art historical discussions will be combined with short and more extensive still life and self-portrait exercises. This course is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels.

Register by: March 3
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Tuesdays, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Anthony Ciambella
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only 

If you believe that painting can be more than applying brush to canvas, this course is for you.  Explore the fluid, sculptural, assembled possibilities of acrylics!  This hands-on, one-of-a-kind journey will take you places that you never thought you would go in acrylic painting:  pour paint to make layers of color that can be peeled up, sculpted into three-dimensional forms, or collaged and layered into other paintings or mixed-media works. Create flexible tiles of acrylic color that can be snipped, shaped, and assembled into mosaics or applied to a variety of surfaces for artistic or decorative effects.  Discover a myriad of alternative supports, brushes, and methods of paint application to incorporate abstract effects into your current body of work.  Push the boundaries of what it means to paint with acrylics in this exciting exploration into experimental techniques. 

Register by: March 3
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies