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Screenprinting and Beyond (In-Person)
with Tony Rosati
Thursdays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Tony Rosati
Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credit (see description)
The versatile nature of screenprinting lends itself to printing on paper, fabric and other surfaces. For the beginner, this course will cover all aspects of the process including screen preparation, image development, and printing techniques. Printmakers with experience may propose independent projects. Note: Tuition includes $20 lab fee.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will gain a basic understanding of the screenprinting process.
- Students will acquire technical experience with screens, squeegees, ink, tools, and equipment.
- Students will learn basic screenprinting techniques including image development, coating and processing screens, mixing ink, and printing.
- Students will acquire technical expertise by way of printing various stencils from fine detail images to flat broad areas.
- Students will learn printmaking professionalism including printing editions on clean registered printmaking paper, signing and numbering editions appropriately.
- Students will learn the importance of image development through individual reviews and by exploring various possibilities with the process.
- Students will develop critical visual and verbal skills by way of individual discussions with the instructor and with their peers.
This course does not meet during Thanksgiving Break, November 23 - 26.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $615 (including lab fee). Select credit option when registering.
Register by: September 8
Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies
Editorial Illustration (Online)
with James Heimer
Thursdays, 6 – 9 p.m. (Zoom, with posted Canvas content)
Instructor: James Heimer
Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credit (see description)
Explore image making as a means of communication. This intermediate class is ideal for artists who wish to experiment with conceptual and narrative imagery as well as graphic designers interested in a pictorial approach to visual communication.
Students will learn to analyze current news and opinion writing to create imagery with a message. Concept development methods including written brainstorming, thumbnails, and preliminary sketches will be introduced. Techniques combining traditional and digital media will be explored. This is an ideal opportunity for newcomers to digital media and will bridge the gap between the page and screen. In addition to a studio component, students will engage in a number of professional practice discussions focused on the business side of the editorial illustration market.
This course will utilize the online learning platform Canvas, and includes video demonstrations, lectures, and assignments. Weekly group discussions and individual critiques will be conducted via Zoom. Access to a scanner and working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop or other raster graphics software is required for the completion of assignments.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option when registering.
Image: James Heimer.
Register by: September 8
Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies
In-Depth Watercolor, Section 1 (In-Person)
with James Toogood
Fridays, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood
Credit: Non-credit or 1.5 undergraduate credits (see description)
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. 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, as well as from one’s own source materials.
- 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.
- The course is ultimately designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings.
This course does not meet during Thanksgiving Break, November 23 - 26.
Optional: This Condensed Course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $995. Select credit option when registering.
Image: James Toogood, Bermuda.
Register by: September 8
Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies
Drawing from the Antique (In-Person)
with Phyllis Laver
Tuesdays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Phyllis Laver
Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credit (see description)
PAFA’s breathtaking Cast Hall is a unique resource for artists, containing copies of Greco-Roman and Renaissance sculpture, including the Winged Victory, the Venus de Milo, and the staggering life-size Michelangelo’s David, among other notable works. Cast Drawing, or Drawing from the Antique, was one of the first courses established in the founding of the Academy and has remained a core part of PAFA’s fine arts curriculum for over 200 years. Become a part of this long and rich artistic tradition as you learn to draw accurately from observation, explore line and form, and gain an appreciation for some of history’s most beautiful sculptural artworks. This course is an excellent introduction to drawing techniques and materials and is appropriate to all levels. Read a History of PAFA’s Cast Hall by Faculty Member Al Gury here.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn to articulate 3-dimensional form with active gestural line.
- Students will translate form into cross-contour models.
- Students will develop skill in drawing form with light.
- Students will manipulate composition to alter visual impact.
- Students will acquire knowledge of diverse artists and their ways of working.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option when registering.
Image: Daniel Garber, Reclining Male Figure [Cast drawing: Michelangelo's "Day"], 1904, Charcoal on buff laid paper, 18 5/8 x 24 3/8 in., Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Gift of the artist, 1945.14.5
Register by: September 15
Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies
Mixed Media Explorations: Collage, Combines, and Assemblage (Online)
with Colleen O'Donnell
Tuesdays, 1 – 3 p.m. (Zoom, with Canvas content)
Instructor: Colleen O’Donnell
Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credit (see below)
Explore alternative ways of conceptualizing and creating mixed-media art. 2D and 3D techniques have been an essential part of modern art history, as evinced in the poetic artworks of Joseph Cornell, politically charged assemblages of Betye Saar, revealing works of Eileen Agaar, and whimsy of Robert Rauschenberg. Push your art-making process to a new level by combining 2D and 3D art into a contemporary expression of your own. Intrinsically engage awareness while drawing on design elements to reflect a point of view and a moment in time. Each week discover your unique expression while bringing new work into existence.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option when registering.
Image: Patti Rosenberg, [Untitled], Mixed media. Courtesy of the student.
Register by: September 15
Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies
Painting over the Line (Online)
with Kassem Amoudi
Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m. (Zoom only)
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credit (see description)
Take your work to the next level under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor Kassem Amoudi in this live Zoom class. Expert instruction and advice will push you to explore new possibilities and work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. Paint from personal subject matter to find your own visual language, informed by examples from contemporary and modern art. Classes will include presentations/lectures focusing on how master artists through history have addressed color, harmony, focal points, space, mark making, paint application, and more, and how to apply these concepts to your own work. Weekly sessions focus heavily on live painting time in a classroom-like online environment, with 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 working with abstract or nonobjective imagery, seeking feedback from a critic/mentor and a focused community painting atmosphere. Painting experience recommended. Note: Due to the emphasis on live instructor feedback and in-class painting, this Zoom class is not recorded.
Image: Kassem Amoudi
Register by: September 22
Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies
Realistic Drawing Techniques (In-Person)
with Robert Waddington
Saturdays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Robert Waddington
Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credit (see below)
This class is designed to provide an intense studio drawing experience with a strong emphasis on improving students’ grasp of a variety of drawing methods used to produce successful realistic drawings. Examine drawing materials’ use, origins, and historical significance. Learn to perceive form, depict accurate tonal values, and develop individual line character while working from PAFA’s historic cast collection of Antique and Renaissance sculpture, as well as from still life objects, students’ own items, and optionally medical-grade human skeletons for students interested in anatomical drawing. Linear (one-, two-, and three-point) perspective, aerial perspective, and the use of color as enhancement will be covered, as well as the purpose and practical use of preliminary and finished drawings as references for paintings.
Fundamental and advanced drawing techniques will be explained and supplemented by instructional handouts, demonstrations, and assignments, with the option for students to be supported in their own independent projects. The goal of this course is for students of all levels to gain confidence in their abilities and to see an immediate improvement in their drawings.
This course does not meet during Thanksgiving Break, November 23 - 26.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option when registering.
Register by: September 22
Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies
Foundations of Art 101 (Online)
with Al Gury
Sundays, 3 – 4 p.m. (Interactive asynchronous Canvas content supported by weekly Zoom meetings)
Instructor: Al Gury
Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credit (see description)
Al Gury, Professor of Painting and Drawing at PAFA, and noted author of Alla Prima, Color for Painters, and Foundations of Drawing, presents the foundational basics of art making.
This course is designed for individuals who are new to or just beginning to study art, or for those desiring a refresher in the basic elements, with a goal of imparting a solid and practical understanding of essential topics and practices. As a survey course, each week will focus on a specific topic and a project assignment. Topics will include the materials of drawing and painting, drawing shapes, measuring, forms, perspective, depth, use of line, understanding light and shade, and composition. Exercises will include the basics of charcoal and pencil drawing, use of pastel, color concepts, and how oil paints work. Subjects will include still lifes, interior spaces, portraits, and life drawing through the use of masterworks. Course content and assignments will be posted on Canvas, PAFA’s online learning platform. Weekly Zoom meetings will provide opportunities for Q&A, art history discussion and references, illustrations of key concepts, and explanations of the weekly project by the instructor.
This course does not meet during Thanksgiving Break, November 23 - 26.
Optional: This is a Condensed Course, available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option when registering.
Image: Al Gury, Sunflowers, Oil on panel, 10 x 8 in.
Register by: September 22
Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies