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Power of Acrylics Intensive
with Frederic Kaplan
Monday - Friday, 9 am - 4 pm
Exploit the flexibility and power of acrylic paints to produce engaging and vibrant pictures. Acrylics are ideal for the oil painter who wants to expand their repertoire or switch to less toxic materials, as well for students new to painting. A range of techniques will be demonstrated, including alla prima, blending, masking, glazing, and the velatura. Lessons will be individualized for each student, making this course appropriate for all experience levels. Drawing experience is recommended.
Note: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $525.
Important: All students enrolling in on-campus courses must submit proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and booster (or documentation for a medical/religious exemption request) upon registration. Open the Agreement form during checkout to upload an image of your vaccination card or exemption documentation, or submit vaccine and booster documentation below. Onsite card display and card images emailed to the CE office cannot be accepted. Registration for any on-campus course is pending without vaccination documentation or exemption approval.
Register by: May 13
Classical Design for Contemporary Artists (Online)
with Charles Muldowney
Tuesdays, 10 am - 1 pm
Design is the application of the formal elements of aesthetics to an artwork to enhance its strengths. This class will explain these formal elements of design: composition, space, value, light, color, line, texture and pattern. Course content will include art historical discussions using artists past and present to exemplify these design principles. The classes will also include demonstrations of the applications of each principle, and time to experiment and apply what you learned to your own work
Course Topics:
Composition – This class will discuss the arrangement of forms, rhythms, colors, values, and lines in a work to create an interesting image. Principles like the Golden Ratio and other concepts will be made simple. Students will be able to identify these elements in the work of classical and contemporary artists. The works of Hopper, Bartlett, Vermeer, Millet, Poussin, and others will be discussed.
Space – This class will investigate the creating of a sense of depth in a work using size, position of forms, value, saturation, edge and perspective.
Perspective - atmospheric perspective, linear perspective, intuitive perspective will be discussed and demonstrated. The class will look at the work of Alberti, Masaccio, Durer, Leonardo DaVinci, Giacometti and others.
Value and Light – This class will examine the creating of a range of dark and light in a work. High key and low-key value will be discussed and demonstrated. We will study how to manipulate the value to create a sense of illumination and drama. The class will look at work of Prud’hon, Lorrain, Rigaud, Hassam, Degas, Seurat, Rembrandt, Hopper, Caravaggio, Vermeer, and Whistler.
Color – This class will examine how color works and principles of color in art to create mood, space and harmony. Artists studied: Van Gogh, Matisse, Piper, Diebenkorn, Rothko and others.
Line – This class will explore the use of line in creating planes, volume, mass, and space. Line weight, gesture, accent and passage will also be discussed. The class will look at the work of Van Gogh, Klee, Rembrandt, Kline and others.
Texture and Pattern – this class will look at creating a rich visually interesting surface that provides contrast, variety, and decoration. Artists studied: Escher, Close, Mondrian, Pollock, Klimt, Essaydi and Fish.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will recognize and apply the seven basic elements of classical design.
- Students will become familiar with several important art historical figures, and their influence on design.
- Students will experiment with a variety of techniques and materials to gain an understanding of how mark making influences design.
- Students will develop and discuss concepts and image development in the form of structured critique.
- Students will gain confidence in their ability to create interesting design within their own artwork.
Register by: May 13
Painting Over the Line, Summer Session 1 (Online)
with Kassem Amoudi
Wednesdays, 1 - 4 pm
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. Painting experience recommended. Kassem will begin each class with a slide presentation/lecture 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.
Register by: May 13
Natural History Illustration (Online)
with Kate Samworth
Thursdays, 3 - 5 pm
Discover the fascinating world of natural history illustration through its greatest contributors from ancient Greece to the nineteenth century. Investigate the unusual lives of those who traveled the globe in search of new specimens and how they contributed to our understanding of nature. Each week’s instruction will focus on a different field of study: botany, entomology, mammalogy, ornithology, marine biology, and cartography. Students will be guided through the process of illustrating specimens from each field using Micron pens, colored pencils, acrylic inks, or other wet or dry media of choice.
Image: Instructor Kate Samworth in her studio
Register by: May 13
Figure Painting (Summer Session 1)
with David Wilson
Fridays, 9 am - 12 pm
Painting the human form from observation is one of the cornerstones of PAFA's long tradition of rigorous instruction. Working from the nude model, investigate color mixing, proportion, and composition using oil paint as a medium. Intended for all skill levels, this course offers foundational instruction on building form and mixing flesh tones for beginning-level students, as well as the the valuable opportunity for more advanced students to continue to hone their skills to deepen their understanding of the language of painting. Tuition includes a $25 model fee.
Important: All students enrolling in on-campus courses must submit proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and booster (or documentation for a medical/religious exemption request) upon registration. Open the Agreement form during checkout to upload an image of your vaccination card or exemption documentation, or submit vaccine and booster documentation below. Onsite card display and card images emailed to the CE office cannot be accepted. Registration for any on-campus course is pending without vaccination documentation or exemption approval.
Register by: May 13
In-Depth Watercolor (Summer Session 1)
with James Toogood
Fridays, 9 am - 5 pm
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.
NOTE: This course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credit for $750.
Half-Day Option: For greater flexibility, this course is available for half-days (non-credit only), 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. or 1:30 - 5 p.m., for $325. Note that courses are designed for full-day attendance: information and demonstrations presented in one portion of the day may not be repeated in the other half. Students wishing to add the remaining portion can pay the balance by calling the CE office at 215-972-2029.
Important: All students enrolling in on-campus courses must submit proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and booster (or documentation for a medical/religious exemption request) upon registration. Open the Agreement form during checkout to upload an image of your vaccination card or exemption documentation, or submit vaccine and booster documentation below. Onsite card display and card images emailed to the CE office cannot be accepted. Registration for any on-campus course is pending without vaccination documentation or exemption approval.
Register by: May 13
Realistic Drawing Techniques
with Robert Waddington
Saturdays, 9 am - 5 pm
Gain the skills and confidence to enhance the realism of your drawings through sound historical practices. Learn fundamental and advanced drawing techniques to perceive form, depict accurate tonal values, and develop individual line character through informative demonstrations, detailed handouts, and homework assignments designed to reinforce skills. Discover the methods, characteristics, and historical origins of charcoal, blending stumps, erasers, chalk, and color media. Instruction will address the application of color as an enhancement, as well as the use of preliminary and finished drawings as references for paintings.
Learning Objectives
- Students will learn basic and advanced concepts and techniques for producing successful drawings.
- Students will develop increased confidence in their drawing abilities through organized, dependable working methods.
- Students will learn critical problem-solving in their drawing procedures, which will lessen creative anxiety.
- Students will achieve repeatable and predictable results in their drawings by utilizing a disciplined approach to artistic challenges.
- Students will develop a self-correcting methodology to realize an improvement in their drawing skill.
NOTE: This course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $750.
Important: All students enrolling in on-campus courses must submit proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and booster (or documentation for a medical/religious exemption request) upon registration. Open the Agreement form during checkout to upload an image of your vaccination card or exemption documentation, or submit vaccine and booster documentation below.Onsite card display and card images emailed to the CE office cannot be accepted. Registration for any on-campus course is pending without vaccination documentation or exemption approval.
Register by: May 13
Color in Painting (Online)
with Al Gury
Sundays, 4:30 - 5:30 pm
An in-depth approach to understanding and mixing color for oil painting from the Chair of PAFA’s Painting Department and noted author of Color for Painters: A Guide to Traditions and Practice. Explore history, palettes, mixing and application for still life, portrait, interior spaces and landscape through a series of studio paintings. Includes videos, lectures and assignments with regular instructor feedback, and weekly Zoom meetings.
Learning Objectives
- Students will gain an understanding of the history and evolution of color in painting
- Students will gain an understanding of theoretical and critical approaches to color
- Students will gain an understanding of the practical applications of color mixing, gradations, temperature and palettes
- Students will learn color application through studio projects using the major aesthetics of color
- Students will learn to understand the use of color in a variety of masterworks
NOTE: This is a Condensed Course, available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $525
Register by: May 13