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Design
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Drawing Fundamentals (In-Person)
with Phyllis Laver
Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Instructor: Phyllis Laver
Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credits (see description)
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 still life arrangements, PAFA’s renowned cast collection, interior spaces, and the human figure to master the drawing elements: shape, contour line, composition, light and shadow, texture and perspective. Instruction will guide students through sight-drawing and measuring techniques, use of materials, shading methods, and ways of defining form and space. This course is also excellent as a foundation for future study, including for painting and other disciplines.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $695. Select credit option when registering.
Image: Phyllis Laver.
Register by: September 8
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
Composition in Drawing and Painting: Strategies for Building a Strong Design (Online)
with Al Gury
Sundays, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. (Interactive asynchronous Canvas content supported by weekly Zoom meetings)
Instructor: Al Gury
Credit: Non-credit or 1.0 undergraduate credit (see description)
An in-depth approach to understanding and using composition by Al Gury, Professor of Painting and Drawing at PAFA, and noted author of Alla Prima, Color for Painters, and Foundations of Drawing. This class presents practical skills and strategies for making strong compositions. Composition, the arrangement of images, shapes, forms, colors, values to form visual balance and strength within the pictorial frame of an artwork, will be explored through projects using still life, interiors, portraits, and landscapes. Each class will contain explanations of the visual compositional strategies in both historic and contemporary art, and extensive tactics for problem-solving and solutions, as well as a weekly assignment and critique of personal work. Class meetings will be held on Zoom, and Canvas will be used for assignments and class content. All media and levels of experience are welcome.
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, Still Life with Landscape, 2022, 16 x 12 in.
Register by: September 22
Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies
Classical Design for Contemporary Artists (Online)
with Charles Muldowney
Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Zoom, with posted Canvas content)
Instructor: Charles Muldowney
Credit: Non-credit only
Design is the application of the formal elements of aesthetics to an artwork to enhance its strengths. Explore composition, space, value, light, color, line, texture and pattern so that you can employ these powerful elements in your own work. Demonstrations and discussions of artists past and present will exemplify each principle. Learn to apply these concepts through experimentation and targeted projects. Course topics will address composition, space, perspective, value and light, color, line, and texture and pattern.
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: October 20
Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies
Spontaneous Abstraction Workshop (In-Person)
with Kassem Amoudi
Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Many artists can feel frustrated in front of a blank canvas, unsure of how to start and what to paint. This workshop offers a step-by-step technique which will enable you to paint with confidence by tapping into your intuitive process and finding inspiration more easily. Expert instruction and advice from the instructor will push students to explore new possibilities and work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. Demonstration of different drawing and painting techniques will enhance your knowledge of the process of painting. Students will utilize line, color and space, as well as the possibilities of editing, to create busy/calm areas and focal points in their paintings.
Image: Kassem Amoudi
Register by: November 10
Fall 2023 CE Policy Guide, including updated Withdrawal/Refund Policies