Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Includes Rain Date: May 10)*
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Capture the active life of the city and its rich architecture. This is an excellent workshop for anyone who wants to learn to sketch on the bus or train, in cafés and public parks, or while traveling abroad. Topics include perspective, gauging proportions by eye, gesture figure drawing, and methods for simplifying form. All levels welcome.     

Learning Objectives 

Students will learn: 

• Gesture figure drawing methods 

• Basic perspective as applied to architecture 

• Simplification of complex subjects   

*Rain Date: May 10. Please reserve the rain date in your schedule when registering – no refunds for withdrawals less than one week prior to the original workshop date, including for students unable to attend the postponed date. See policy guide, below.   

Image: Cynthia Heininger [CE Student], Logan Square.

Register by: April 25
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Thursdays, 1 – 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Roger Chavez 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit Only
No class on June 19 (Juneteenth)

Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

Draw what you see competently and with confidence. Drawing is not only the basis for other creative endeavors like painting and sculpting, but also a powerful means of describing the world around you and expressing yourself. Instruction will address fundamental concepts including line, shape, perspective, value, and composition. Draw from still life objects, the life model, and more while learning the proper use of drawing materials, sight-measuring methods to accurately gauge proportions and space, shading techniques to develop three-dimensional form and contrast, and means of developing personal expression. Ideal for beginners and those in need of a refresher. Tuition includes a $15 models fee.

Register by: May 8
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Thursdays, 6 - 9 p.m.
Instructor: RA Friedman
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
No class on June 19 (Juneteenth)

Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

Whether you are a fine artist, illustrator, comic book creator, or simply enjoy drawing people, this fascinating course will prompt you to expand how you envision the human head and face. Learn methods of working that lead to accuracy and animated likeness. Starting with geometric solids in space, instruction will focuslargely on structure and form as youunderstand volumes and ways of defining the foundation of the head. The course also examines the construction of facial features and how to handle light and shade. Students will work from a variety of references including two sessions with a live model.

Note: This course is Part 1 of an optional two-part course. See Portrait Drawing: Expression and Likeness for continued or alternative study. Students need not enroll in both sections, and Structure and Features is not required for Expression and Likeness.

Register by: May 8
Materials List 
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

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)
No class on May 25 (Memorial Day Weekend)

Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off.  (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

Improve your skills and understanding of drawingthe human figure and portrait! This fascinating and informative class will address the materials for drawing; the structure of the human body; how to understand the shapes, volumes, and anatomy of the figure; descriptions of the bone and muscular structures; and traditionalfigure drawing materials and techniques. Topics of study will include the visual history of drawing people, master techniques, and styles and expression in drawing the figure. Instruction will address techniques for gesture drawing, achievingrealisticproportions, defining form through line and shading,drawing the portrait, and tackling hands and feet. Each class will include Q&A, problem solving, presentations of drawing approaches to anatomy, and video demonstrations by the instructor. Students will be assigned weekly projects which the instructor will critique and comment on via the online learning platform Canvas. Excellent for both beginners and experienced artists.

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

Register by: May 12
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies 
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Phyllis Laver
One-Week Intensive Course (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)

Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

This course is a truly intensive week of figure and portrait study, with six hours a day working from a model! Mornings will feature life/nude models, and afternoons will focus on clothed subjects, allowing students to expand their notions of figure vs. portrait drawing to a method of depiction that combines the gesture and posture of the whole body with the individual character of the face. Participants will work with a range of graphite and crayon dry materials, as well as ink, using both a brush and a bamboo pen – an exciting and freeing approach to translating the human form. Knowledgeable instruction will guide students through observation-based drawing techniques while exploring figure and facial topics of gesture, proportions, anatomy, and expression. This exceptional experience is open to everyone, for all skill levels. Note: Tuition includes a $65 models fee.

Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $660, including models fee. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.

Register by: May 9 
Materials List 
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Tuesdays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Instructor: John Horn
Six-Week Short Course
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

This course will be dedicated to three- and six-hour 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 $35 models fee.

Register by: May 13
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Fridays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

Capture Philadelphia’s picturesque historic and commercial architecture, using fundamental observational drawing techniques. Learn simple methods for applying the principles of linear and atmospheric perspective to your drawings, giving them dimension and depth. Students at all experience levels are welcome, with instruction designed to appeal both to those who enjoy portraying landscape subjects in the open air and to students seeking to hone their basic drawing skills. This course takes place in easy-to-access Central Philadelphia and University City locations. Restrooms are available near all sites. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to drawing locations.

Register by: May 16
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies

Fridays, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Zoom with posted Canvas Content)
Instructor: David Wilson
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only

Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off.  (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)

Drawing is not only the starting point for artistic study in any medium, but also a unique and personal way of portraying people and places, expressing ideas, and recording experiences – accessible to anyone! Whether you are seeking to launch your artistic career or to capture the world with pencil on paper, this course is for you. Explore drawing’s fundamental materials, techniques, and principles through live Zoom demonstrations and posted instructional content. Learn to translate the three-dimensional world to the flat surface of your paper by working from still-life objects, interiors, and portraits in your choice of pencil, charcoal, or other media. This course is appropriate for all levels, from beginners to more experienced artists seeking to hone their core skills.

Learning Objectives:

• Strong designs and compositions
• Accurate shapes and proportions
• Believable depiction of light and space
• Dynamic use of tones, marks, and textures

Register by: May 16
Materials List 
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses