Wednesdays, 8:30 AM – 11:30 PM (includes option to add afternoons, 1 – 4 PM, for full-day attendance—see description) 
Instructor: Jill A. Rupinski 
Fifteen-Week Open Academy Course (45–90 Hours) 
Credit: Non-Credit or 2.0/3.0 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)

PAFA's Open Academy courses offer CE and non-matriculated students the opportunity to experience PAFA's comprehensive certificate-level instruction on a course-by-course basis. Credits earned are eligible for transfer into PAFA's Fine Arts Certificate program. Note: Early Bird and Membership Discounts do not apply. For additional course options, please see Continuing Education's regular course offerings.

The ability to depict objects in space is essential to representational drawing, and understanding these principles is fundamental to manipulating them for expressive and abstract effects. Gain a firm foundation in the concepts and terminology of perspective while practicing linear perspective drawing using both grid-based and freehand techniques. Instruction focuses on the interpretation of space, the organization of objects within space, and the relationships of relative proportion. Course content defines and examines a variety of methods for representing three-dimensional objects on a flat, two-dimensional surface, including orthographic, oblique, and isometric drawing systems. Course Modality: In person.

Optional: This course is available as a half-day course for 2.0 undergraduate credits for $1,800. For the full-day option (morning, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM, and afternoon, 1 – 4 PM), this course is available for $2,900 non-credit or $3,600 for 3.0 undergraduate credits*. Select the course length and credit option with the tuition adjustment during checkout.

* See the policy guide below for information about transferring credits. 

Register by: August 19 
Materials will be addressed via PAFA's Canvas online platform (if applicable) or on the first day of class.
Please review CE's Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Notes: Extended Studio Courses are not eligible for PAFA membership or promotional discounts.

A minimum 10% fee applies to withdrawals, including same-day withdrawals. Students are advised to confirm their schedules before registering.

Fridays, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Instructor: Steve Nocella
Fifteen-Week Open Academy Course (45 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 2.0 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)
Note: No class on November 27 (Thanksgiving Break)

PAFA's Open Academy courses offer CE and non-matriculated students the opportunity to experience PAFA's comprehensive certificate-level instruction on a course-by-course basis. Credits earned are eligible for transfer into PAFA's Fine Arts Certificate program. Note: Early Bird and Membership Discounts do not apply. For additional course options, please see Continuing Education's regular course offerings.

This drawing class focuses on the invention of images based on imagination rather than copying physical objects through observational techniques. Explore the formation of images based on ideas, mark-making, and personal expression. Apply the principles of drawing with a more open-ended approach that includes exploring abstract and symbolic forms, interpreting compositional implications, and remaining receptive to how the creative process informs image-making. Work in a variety of conventional drawing media, including charcoal, graphite, and ink, as well as alternative materials and techniques. Methods may include using photographs and found reference materials, as well as creating single- or multi-panel narrative drawings. Classwork includes both prompted assignments and self-directed projects, emphasizing individuality and independent thinking. Course Modality: In person.

Optional: This course is also available for 2.0 undergraduate credits* for $1,800. Select the credit option with the tuition adjustment during checkout.

* See the policy guide below for information about transferring credits.

Image Credit: Topiaries by Jane Lund funds provided by Robert and Frances Coulborn Kohler in PAFA Collection.

Register by: August 19
Materials will be addressed via PAFA's Canvas online platform (if applicable) or on the first day of class.
Please review CE's Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Notes: Open Academy courses are not eligible for PAFA membership or promotional discounts.

A minimum 10% fee applies to withdrawals, including same-day withdrawals. Students are advised to confirm their schedules before registering.

Wednesdays, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM  
Instructor: John Horn  
Twelve-Week Course (36 Hours)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Develop your ability to render the human form through the time-honored combination of anatomical study and life drawing. Learn the methods and technical skills of traditional figure drawing, such as measuring, capturing gesture, anatomical structuring, and tonal rendering. Through lectures and demonstrations, and work from the life model, learn the structural aspects of the human form: bony landmarks, simplified volumes, and proportional relationships. Progress to the skeletal framework and superficial muscles to identify their surface effects and how they influence mass and movement. Incorporate your knowledge of figure anatomy to capture the fluidity, vitality, and subtleties of the human form while working from the life model in short and extended poses. This course is ideal for anyone interested in strengthening their figure drawing, painting, or sculpture skills, as well as for those interested in future medical illustration. Note: Tuition includes a $75 models fee.

Register by: September 9  
Materials List 
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Tuesdays, 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM  
Instructor: Phyllis Laver  
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

PAFA’s breathtaking Cast Hall is back! Following renovations to PAFA's Historic Landmark Building, this unique resource is again available to offer enrolled students opportunities to work from 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. Students may also work from select casts on display in additional PAFA exhibition areas. Cast Drawing 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 shape, describe form through light and shadow, 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 Al Gury here.

Image: Daniel Garber, [Cast drawing: female torso (4th century, Greece)] (detail), ca. 1899-1905, charcoal on cream paper, 24 1/4 x 18 3/4 in. Collection of the PAFA Museum. Accession # 1945.14.4. Gift of the artist.  

Register by: September 15  
Materials List  
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Tuesdays, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM  
Instructor: Phyllis Laver  
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

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, selections from PAFA’s casts and statuary, 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. Note: Tuition includes a $25 models fee.

Register by: September 15  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Wednesdays, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM  
Instructor: Kate Samworth  
Ten-Week Online Course (Zoom + Asynchronous Content; 30-Hour Equivalent)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Understanding the principles of one- and two-point perspective is essential to drawing and painting convincing forms in space. Master the fundamentals of this geometric system that was developed during the Renaissance and is used to this day. Instruction will break down sometimes-intimidating principles into basic concepts to provide practical methods for creating interior spaces, landscapes, and cityscapes, including elements of repeated patterns, arches, stairways, and more. Great for illustrators and artists of any media requiring a strong drawing framework.

Register by: September 16  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM  
Instructor: RA Friedman  
Weekend Workshop 

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Using inexpensive materials, this hands-on workshop will introduce the concepts and methods needed to create a strong sense of dimension and likeness in your portrait drawings. Explore the proportions and planes of the head, neck and shoulders. Learn how to create a structural foundation and how to easily manage anatomy by breaking down forms into simple geometric shapes. Instruction will address different strategies for creating a finished tonal portrait as well as tips and tricks that will help you draw like a pro! Note: Tuition includes a $10 models fee.

Register by: September 18  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Mondays, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM  
Instructor: Kate Samworth  
Ten-Week Online Course (Zoom + Asynchronous Content; 30-Hour Equivalent)  
No class on October 12 (Indigenous People’s Day)

Register by August 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2026 at checkout (and click “+” to calculate the deduction). PAFA members at the Dual-Plus/Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. Discount applies to CE regular adult Fall classes and workshops only. Remaining Summer classes, Studio rental programs, Open Academy (Certificate) courses, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.

Animal artists and lovers alike will enjoy this in-depth introduction to animal drawing. Explore the unique gestures, proportions, and anatomy of domestic and wild creatures for your realistic and illustrative art. Experienced instruction will guide students through the process of working from 2D reference material to simplify animal anatomy and develop gesture studies into refined drawings. Topics will include various approaches to conveying fur, feathers, and more. Open to all levels but prior drawing experience is helpful.

Register by: September 21  
Materials List   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.