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Human Figure/Anatomy
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Sketch-on-the-Go (Outdoor)
with Frederic Kaplan
Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
RAIN DATE: May 4*
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
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.
* Rain Date: May 4. Please plan on the rain date when registering – regular withdrawal policies apply, dated by the original workshop date, for students unable to attend the rescheduled date. See policy guide, below.
Learning Objectives
- Gesture figure drawing methods
- Basic perspective as applied to architecture
- Simplification of complex subjects
Image: Sybille Zeldin, Turkey Mart. Courtesy of the student.
Register by: April 19
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Figure Painting: Alla Prima and the Limited Palette (In-Person)
with David Wilson
Saturdays, 10 a.m - 1 p.m.*
Instructor: David Wilson
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Painting the human form from observation is one of the cornerstones of PAFA's long tradition of rigorous instruction. Working from the nude model in poses of varying lengths, investigate color mixing, proportion, and composition using oil paint as a medium. Focusing on alla prima painting techniques and a limited flesh-tone palette, learn to model the human form through gesture, shape, volume, and temperature – excellent for painted sketches and preparatory studies, foundations for extended work, or an introduction/refresher to figure painting. Intended for all skill levels, this course also offers the valuable opportunity for more advanced students to continue to hone their skills to deepen their understanding of the language of painting. Instruction will be geared toward oil, but students may draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.
Note: No class on May 25 for Memorial Day Weekend.
Image: David Wilson.
Register by: May 10
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Foundations of Art 101 (Online)
with Al Gury
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)
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.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $595. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
* No class on May 26 (Memorial Day Weekend).
Register by: May 10
Image: Al Gury.
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Observational Drawing Practices (In-Person)
with John Horn
Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Instructor: John Horn
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Strengthen and hone your foundational drawing skills through a series of one- and two-day projects. Topics of concern will be design, structure of space, perspective, and light and shade. Subjects will include interior space, single objects and still life arrangements, and the life model. All levels from beginner to advanced are welcome. Note: Tuition includes a $15 models fee.
Image: Hobson Lafayette Pittman, [Still life: bottles and fruit], mid 20th century, Pastel on brown wove paper, 13 3/4 x 25 3/4 in. Collection of PAFA, Accession #1972.18.37, Bequest of the artist, © artist or artist’s estate.
Register by: May 17
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Figurative Open Studio: 2D (In-Person)
with John Horn
Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Instructor: John Horn
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
This comprehensive figure-focused class offers an open atelier structure in which students of all levels may pursue personal work from models in their choice of drawing or painting media. Concepts of proportion, anatomy, gesture, and light and shade will be discussed and critiqued individually, depending on the student’s experience. Model set-ups will range from croquis (short poses) to extended poses. All media are welcome for students with prior experience; drawing recommended for beginners. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.
Image: John Horn.
Register by: May 17
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Figure as a Point of Departure Workshop (Online)
with Kassem Amoudi
Friday – Sunday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Live Zoom Only)
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only
If you are tired of getting lost in the details and traditional modes of representational painting and want to take a risk by exploring new ways of expressing the human form, this class is for you. Learn to paint and draw the human figure in a looser, more expressionistic contemporary manner. Expert instruction and advice from the instructor will push students to work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. PowerPoint presentations and examples of contemporary ways of using the figure will be provided to enhance your understanding of the abstract qualities of space, line and color. Sessions will include live painting time in the style of a traditional classroom environment, with critiques and advice from the instructor as he works one-on-one with each student. Open to all levels of figure drawing/painting experience, but students should have experience with using their materials of choice. Note: Due to the emphasis on live instructor feedback and in-class painting, this Zoom class is not recorded.
Image: Kassem Amoudi, Shadow 3 (detail), acrylic on canvas.
Register by: May 31
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Holistic Figure Drawing (In-Person)
with Roberto Osti
Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Six-Week Condensed Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Develop your ability to render the human form through the time-honored combination of anatomical study and life drawing with noted artist and author Roberto Osti. Learn the methods and technical skills traditionally associated with beautiful figure drawing, such as measuring, tonal rendering, anatomical structuring, and establishing the effects of light on the figure, using graphite on white paper, charcoal and chalk on toned paper, reduction techniques, and the trois crayons technique. Through the instructor’s in-depth anatomical drawing demonstrations and work from the life model, learn the structural aspects of the human form: basic landmarks, essential volumes, and proportional relationships. Progress to the main muscle groups to identify their surface effects and aesthetic characteristics, and how they influence mass and movement. Learn to incorporate your knowledge of figure anatomy to capture the elegance, dynamism, and subtleties of the human form through drawing from the 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 $50 models fee.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $745 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Image: Roberto Osti, Rebecca.
Register by: June 24
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Figure Painting: The Extended Pose (In-Person)
with David Wilson
Saturdays, 10 a.m - 1 p.m.
Instructor: David Wilson
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Paint from a life model in a single pose for the entire course. Extended time with a single subject allows students to work with the instructor to tailor exercises that address their individual interests, including the development of one large image or several smaller studies. The first session will include time for gestural and thumbnail drawings in preparation for the model’s final placement. Instruction will cover a variety of topics including glazing, broken color, surface texture, composition and design, the relationship of the figure to the environment, the creation of atmosphere and color harmony, disrupted realism, and open- versus closed-form painting. All levels welcome. Students are welcome to draw-only, or use other appropriate media, if they wish. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.
Image: David Wilson.
Register by: July 5
Materials List
Summer 2024 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies