Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Instructor: Carolyn Pyfrom   
Twelve-Week Course (36 Hours) 
Note: No class during Spring Break, March 2 - 8.

This class will offer useful strategies for representational life drawing to artists at any level of practice. Instruction will address gesture, rhythm, continuity, volume, and what artists most often refer to as “accuracy.” An important theme will be the ways in which gestural and analytical tactics are used together to make expressive and compelling drawings. The class will utilize both short and long poses to strengthen observational skills and to deepen understanding of how the figure moves and occupies space. By way of demonstration, the instructor will work alongside students in every class in addition to giving individual critiques.

This course is excellent paired with Comprehensive Figure Painting for students seeking intensive full-day figure study.

Image: Carolyn Pyfrom

Register by: January 15 
Materials List  
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Thursdays, 1 - 4 p.m. 
Instructor: Peter Van Dyck 
Twelve-Week Course (36 Hours) 
Note: No class during Spring Break, March 2 - 8.

This course will focus on creating paintings of the human figure from poses ranging from one to five days. It will provide an opportunity to explore the development of a figure painting over multiple sessions, emphasizing the accurate drawing of large forms and gestures, the translation of those forms into structured color relationships, and the depiction of the color of light that defines the environment. Through the extended duration of the poses, students will have the time to refine their observations, deepen their understanding of structure, and build more nuanced and cohesive paintings. Technical topics such as oil paint handling, surface preparation, and color organization will also be addressed. Students will leave the class with an enhanced ability to construct complex figure paintings that are both formally sound and personally expressive.

This course is excellent paired with Figure Drawing: Intuition and Analysis for students seeking intensive full-day figure study.

Image: Peter Van Dyck

Register by: January 15 
Materials List  
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 
Instructor: David Wilson 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 

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.

Image: David Wilson

Register by: January 16 
Materials List  
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Wednesdays, 6 - 9 p.m. 
Instructor: Morgan Dummitt 
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours) 

Modeling the figure in clay is the foundational skill of traditional sculpture. Working from a model, learn to sculpt in clay from initial gesture to surface finishing techniques. Topics of study will include proportion, composition, structure, and simplified sculptural form. Students will complete two sculptures in the course of the class. All work will be fired after class. Beginners welcome. Note: Tuition includes a $65 models fee.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Gain a basic understanding of the osteology, myology, and anatomy of the figure
• Analyze and organize the various elements of the body into simplified sculptural forms
• Carry out best practices for modeling and maintaining water-based clay sculpture
• Understand best practices for creating ceramic sculpture

Image: Morgan Dummitt, Brittany, terracotta.

Register by: January 28 
Materials List  
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Instructor: Roger Chavez 
Ten-Week Course (30 Hours) 

Cultivate fluid mark-making and bold approaches to subject matter through rapid and loose painting studies. Tight and precise painting, especially in the early stages of an artwork, can sometimes lead to work that appears stiff and over-labored, or to locked-in compositions that are difficult to change or correct. Working from the still life, cityscapes, and the life model, utilize short, small painting exercises to learn new ways of starting paintings, keeping compositions open to adjustment, and both initiating and retaining a sense of freshness in your forms and brushstrokes. Instruction will address color mixing, painting materials and methodologies, and the importance of cultivating viablemethods for growth in your painting practice. Discover the beauty and freedom of loosening up your painting! Note: Tuition includes a $25 models fee.

Image: Roger Chavez

Register by: February 24 
Materials List - Coming Soon 
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Tuesdays, 6 - 9 p.m. 
Instructor: Phyllis Laver 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 

For students seeking to expand their beginning drawing skills or those new to working from the figure, this class will focus on applying drawing’s basic elements to the human form. Starting from Antique and Classical sculpture from PAFA’s cast collection and progressing to work from the life model in short and long poses, work in charcoal and graphite to explore figure-based concepts of gesture, proportions, anatomy, and expression. Instruction will cover sight-drawing and measuring techniques, use of materials, gauging value, and ways of defining form and space. This course is excellent as a foundation for future study in any discipline or for more advanced figure-based work. Note: This part 2 course includes the use of nude models. Tuition includes a $35 models fee.

Note: Optional Part 1 Drawing Fundamentals: Line and Form offers preliminary instruction but is not required as a prerequisite to Cast and Figure.

Image: Phyllis Laver

Register by: March 3 
Materials List  
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.

Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.  (Zoom meetings supplemented by Canvas content)
Instructor:  Roberto Osti 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 

The human body is one of the most fascinating and inspiring subjects for artists, but many are intimidated by its complexity. Join Roberto Osti, artist, teacher and author of Basic Human Anatomy: An Essential Visual Guide, to draw the human figure with confidence through an understanding its basic shapes and underlying anatomy. Study the human form from a structural point of view to become familiar with its basic landmarks, essential volumes, main muscle groups, and proportional relationships. Supplement this anatomical knowledge with classical rendering methods using graphite, charcoal, and chalk on on white and toned papers, including the trois crayons technique, to produce beautiful figure drawings. The online structure allows for an optimal overhead view of the instructor’s demonstration drawings and a focused but conversational community environment as students draw alongside the instructor and complete in-class work together. 

Image:  Roberto Osti, Katal Huyuk Venus, 2006, red eath colored pencil on paper, 13.75x17.75 

Register by: March 5 
Materials List - Coming Soon 
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering. 
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses

Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Instructor: David Wilson 
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours) 

Paint from a life model in a multi-week-pose format to develop and refine your figure painting compositions.  Extended poses will allow students to adjust and resolve issues of surface, color, and composition. 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. Instruction will be geared toward oil, but 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: March 6 
Materials List  
Please review CE's Winter/Spring 2026 Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies, prior to registering.