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Oil Painting Foundations (In-Person)
with Frederic Kaplan
Wednesdays, 6 - 9 p.m.
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
If you’ve never painted before, or your skills are a little rusty, this class is for you. Exploit the resources of PAFA’s dedicated still-life studio and its many thoughtfully composed arrangements. You will acquire grounding in the basics so you can paint what you see with confidence. Materials and painting methods will be discussed and demonstrated, including color mixing and theory. Examples of Master paintings, coupled with individual and group critiques, will help direct and inform your efforts.
Register by: March 5
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Drawing Fundamentals: Cast and Figure (In-Person)
with Phyllis Laver
Thursdays, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Instructor: Phyllis Laver
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
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 is not required as a prerequisite to Cast and Figure.
Register by: March 6
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 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
*No class on April 5.
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.
Register by: March 7
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
The Landscape Oil Sketch (Outdoor)
with Roger Chavez
Wednesdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Six-Week Short Course (24 Hours)*
Credit: Non-Credit Only
The oil sketch is a traditional way for painters to execute preparatory ideas and quickly capture initial impressions – perfect for plein air painting! Learn useful techniques for rapidly encapsulating color and form while working directly from observation. Locations with shade and restrooms include Bartram’s Garden along the Schuylkill River and the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, near Philadelphia International Airport. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
*Please reserve a rain date of May 14, should any session be postponed due to inclement weather.
Image: Roger Chavez, Sketches of Baile an Chasil #10.
Register by: March 28
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
The Figure in Clay Workshop (In-Person)
with Colleen O'Donnell
Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Colleen O'Donnell
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Learn the techniques and tools of figure sculpture through demonstration and hands-on sculpting from the model. Explore anatomy, proportion, gesture, and design through the versatility of clay. Personal expression will be emphasized though representational and abstract approaches. Open to all levels and perfect for beginners. Note: Tuition includes a $40 models fee.
Register by: March 28
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
City Landscape Drawing and Painting (Outdoor)
with Larry Francis
Sundays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Instructor: Larry Francis
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)*
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Capture the small-town beauty Manayunk's hilly streets, rowhomes, and storefronts. Learn to create a convincing sense of space, light and time of day while depicting streetscapes, trees, water and sky. Color mixing and painting techniques for oils will be demonstrated, but all drawing/painting media are welcome. Located just 15 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Manayunk offers engaging urban and riverside neighborhood subjects with parking, shade, provisions and facilities available. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
*Note: No class on April 20.
Register by: March 28
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
In-Depth Watercolor Extension 2 (In-Person)
with James Toogood
Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood
Four-Week Extension Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor! This newly-added bonus/extension class both offers students who completed the ten-week In-Depth Watercolor course the option of continuing their studies with James Toogood and provides new students the opportunity to try out this engaging, all-levels watercolor class in a short four-week format. Group and one-on-one instruction is designed to equip each participant with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings. Note: This course does not include use of models. Students need not have completed the full-length In-Depth Watercolor class to participate in this extension.
Register by: April 4
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
The Portrait in Watercolor Workshop (In-Person)
with James Toogood
Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Learn to paint the portrait in watercolor! Instruction will cover drawing the head structure and features, mixing flesh tones, various application techniques will be discussed. Materials and techniques will be discussed, including the selection of papers, brushes, and pigments, as well as transparent and opaque painting methods. Students will have the option to work from portrait models or their own photo source material. All levels welcome. Tuition includes a $35 models fee. All levels welcome.
Register by: April 4
Materials List
Winter/Spring 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies