Filter by Category
Online Classes
in CE Course Type
Portrait Painting and Drawing (Online)
with Al Gury
Sundays, 3 – 4 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
An in-depth approach to portrait painting from noted author of Color for Painters: A Guide to Traditions and Practice. Investigate the structure of the human head through drawings and painted studies. Progress to finished paintings and address issues of likeness, composition, space and texture. Learn to better see and understand color to mix it more successfully – a useful skill for painting any subject matter. Includes weekly step-by-step painting demonstrations, assignments that target each important issue of painting a portrait, critiques and weekly Zoom meetings. All levels welcome.
Learning Objectives
- Students will learn the traditions and history of portraiture
- Students will learn portrait structure and anatomy
- Students will learn how to achieve a good likeness
- Students will learn alla prima (direct) painting techniques
- Students will learn to use the materials and color palettes for effective portrait painting
- Students will learn to use the materials for effective portrait drawing including pastel
- Students will learn to paint portraits from both life and from photo reference
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $575. Select credit option when registering.
Image: Al Gury.
Register by: September 2
Classical Design for Contemporary Artists (Online)
with Charles Muldowney
Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
Design is the application of the formal elements of aesthetics to an artwork to enhance its strengths. Explore composition, space, value, light, color, line, texture and pattern so that you can employ these powerful elements in your own work. Demonstrations and discussions of artists past and present will exemplify each principle. Learn to apply these concepts through experimentation and targeted projects.
Course Topics:
Composition – This class will discuss the arrangement of forms, rhythms, colors, values, and lines in a work to create an interesting image. Principles like the Golden Ratio and other concepts will be made simple. Students will be able to identify these elements in the work of classical and contemporary artists. The works of Hopper, Bartlett, Vermeer, Millet, Poussin, and others will be discussed.
Space – This class will investigate the creating of a sense of depth in a work using size, position of forms, value, saturation, edge and perspective.
Perspective - atmospheric perspective, linear perspective, intuitive perspective will be discussed and demonstrated. The class will look at the work of Alberti, Masaccio, Durer, Leonardo DaVinci, Giacometti and others.
Value and Light – This class will examine the creating of a range of dark and light in a work. High key and low-key value will be discussed and demonstrated. We will study how to manipulate the value to create a sense of illumination and drama. The class will look at work of Prud’hon, Lorrain, Rigaud, Hassam, Degas, Seurat, Rembrandt, Hopper, Caravaggio, Vermeer, and Whistler.
Color – This class will examine how color works and principles of color in art to create mood, space and harmony. Artists studied: Van Gogh, Matisse, Piper, Diebenkorn, Rothko and others.
Line – This class will explore the use of line in creating planes, volume, mass, and space. Line weight, gesture, accent and passage will also be discussed. The class will look at the work of Van Gogh, Klee, Rembrandt, Kline and others.
Texture and Pattern – this class will look at creating a rich visually interesting surface that provides contrast, variety, and decoration. Artists studied: Escher, Close, Mondrian, Pollock, Klimt, Essaydi and Fish.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will recognize and apply the seven basic elements of classical design.
- Students will become familiar with several important art historical figures, and their influence on design.
- Students will experiment with a variety of techniques and materials to gain an understanding of how mark making influences design.
- Students will develop and discuss concepts and image development in the form of structured critique.
- Students will gain confidence in their ability to create interesting design within their own artwork.
Register by: September 2
Image: Charles Muldowney, The Diagonal in the Golden Section.
Creative Drawing with Graphite, Charcoal, and Pastel Pencils (Online)
with Alicia Mino
Tuesdays, 6 – 8 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
Gain or expand your drawing skills in graphite, charcoal, and pastel for a variety of monochromatic or color applications. Utilizing modern and unusual subjects, learn how to exploit the different qualities of these materials to suggest a range realistic and expressive effects. Instruction will address line quality and shading for each medium; how to create implied texture, light, and contrast; and addition and subtraction methods with brushes and kneaded erasers. Explore innovative techniques for combining materials and methods to best express your interior vision and external world. This course is excellent for beginning students or those building on previous study.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn about graphite pencil, charcoal, and pastel pencil techniques
- Students will learn how these materials can be mixed for more interesting effects
- Students will learn how to render realism though the study of texture, light and contrast
- Students will learn how to utilize the addition and subtraction technique with brushes and kneaded eraser
Image: Alicia Mino, mixed media.
Register by: September 2
Painting Over the Line (Online)
with Kassem Amoudi
Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
Take your work to the next level under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor Kassem Amoudi in this live Zoom class. Expert instruction and advice will push you to explore new possibilities and work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. Paint from personal subject matter to find your own visual language, informed by examples from contemporary and modern art. Painting experience recommended. Kassem will begin each class with a slide presentation/lecture focusing on how master artists through history have addressed color, harmony, focal points, space, mark making, paint application, and more, and how to apply these concepts to your own work.
Register by: September 2
Illustration for Beginners (Online)
with Kate Samworth
Wednesdays, 6 – 8 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
Illustrated books are not just for children. They can be humorous, cinematic, quirky, and sometimes dark. Explore the range of techniques for communicating a story and creating expressive effects with illustrator Kate Samworth. Instruction will include an examination of classic and contemporary illustrated books, followed by a series of exercises in generating ideas, balancing text and image, developing concepts, and communicating action through sequential drawings.
Register by: September 2
Figure Drawing into Painting (Online)
with David Wilson
Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
Join PAFA’s celebrated figurative tradition through this progression from drawn studies to color oil renderings of the human form. Study principles of proportion, anatomy, color mixing, light and shade, and the relationship between the figure and the environment, progressing from drawing studies to monochromatic, limited-color, and full-color paintings. Topics and projects include gesture studies, painting from photographs, and portrait painting from a mirror. Students will learn through a combination of live Zoom sessions and posted instructional content. Appropriate for all levels, with options to draw-only based on experience.
Learning Objectives:
- Strong design and composition
- Accurate anatomy and proportions
- Believable depictions of light and space
- Dynamic use of colors, marks, and textures
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $575. Select credit option when registering.
Image: Christian Schussele, [Figure study: female nude reclining, back view], n.d., Charcoal on green-gray wove paper, 13 13/16 x 21 in. irr. (35.09645 x 53.34 cm.). Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Accession #1876.9.572, John S. Phillips Collection.
Register by: September 2
Color and Design in Gouache (Online)
with Kate Samworth
Tuesdays, 3 - 5 p.m.
Register by 5 p.m. on August 22 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDFALL2022 at checkout. PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE adult Fall classes and workshops only. Pre-College Programs, Open Academy Courses, and Master Classes are ineligible.)
Learn the essentials of color mixing and harmony using gouache paint (opaque watercolor) – essential information for artists in all media. Develop your understanding of value, color temperature, and simultaneous contrast through a series of guided exercises using limited palettes. Basic techniques of painting with gouache will also be covered including control of flow, paint application and brush work. Subjects will include repeat pattern design, perspective drawing, tessellations, and making copies of masterworks.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $575. Select credit option during checkout.
Image: Kate Samworth, Celestial Map, mixed media.
Register by: September 2
Perspective Drawing Crash Course (Online)
with Kate Samworth
Saturday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Perspective drawing is an essential tool for creating the illusion of space. Learn to apply the principles of one- and two-point perspective to create complex interiors, landscapes, and cityscapes that include repeated patterns, arches, stairways, and more. Limited class size allows time for one-on-one assistance. Great for illustrators and artists of any drawing media.
Photo Credit: John Notman, Sketch of the Interior of the North Gallery, Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Ink and wash on paper, Ink and wash on paper, Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Gift of Charles Coleman Sellers, 1973.26.2
Register by: September 30