Filter by Category
Outdoor Classes
in CE Course Type
Colored Pencil Landscape (Outdoor)
with Michelle Oosterbaan
Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Capture the landscape in open air with the vibrancy and realism that can be achieved with colored pencil! Explore descriptive and expressive line quality, color relationships, cross-hatching and layering techniques, capturing light and volume, and the effects of working on different papers as you portray the beauty of Philadelphia’s parks in your own personal style. Learn methods for choosing a composition, mixing color through layering, and working efficiently outdoors as you complete both rapid sketches and sustained drawings. Working in dry media will allow you all the benefits of using color, but with the ease transporting lightweight and portable materials and no wet paintings! Drawing locations featuring shade, restrooms, and other amenities may include Clark Park in West Philly, Wissahickon Park in Mt. Airy, and Bartram's Garden in Southwest Philadelphia. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to drawing locations.
Image: Gustav Ketterer, House Across Our Street, n.d. Colored pencil and Chinese white on cream wove paper, 11 x 8 in. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Bequest of Lillian H. Ketterer, 1971.14.2
Register by: April 7
Plein Air Drawing and Painting (Outdoor)
with Larry Francis
Sundays, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
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.
Image: Larry Francis, Walking the Dog [Gorgas Park].
Register by: April 7
Pochade Box Landscape Painting (In-Person/Outdoor)
with Roger Chavez
Thursdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Pioneering landscape artists overcame many hurdles to facilitate the practice of painting in oils en plein air. The invention of the pochade box, a compact box where artists can store their most used supplies and produce work on the inside of the lid, was a critical product that overcame some of these hurdles. Learn how to simply build a pochade box in PAFA’s studios and then put both your new equipment and skills to the test outdoors in beautiful Laurel Hill Cemetery, on the banks of the Schuylkill River. Learn how to paint in oils efficiently outdoors, to capture the distinctive light, color, and forms of the landscape. Come away from this short course with the equipment, skills, and experience to continue your plein air practice. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn a brief history of the pochade box
- Build a pochade box for personal use
- Learn to be portable and paint efficiently outdoors
Please note: All students enrolling in on-campus courses must submit proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and at least one additional booster upon registration. Registrations lacking vaccine documentation or approved medical exemption one week after submission are subject to withdrawal. Requests for medical or religious exemptions must be approved by PAFA’s head of security. Withdrawals for noncompliance will result in fees. See CE Policy Guide for complete COVID safety requirements and policies.
Image: Roger Chavez, Sketch of Baile an Chaisil #6.
Register by: April 21
CE Policy Guide Winter/Spring 2023
CE Proof of Vaccination/Booster Form - SUBMISSION REQUIRED AT TIME OF REGISTRATION
Sketch-on-the-Go (Outdoor)
with Frederic Kaplan
Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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 6. (Please plan on the rain date when registering – regular withdrawal policies apply for students unable to attend the rescheduled date.)
Learning Objectives
- Gesture figure drawing methods
- Basic perspective as applied to architecture
- Simplification of complex subjects
Image: Sybille Zeldin, Turkey Mart.
Register by: April 21
CE Policy Guide Winter/Spring 2023