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Continuing Education at PAFA

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Watercolor, Gouache & Tempera

in Courses by Medium/Discipline

In-Depth Watercolor, Section 1

$675

with James Toogood

Calendar Current session started Sep 11, 2026 at 9 am, runs for 10 weeks

Fridays, 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM  
Instructor: James Toogood  
Ten-Week Condensed Course (45 Hours)
  
No class on November 27 (Thanksgiving Break)  

Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques while working from your choice of landscape, still life, abstraction, or personal source material. The course is designed to equip each participant with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings. Open to watercolorists of all levels and to acrylic/oil painters looking to broaden their skills.

Register by: September 4  
Materials List  
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Full Course

The American Watercolor Tradition

$295

with Richard Estell

Calendar Current session started Sep 14, 2026 at 12:30 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Mondays, 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM  
Instructor: Richard Estell  
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
  
No class on October 12 (Indigenous People’s Day)  

Explore the painting techniques of the masters who pioneered the 19th and 20th century American watercolor movement, including Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper, and Charles Demuth. Characterized by bright color and bold handling that includes accents of opaque watercolor and loose washes, work in this tradition captures subject matter with dazzling light-filled effects. Practice these classic methods and learn to incorporate them into your own artwork to achieve a greater freedom of expression as well as adaptability and control in the way that you paint. Demonstrations and art historical discussions will be combined with short and more extensive still life and self-portrait exercises. This course is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels.

Registration Still Open! 
Materials List
   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Full Course

In-Depth Watercolor, Section 2

$675

with James Toogood

Calendar Current session started Sep 16, 2026 at 9 am, runs for 10 weeks

Wednesdays, 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM  
Instructor: James Toogood  
Ten-Week Condensed Course (45 Hours)  

Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques while working from your choice of landscape, still life, abstraction, or personal source material. The course is designed to equip each participant with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accomplished, personally rewarding watercolor paintings. Open to watercolorists of all levels and to acrylic/oil painters looking to broaden their skills.

Learning Objectives

  • Students will learn about color theory as applied to watercolor.
  • Students will receive a comprehensive explanation of watercolor materials and tools, with particular focus will be paid to the properties of paint and pigments as they interact with the paintbrushes and paper.
  • Through both discussions and demonstrations, first-time participants and beginners will learn a variety of techniques that are fundamental to watercolor, presented in a systematic step by step method.
  • Participants with experience will receive individual instruction for their current skill level.
  • Students will acquire the skills needed to achieve a richness of color and a feeling of light.
  • Participants will be exposed to a variety of watercolor styles and encouraged to discover their own personal aesthetic.

Register by: September 9  
Materials List
   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Full Course

Watercolor Landscape (ONLINE)

$265

with Roberto Osti

Calendar Next available session starts Sep 24, 2026 at 1 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Thursdays, 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM  
Instructor: Roberto Osti  
Six-Week Online Short Course (Zoom + Asynchronous Content; 18-Hour Equivalent)  

The natural world is an infinite and fantastic source of inspiration for the artist, and the versatility and luminosity of watercolor make it the perfect technique for recording nature in a fresh and fun way. In this course, learn fundamental drawing techniques and essential watercolor techniques to create both quick field sketches and detailed, finished artworks. Subject matter will include flowers, plants, and animals. Reference images will be gathered through observational sketches and photography. An ideal course for those interested in both the fine arts and the Illustration field.

Registration Still Open!   
Materials List 
  
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Watercolor Workshop

$225

with James Toogood

Calendar Next available session starts Oct 3, 2026 at 9 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM  
Instructor: James Toogood  
Weekend Workshop  

Interested in learning or improving your watercolor skills? All materials and techniques will be discussed, including the selection of papers, brushes, and pigments, as well as transparent and opaque painting methods. Students will work from still-life subjects and/or their own source material. All levels welcome.

Register by: September 25  
Materials List   

Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Introduction to Gouache Painting

$395

with Shushana Rucker

Calendar Next available session starts Oct 6, 2026 at 6 pm, runs for 8 weeks

Tuesdays, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM  
Instructor: Shushana Rucker  
Eight-Week Short Course (24 Hours)  

Learn the fundamentals of painting with gouache, the opaque watercolor paint. Painters of all levels will fall in love with it as a portable, fast-drying, and easy-to-clean-up alternative to oils – great for travel or limited working time and space. Explore color and painting techniques through still life subjects and personal photo references. Students will gain familiarity gouache’s unique characteristics to work on a variety of surfaces, master paint fluidity and control, accurately mix color and predict its effects, and promote its layering capabilities and surface qualities. Open to all levels; prior drawing experience is helpful for any painting course.

Register by: September 29  
Materials List
  
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.

Autumn Leaves and Fruit in Watercolor Workshop

$195

with Linda Gist

Calendar Next available session starts Oct 24, 2026 at 9:30 am

Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM  
Instructor: Linda Gist  
Weekend Workshop  

Watercolor is the perfect medium for capturing the jewel-like tones and gradients of color in autumn’s changing leaves and abundant harvests. Learn to preserve the season’s rich textures and tapestries of color by exploring a variety of paint mixing and application techniques while working from natural forms. This workshop will include demonstrations of wet-into-wet and dry-brush techniques and one-on-one instruction. All experience levels welcome.

Register by: October 16 
Materials List  
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering. 

Watercolor Plunge

$295

with Tony Rosati

Calendar Next available session starts Oct 29, 2026 at 1 pm, runs for 6 weeks

Thursdays, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM  
Instructor: Tony Rosati  
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
 
No class on November 26 (Thanksgiving Break)  

Take the plunge to learn the fundamentals of watercolor through this beginner-friendly class designed for those with little or no painting experience! Acquire a thorough grounding in basic watercolor materials and techniques, including papers, brushes and pigments, as well as transparent and opaque painting methods. Gain the confidence to further your skills and enjoyment in the medium, in future studies or personal expression.

Register by: October 22  
Materials List
   
Please review CE’s Fall 2026 Policy Guide, including Withdrawal/Refund Policies, prior to registering.





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