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Watercolor, Gouache & Tempera
in CE Courses by Medium/Discipline
In-Depth Watercolor, Session 1 (In-Person)
with James Toogood
Fridays, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood
Five-Week Condensed Course*
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)*
*This course was originally scheduled to start on May 16 as a six-week/1.5 credit course. The dates/format have been adjusted to five-weeks/1.0 credit starting May 23. Online registration is temporarily unavailable for this class -- call 215-972-7632 to register.
Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques from your choice of landscape, still life, portrait, and figure subjects. 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 can expect to have regular individual instruction, given at their current skill level.
- Focus also will be paid on acquiring the skills needed to achieve a richness of color and a feeling of light.
- Participants will work from direct observations from the still life and model, or from their own source material. Those not taking the class for credit will have the option to work on landscape, still life, portrait and figure or abstraction, as they wish.
- Participants will be exposed to a variety of watercolor styles and encouraged to discover one’s own personal aesthetic.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $695. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Register by: May 16
Materials List (pending revised schedule)
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Watercolor in the Park (Outdoor)
with Keith Leitner
Sundays, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Instructor: Keith Leitner
Five-Week Short Course (15 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Includes Rain Date: July 13
Capture the colors of summer enplein air through vibrant watercolor! Become comfortable and confident with the practice of working outdoors at picturesque Lemon Hill, Laurel Hill, and other select locations around the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Fairmount Park. Instruction will cover means of accurately and expressively depicting outdoor sites, watercolor painting techniques, color mixing, and the history and capabilities of water media. All levels welcome. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn to observe and depict landscape and cityscape enplein air with attendant materials and set up
- Learn color mixing and watercolor application techniques
- Study of pigment history and development
- Learn about watercolor history via short discussions of painters and their motifs
Register by: May 23
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
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
Interested in learning or improving your watercolor painting 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: May 30
Materials List
Summer CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Botanical Drawing and Painting Intensive (In-Person)
with Linda Gist
Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Linda Gist
One-Week Intensive Course (30 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Explore flowers and other natural forms, beginning with line and value drawing and progressing to full-color rendering in watercolor and mixed media. Topics will include sighting techniques, line quality, tone and value, creation of depth, composition, texture, and basic color. All levels welcome. Tuition includes a $15 materials fee for floral subjects, provided.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $610, including models fee. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Register by: June 16
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Watercolor: Depicting the Natural World (Online)
with Roberto Osti
Tuesdays, 2 - 4:30 p.m. (Zoom with Posted Canvas Content)
Instructor: Roberto Osti
Six-Week Short Course (18-Hour Equivalent)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
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.
Register by: July 1
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Information for PAFA CE Online Courses
Watercolor: The Color-Focused Still Life (In-Person)
with Keith Leitner
Tuesdays, 6 – 9 p.m.
Instructor: Keith Leitner
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Explore both the versatility of watercolor and the exciting possibilities of color through still life painting. Learn to capture form with the freshness and fluidity of all prima techniques. Promote color in your work through instruction on color properties, mixing, and basic theory, as well as how to use hues in combination to create impactful compositions. Discussions and in-depth demonstrations will enforce all content so that students gain the facility and freedom to use color and painting techniques as means of personal expression. This course is excellent for beginners or anyone who loves color and loose, painterly techniques in watercolor.
Register by: July 1
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
In-Depth Watercolor, Session 2 (In-Person)
with James Toogood
Fridays, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Instructor: James Toogood
Six-Week Condensed Course (42 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.5 Undergraduate Credits (See Below)
Enrich your knowledge of painting with an in-depth look at watercolor. Thoroughly investigate a wide range of watercolor materials and techniques from your choice of landscape, still life, portrait, and figure subjects. 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 can expect to have regular individual instruction, given at their current skill level.
- Focus also will be paid on acquiring the skills needed to achieve a richness of color and a feeling of light.
- Participants will work from direct observations from the still life and model, or from their own source material. Those not taking the class for credit will have the option to work on landscape, still life, portrait and figure or abstraction, as they wish.
- Participants will be exposed to a variety of watercolor styles and encouraged to discover one’s own personal aesthetic.
Optional: This course is available for 1.5 undergraduate credits for $995. Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Register by: July 3
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Color Temperature in Painting Workshop (In-Person)
with Keith Leitner
Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Keith Leitner
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Color temperature is the perceived warmth and coolness of a color. It’s a vital tool for any artist for creating contrast and focus, establishing relationships between light and shadow, suggesting space or distance, and generating mood and meaning. This two-day course will investigate color temperature through a series of still-life exercises that will encourage experimentation, enforce understanding of color’s relative nature, and help you promote temperature effects in your work. Examples from historic and contemporary artists will be discussed. Instruction will be conducted chiefly in watercolor, but painters of all media are welcome!
Image: Keith Leitner
Register by: August 1
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies