For class information or registration contact the instructor at rnelson33@rochester.rr.com.
Foundations of Parallel Perspective Thursday 1/11/24 –1-4pm
This foundation class is intended to impart an understanding of the use of a horizon line and one vanishing point to transform 2-D shapes into 3-D forms which are viewed from the front where only one side recedes to the vanishing point.
Foundations of Angular Perspective Thursday 1/125/24 - 1-4pm
This foundation class is intended to impart an understanding of the use of a horizon line and two vanishing point to transform 2-D shapes into 3-D forms which are viewed from an angle with both sides receding to vanishing points
The Basics of Watercolor Painting Fridays 1/12/24 – 2/16/24 - 1-3pm
This is a six weeks class for those who have never used watercolors but would like to try the medium and for those who have used the medium and would like to refresh their skills.
Cityscapes Saturday 1/13/24 10am – 3pm
Were you ever interested in drawing street or city scenes but didn’t know where to begin? The focus of the class is learning how to draw buildings and houses in parallel perspective to create a front and side view street or city scene which can then be finished using any medium of choice.
Metamorphose Saturday 1/27/24 10am -3pm
Metamorphose is changing shapes within in a landscape, still life, floral, etc. to create a totally different work of art. This morphing of shapes is done by applying various techniques such as distortion, embellishment, fragmentation, perspective, simplification, etc. The work can be created with any medium desired.
Shading Basics Thursdays 2/1/24 -2/15/24 - 1-3pm
This 3 weeks class is for people who would like to learn how to shade objects to produce dimensional effects or just sharpen already learned skills. It encompasses study of the value components, lighting, object contours, value contrasts, tonal mapping, drawing techniques, pencil grades and pressures, etc.
Acrylic Painting Basics Fridays 2/23/24 – 3/22/24 1-4pm
These five classes are for those who never tried painting with acrylics or those who just want to refresh their skills. It is intended to impart an understanding and application of various acrylic painting methods and mediums.
Polymer Clay Jewelry Saturday 2/10/24 10am-3pm
Freeform jewelry uses simple sculptural processes in polymer clay to create pins, earrings, bracelets, or necklaces. Interesting forms and textures can be created by using simple household tools, stamps, layering, incised and excised designs, beads or stones, and metallic acrylic paints. The jewelry can be formed using only white clay and then painting with acrylic paints or combining these with colored polymer clay.
Watercolor Winter Scenes Saturday 2/24/24 10am-3pm
Learn the basics of painting winter landscapes by applying various composition principles, watercolor techniques, types of landscape compositions, aerial perspective, and understanding the use of value masses, light, ground shadows, tree forms, and cloud formations.
Colored Pencil Shading Thursdays 3/7/24 - 3/21/24 1-3pm
The 3 week class focuses on the various techniques used to blend colored pencil strokes (including linear stroke, overlaying colors, scumbling, impressing, glazing, burnishing, colorless blending pencils), removing, wax build-up, and various finishing methods.
Basic Acrylic Techniques Fridays 3/1/24 – 3/22/24 1-3pm
The 4 week class is intended to impart an understanding and application of various acrylic painting techniques and mediums. It includes presentations, discussions, and hands-on exercises. Emphasis will be based on the following techniques: Alla Prima, Monochrome Underpainting, and Hard Edge
Acrylic Landscape Painting Satruday 3/9/24 10am – 3pm
The workshop is intended to impart an understanding of the blending, superimposing, and scumbling methods of paint application, and the use of the Direct Method painting technique. Also covered are the components of landscape painting, including types of special layouts and composition types, lighting, skies, clouds, trees, etc.
Weaving On Canvas Saturday 3/23/24 10am – 3pm
Tapestry weaving is essentially drawing with yarn on a loom. When using canvas instead of a loom,the warping threads can be in vertical, horizontal, and diagonal directions instead of just the vertical. This means that the direction of the warping threads can be in different positions for each shape creating interesting patterns.
Crayon Painting Thursday 4/4/24 1-3pm
Crayon painting is applying a solution such as mineral oil or baby oil to blend the color strokes which creates the appearance of a painting rather than a drawing. The blending of the strokes applied in different pressures produces different effects. Heavy pressure can produce bold colors while a soft application can create a soft watercolor effect.
Pen and Ink Drawing Thursday 4/11/24 1-3pm
The workshop will concentrate on the different drawing techniques and their use in creating tonal values in objects when drawing with pen and ink or felt tipped pen. Any subject matter can be used.
Watercolor Wet-on-Wet Technique Thursday 4/18/24 1-3pm
With the wet-in-wet method of watercolor painting,the paints are applied to wet paper or other wet colors which makes controlling their flow difficult, but creates very interesting and pleasing results. The use of various washes (flat, graded, granulated, transparent, and superimposed) also enhance the effects. This method is excellent for atmospheric effects, exaggerated forms, and soft edges. Skies and water are excellent subjects for this technique. Working in this method is really a lot of fun and exciting results and surprises occur.
Jewelry Making Basics Fridays 4/5/24 – 5/10/24 1-3pm
This is a series of 6 weekly classes intended for those who would like to begin creating their own jewelry or those who want to refresh or increase their skills. It encompasses the study of design fundamentals and forming techniques using both polymer clay and laminated paper to create various pieces of jewelry.
Designs from the Imagination Saturday 4/13/24 10am – 3pm
Non-objective shapes are drawn on a black support and then are shaded with a white or cream colored pencil to create form in the shapes. Colors of various colored pencils are then applied over the white or cream in glazes to create illuminating effects.
Positive-Negative Still Life Saturday 4/27/24 10am – 3pm
Striking contrast drawings are created by breaking a drawing into positive and negative space and shading them with only white and black colored pencils. An abstract design is cut out of black paper and glued onto a white illustration board. The selected drawing for the project is then transferred onto the illustration board. All of the shadows in the positive or white areas of the drawing are shaded in with a black pencil while the highlights remain the white of the paper. All of the highlights in the negative or black areas of the drawing are shaded with a white colored pencil while the shadows remain the black of the paper.
Color Basics Thursday 5/9/24 1-4pm
The class is intended to impart an understanding and application of how an artist uses light and color. It includes presentations, discussions, and hands-on exercises in the following areas ofThe Elements of Color: HUE (mixing primary and secondary colors to create various colors and the use of the basic color mixing systems); CHROMA (increasing or decreasing the strength or purity of a color to achieve various effects); and VALUE (using the lightness or darkness to determine the 3-D quality of an object and its advancing or receding position in the work of art).
Wooden Jewelry Thursday 5/16/24 1-3pm
Colorful paper designs are glued onto painted wooden shapes which are then formed into bracelets, necklaces, earrings, or pins.
String Op Art Thursday 5/23/24 1-3pm
Op Art is a lot of fun. String is used to transforms any subject matter into interesting patterns by use of focal points and/or grids which can create interesting illusions on canvas backing.
Spring Landscape Saturday 5/4/24 10am – 3pm
Have fun learning the basics of painting spring landscapes by applying various composition principles, watercolor techniques, types of landscape compositions, and aerial perspective.
Layered Paper Florals Saturday 5/18/24 10am – 3pm
Layered paper drawing is technique that breaks a drawing down into a selected number of colors. All shapes that are the same color are drawn onto the same sheet of paper and then are cut out. (If there are 4 colors, 4 different color sheets will be used.) The sheets are then glued together beginning with the background color and working forward to the foreground color. Once the glue is dry, the shapes are shaded with colored pencils to create 3-D effects.
Florals in Mixed Media Saturday 6/1/24 10am – 3pm
Floral compositions will be done by combining wet and dry mediums which create interesting textures and atmospheres. The wet medium used will be watercolors and the dry colored pencils or pastels.
Rhythmic Line Drawing Thursday 6/20/24 1-4pm
The shapes or objects are filled with horizontal, vertical, and/or diagonal lines of various sizes and spacings to create form and interesting textures.
Still Life Basics Fridays 6/21/24 – 7/19/24 1-3pm
These 5 day classes are for those who want to learn how to compose an interesting still life by using positive and negative shapes, different types of balance, spatial relationships, aerial perspective, and contrast and variety of values, colors, and textures.
Having Fun With Experimental Watercolor Saturday 6/22/24 10am – 3pm
Use your imagination to enhance your paintings by using different types of washes, painting methods, unusual tools and materials to achieve unusual and interesting textural effects.
Experimenting With Mixed Media Thursday 6/27/24 1-4pm
Combining several different types of media (watercolors, crayon, acrylics, ink, pencil, colored pencils, pastels, cut paper, tissue paper, photos, etc.)in one composition creates interesting textures and atmospheres. Do several different subjects in various mediums or do one subject and see how different combinations of mediums create totally different results.
Watercolor Jewelry Thursdays 7/11//24 – 7/25/24 1-3pm
Watercolor jewelry is constructed from layers of heavy watercolor paper with the top layer being an actual watercolor painting.(scene, design, textures). The forming process includes designing the jewelry piece in the needed size/sizes; creating the painting for the top layer; cutting out and assembling the needed number of paper layers; drying and varnishing the layered piece/pieces; and assembling the pieces with the desired findings, beads, etc.. Since process takes time, it is a 3 day series of classes that meet 3 Thursdays from 1-3pm. Pendants, necklaces, bracelets, or earrings can be created.
Paper Weaving Saturday 7/13/24 10am - 3pm
An interesting still life, landscape, floral, or design can be created by weaving with different colored papers in which each shape or part of the work can be woven with warps and wefts that are also different in size, spacing, and direction which create unusual textures.
Oil Pastel Landscape Saturday 7/27/24 10am – 3pm
Oil pastels are soft oil based sticks that can be easily blended with swabs, tortillons, fingers, and Baby Oil to create realistic works resembling oil paintings. They can be worked from light to dark or dark to light. The focus of the class will be using various drawing and blending techniques to create textures and three-dimensional form.
Resist Painting Thursday 8/1/24 1-4pm
Resist Painting is a method of applying wax to various parts of the picture so that the applied water-based paint will not adhere to those areas. Many interesting effects and textures can be created by using rubbings or various drawing techniques. It is similar to the batik process except that is done on paper instead of fabric.
Figure Drawing Basics Fridays 8/2/24 – 8/23/24 1-3pm
This is a 5 day series of classes that encompasses the study of the shape or form of the body parts, their proportions in relation to each other, and how to draw the body in different positions. Pochoir Painting Saturday 8/3/24 10am – 3pm
Pochoir Painting is a French technique used to incorporate acrylic painting and stenciling. The painting is limited to 3 to 6 colors, and each color has its own plastic sheet which is a stencil or mask. The objects are broken down into their respective colors and then all of the objects in the same color are traced onto one sheet. The shapes are then cut out of the plastic sheet to create the stencil or they can be used as masks. One stencil at a time, working from the bottom or background color to the top or front color, is placed on a canvas board and painted with sponges or brushes.
Watercolor Landscapes Saturday 8/10/24 10am – 3pm
Have fun learn the basics of painting summer landscapes by applying various composition principles, watercolor techniques, and types of landscape compositions to create colorful summer scenes.
Colored Pencil Abstracts Thursday 8/15/24 1-4pm
Very interesting works, especially abstracts, be created by working on dark or black background paper instead of the usual light or white. Once the layout drawing is done on the dark paper, dimensions within the various shapes are created by applying white or cream colored pencil strokes in various pressures to create highlights and medium values while the deep shadows or dark areas remain the color of the background paper. With the completion of this value drawing, colors are then lightly applied over desired areas of the various forms to finish the work.
Acrylic Landscape Painting Saturday 8/24/24 10am – 3pm
The workshop is intended to impart an understanding of the blending, superimposing, and scumbling methods of paint application, and the use of the monochrome underpainting method. Also covered are the components of landscape painting, including types of special layouts and composition types, lighting, skies, clouds, trees, etc.
Polymer Clay Jewelry Saturday 9/7/24 10am -3pm
Freeform jewelry uses simple sculptural processes in polymer clay to create pins, earrings, bracelets, or necklaces. Interesting forms and textures can be created by layering colors and using incised and excised designs. The jewelry can be formed using only white clay and then painting with acrylic paints or combining these with different colored polymer clay.
Stained Glass Resist Painting Thursday 9/19/24 1-4pm
Interesting stained glass effects can be created with any wax or oil crayon and black ink or black paint. Resist is a method of applying wax or oil crayons of various colors to parts of the picture so that the water-based inks or paints will not adhere to those areas. Many interesting effects and textures can be created by using rubbings or drawing techniques. Any subject matter can be used for the basis of the work
Drawing Basics Fridays 9/20/24 – 10/25/24 1-3pm
The class is for people who would love to learn how to draw or just sharpen already learned skills. The information and studies focus on: seeing an object as an artist sees it; correctly proportioning and establishing spatial relationships within the objects; creating depth by using linear perspective and shading techniques which include mapping out the values in the object, using different grades of pencils and pressures, various drawing techniques, and varied lighting positions.
Ink Wash Drawing Saturday 9/21/24 10am-3pm
India ink is applied in different value mixtures to create areas of highlights, mid-tones, and shadows in the individual objects. When dry, fine textures and details can be added using pen and ink or felt pens.
Autumn Oil Pastel Painting Thursday 9/26/24 1-4pm
Oil pastels are soft oil based sticks that can be easily blended with swabs, tortillons, fingers, and Baby Oil to create realistic works resembling oil paintings. They can be worked from light to dark or dark to light to create beautiful autumn landscapes.
Simple Printmaking Thursday 10/3/24 1-4pm
Have fun creating many versions of your work in different colors and on various types of paper. Relief printmaking is a process where a drawing is incised into various plates which are then covered with thick printing ink or paint, and pressed onto a paper surface. This process allows multiples of the same work to be produced. These multiples are referred to as prints. Generally wood or linoleum plates are used, but in this workshop, polyfoam plates will be used, and acrylic paints instead of ink.
Acrylic String Art Painting Saturday 10/5/24 10am – 3pm
This type of workshop is designed to stretch the imagination by finding recognizable objects in the various designs created by the use of unusual mediums and working the drawing or painting around them. In this workshop, pulled string designs will the basis for the work.Blown ink or paint designs as the basis for the work.
Autumn Watercolor Landscapes Saturday 10/19/24 10am – 3pm
Fall colors are an inspiration for landscape painting. Learn the basics of painting autumn landscapes by applying various composition principles, watercolor techniques, and types of landscape compositions to create colorful fall scenes.
Colored Pencil Painting Thursday 10/24/24 1-4pm
Colored pencil painting is applying a solution such as mineral oil or baby oil to blend the color strokes which creates the appearance of a painting rather than a drawing. Areas of study include drawing techniques, overlaying colors, glazing, blending, burnishing, and use of colorless blenders and Gamsol Orderless Mineral Spirits.
Autumn Acrylic Landscapes Saturday 10/26/24 10am – 3pm
Learn the basics of painting autumn landscapes by applying various composition principles, acrylic techniques, types of landscape compositions, aerial perspective, and the use of value masses, light, ground shadows, tree forms, and cloud formations.
Traditional Tapestry Weaving Friday 11/1/24 – 11/22/24 1-3pm
Tapestry weaving is essentially drawing with yarn on a loom. This is a six weeks session of classes on Thursdays from 1-3pm that is intended to impart an understanding and appreciation for the craft of creating pictures or designs in fabric rather than paper and is geared for those who are interested in learning basic weaving techniques. Emphasis will be placed on preparing the cartoon (the layout drawing to be followed), warping the loom, joining techniques, and the tabby weaving stitch.
Poured Watercolor Saturday 11/2/24 10am – 3pm
Instead of using brushes to apply color, diluted watercolors are poured from small containers over the the surface of the paper to create beautiful blends of colors. Shapes are defined by blocking them out with maskit in various stages of the pourings and by building up the values in a layering process. The color/colors of each poured layer becomes more intense and concentrated than the one preceding it. The number of layers poured, is dependent upon the desired outcome.
Linear Relief Sculpture Thursdays 11/7/24 – 11/14/24 1-4pm
A design is drawn on a large sheet of illustration boar. Strips in different lengths and heights are then cut from another piece of illustration board to fill in the shapes of the design. The strips for each shape are cut to size to fill the inside area of the shape nd are then glued on edge to fill the shapes on the original board. The spacing between strips can be constant or varied.
Craft Stick Sculpture Saturday 11/9/24 10am – 3pm
Sculptures are created by gluing the sticks together to form spirals, curves, lines of differing heights and then gluing them together to form interesting free standing sculptures. They are then painted in desired colors.
Winter Pencil Scene Saturday 11/16/24 10am – 3pm
Learn the basics of drawing winter landscapes by applying various composition principles, drawing techniques, types of landscape compositions, aerial perspective, and understanding the use of value masses, light, ground shadows, tree forms, and cloud formations.
Still Life in Mixed Media Thursday 11/21/24 1-4pm
Have fun composing an interesting still life using a combination of dry and wet mediums which create interesting textures and atmospheres. The wet medium used will be watercolors and the dry colored pencils or pastels. Emphasis will be place on arranging single objects into interesting and balanced compositions based on the Principles of Design and then enhanced by texturing and shading.
Wooden Jewelry Thursday 12/5/24 1-3pm
Wooden geometric and freeform shapes are used as the basis for pins, bracelets, necklaces, or earrings. The shapes are painted in desired colors; and when dry, textured papers cut in various shapes are glued onto the shapes. Interesting 3-D lines are painted onto different areas with puff paints. The shapes are then joined together with findings to form the desired jewelry piece. Polymer Clay Jewelry Saturday 12/7/24 10am -3pm
Pins, earrings, bracelets, or necklaces are created using different colors of colored polymer clay. Two layers of clay are used. The first layer is one color formed in the desired shape of the jewelry piece. This layer is then baked. The second layer can be composed of one or multiple different colors layed on top of the baked layer. Designs are cut out from the top layer leaving areas of the base color to show through. The piece is then baked again.
Negative Drawing Winter Scenes Saturday 12/14/24 10am – 3pm
Striking contrast drawings are created by breaking a drawing into positive and negative space and shading them with only white and black colored pencils. An abstract design is cut out of black paper and glued onto a white illustration board. The selected drawing for the project is then transferred onto the illustration board. All of the shadows in the positive or white areas of the drawing are shaded in with a black pencil while the highlights remain the white of the paper. All of the highlights in the negative or black areas of the drawing are shaded with a white colored pencil while the shadows remain the black of the paper.
