Art Classes

FALL TERM: starting September until December 2009

WINTER TERM: starting January until March 2010

SPRING TERM: starting March until June 2010

• Re-registration is required for each term.
• Payment Plans are available for 3 term classes
• Prices include applicable taxes and materials unless noted
• Classes are one on one, with exception at Artistic Touch (T.V.C.C)

Drawing 1 

This intensive program is designed for beginners, as well as those who wish to improve their drawing skills and refine their understanding of visual language. Using pencils, conté, charcoal and pastels, fundamental techniques such as line weights, shading and highlighting will be explored. Students will develop their drawing skills and become confident with the tools of visual expression.

This program is designed for students with drawing experience who want to continue to create "free" works with a variety of subject matter. Using lines, tones, texture and colour, participants will move their drawing abilities to a more complex field where they will explore the classical taste for harmony without losing personal style. Addressing the complexities surrounding still life and portrait, students will improve drawing skills and develop a better understanding of the discipline.

In this course, for students with some or little previous drawing experience, participants will learn to create with more confidence. Working from the human figure and from other sources and subject matter, the class will explore both drawing for its own sake, or as a first step toward painting. Subjects covered include line as contour, light and shadow, the silhouette, perspective, proportion and how they affect composition.

Recommended for students with previous drawing experience, this course combines hands on drawing experience with an improved theoretical understanding to create dynamic works on paper. When you understand how to structure a drawing, you are free to be more expressive because less energy is spent fixing problems. By using a process that breaks down the drawing into practical stages, students better understand how to create a successful drawing. The course uses both the live model and drawing exercises to create an understanding of proportion, placement, contour and shading, as well as edge work. Students will explore a variety of tools and paper to find compatible materials to different working styles.

Intro To Figure Drawing 

Drawing the human form accurately and expressively, conveying the power of life, is the benchmark of an artist's education and forms the focal point of this course. The objectives are unflinching accuracy, to capture the rhythmic action of the pose, and to make an insightful study of the model's character. Working on a single drawing throughout the term, we will employ proven, no-nonsense methods, focusing on creating a strong block-in, understanding the gesture, separating the shadow from the light, and then concentrating on understanding and rendering form, for a well-rounded knowledge of the figure. This is a course for serious-minded students of all levels.

Introduction to Portrait Drawing

This course is a rare opportunity for beginners, serious students and emerging artists to study portrait drawing. Working on a single, long pose drawing for the duration of the course, students will be introduced to a contemporary-classical vocabulary, and will examine the visual and natural design concepts that define portraiture, likeness and character. It will push students toward a greater awareness of their own visual actions, and a refinement of their conceptual understanding, technique and sense of form. Teaching will consist of lecture/ demonstrations on the complex actions of light, the organic design and features of the head, neck, and shoulders, group demonstrations, and one-on-one critique at the easel. A proven, logical and sequential approach, the only pre-requisites are an open mind and a willingness to be pushed to a higher level.

Acrylic Painting I

An introduction to acrylic painting, this course is suitable for beginners, or as a refresher for those who have not painted for some time. Students will concentrate on developing their perceptual skills through a series of exercises, which will gradually increase in range and complexity. The class will have the opportunity to work from a variety of photo images and still life objects. Several canvases will be completed over the duration of the course. Topics covered include the fundamentals of colour theory, the study of light and shadow, composition, visual perspective and paint handling and application.

Acrylic Painting II

This course is suitable for those who have some understanding of acrylic painting. Students will work from a live model, still life and photos, while concentrating on developing perceptual skills. Specific lessons include advanced colour theory, paint handling, and paint application.

An introduction to acrylic painting, this course is suitable for beginners, or as a refresher for those who have not painted for some time. Students will concentrate on developing their perceptual skills through a series of exercises, which will gradually increase in range and complexity. The class will have the opportunity to work from a variety of photo images and still life objects. Several canvases will be completed over the duration of the course. Topics covered include the fundamentals of colour theory, the study of light and shadow, composition, visual perspective and paint handling and application.

Photo-Based Acrylic Painting

If you are serious about learning technique and want professional results, then this is the class for you. Using acrylic paint, students will learn how to go beyond the photograph to create truly original paintings. Students may choose to work from their own photos or from other photographic sources. Some painting experience is preferable. Emphasis will be placed on composition, under painting and glazing, colour theory and mixing, and how they apply to the medium.

Oil Painting

A favorite medium of the artist. You will be taught how to mix and how to manipulate the paint for varied effects. You will learn coulour mixing, and colour wheel fundementals. Students will concentrate on developing their perceptual skills through a series of exercises, which will gradually increase in range and complexity. The class will have the opportunity to work from a variety of photo images and still life objects. Several canvases will be completed over the duration of the course. Topics covered include the fundamentals of colour theory, the study of light and shadow, composition, visual perspective and paint handling and application.