NESFA goes to Tuscany: May 11-18 2024

Join Jo Ellen Reinhardt for this weeklong plein air workshop in beautiful Tuscany and Umbria. Create vignette sketches and paintings of the dramatic vistas, colorful architecture, bustling people and more during your time on this magical trip to Cortona, Italy. Morning and afternoon sessions, followed by individual instruction, will cover the basic concepts of atmospheric and linear perspective, capturing people, architecture, and dramatic lighting. With pen and paper in hand, you’ll quickly document the sites. Add a touch of watercolor to enhance your sketches. Your art supplies are light and easy to tote making this ideal for all levels of artists. The traveler’s sketchbook is a wonderful way to document your trip in a carefree way. To learn more about this trip, download the PDF syllabus below.

Adult art classes and adult painting classes in worcester ma

Washed in Watercolor: Jan 11-Mar 14 2024

Unlike any other medium, watercolor offers a bountiful array of wonderful techniques. From glazing to spattering, these unique properties may be found in all successful watercolor paintings. In this class, students will have the opportunity to learn from weekly demonstrations and apply newly learned methods to their work. Subject matter will be provided and may range from landscapes to still lifes and portraits. Beginning students are encouraged to practice the techniques while advanced students may work independently on their own projects with guidance. To learn more about the class, download the PDF syllabus below.

Sorry, this class is full!

Capturing Light in Your Still Life: Jan 16-Mar 26 2024

Have you ever struggled to get your paintings to look more real and three-dimensional? Do you ever end up with a muddy color on your brush and wonder what to do next?

In this still life course, we will focus on expressing light, shadow, half-tones, and atmosphere in the medium of oil paint. We will learn to make paintings that demonstrate an understanding of form and create the illusion of reality. Wherever you are in your painting journey, this will help you make progress. Each session will begin with a demonstration. We will all work together on the same still life from different angles, so that design and lighting are already settled. This will leave students with the time to carefully observe and paint what the eye sees. We will spend 3 sessions on each set up before we move on to the next.
Through in-class exercises and critiques, as well as optional homework, students will chart a path to continue to grow as a studio painter. All levels are welcome. To learn more about the class, download the PDF syllabus below.

Drawing Fundamentals: Jan 16-Mar 19 2024

The skills you gain in learning to draw can easily translate into painting or any other art form you care to enjoy. This 10-week course will cover drawing fundamentals, including measuring to get a drawing off to a good start, along with the basics of composition, value and gradients, edges, and one and two point perspective. Students will be introduced to a variety of strategies to improve drawing skills and boost self-confidence including one class with a live model. Classes will begin with a demonstration, after which students will work individually from provided reference photos. Students are also welcome to bring their own reference photos. This class is suitable for absolute beginners to more advanced students who are looking to brush up on their drawing skills. The class will introduce students to both graphite and charcoal and the many beautiful effects that can be achieved with these versatile media. To learn more about the class, download the PDF syllabus below.

Portrait Drawing & Painting: Jan 13-Mar 8 2024

Learning to draw and paint the portrait is a delightful journey. It challenges the artist to see subtle angles and shapes of the human form. This class is for both the beginner to professional artist wishing to learn about drawing and painting the portrait or brush up on their skills. This course will focus on composition, values, edges, lite anatomy and more. Each class will start with a quick demonstration. One on one instruction will be given to help individual students meet their personal goals. The first five classes will be taught in graphite and charcoal. The last three classes will be devoted to one long pose where instruction will be in oil painting. This term we will focus on Verdaccio which is a green underpainting. Beginning students may choose to continue in graphite or charcoal. Optional homework will be assigned to help students fine-tune their skills. To learn more about the class, download the PDF syllabus below.

Portrait Painting in Watercolor: Jan 15-Mar 18 2024

Unlike any other medium, watercolor offers a bountiful array of wonderful techniques. From glazing to spattering, these unique properties may be found in all successful watercolor paintings. Working from photographic references, students will have the opportunity to learn from weekly demonstrations and apply newly learned methods to their work. Lessons will focus on how to paint eyes, the nose, lips, hair and skin tones. Subject matter will be provided. Beginning students are encouraged to practice the techniques while advanced students may work independently on their own projects with guidance. To learn more about the class, download the PDF syllabus below.

Plein Air Oil Painting: Starting Sept 12 2023

What the eye sees is not always what the camera sees. Outside, inspiration is vivid and direct. There is no better place to begin your landscape painting journey! In this six-week class, we will explore landscape painting outdoors, also known as “plein air” painting. Each week will include a demonstration, as well as individualized critiques. For the absolute beginner, we will cover the basics from setting up your materials to choosing a subject. For those with some experience, we will focus on meeting you where you are and developing confidence and skill. Drawing, design, values, and color will be discussed. Each week we will begin a new canvas. At the end of the course, students will have several oil sketches and a good foundation for outdoor work. To learn more about the class, download the PDF syllabus below.

Drawing Fundamentals: Sept 12-Nov 23 2023

The skills you gain in learning to draw can easily translate into painting or any other art form you care to enjoy. This 10-week course will cover drawing fundamentals, including measuring to get a drawing off to a good start, along with the basics of composition, value and gradients, edges, and one and two point perspective. Students will be introduced to a variety of strategies to improve drawing skills and boost self-confidence. Classes will begin with a demonstration, after which students will work individually from provided reference photos. Students are also welcome to bring their own reference photos. This class is suitable for absolute beginners to more advanced students who are looking to brush up on their drawing skills. Repeat students may work on more advanced studies. The class will introduce students to both graphite and charcoal and the many beautiful effects that can be achieved with these versatile media. To learn more about the class, download the PDF syllabus below.

"Non-Instructional" Figure Drawing Group: Closed

This is not a class, but an open forum for artists and students of all skill levels to draw the nude figure as one long pose session. To learn more about the group and cost, please follow the link below to download the PDF file. The cost is $15 per person and you pay at the door!