Advanced & Specialty Classes - Fall
• Wednesday, September 4th through Tuesday, November 26th
• Many classes are available IN-STUDIO or as SIMULTANEOUS (in-studio or online) classes
PAINTING CLASSES
- TUESDAY: 6-7:30pm IN-STUDIO
• Watercolor, Acrylic and Oil Paint
• Prior drawing skills recommended
INTRO TO PAINTING for KIDS
Students will learn about watercolor, acrylic, and oil paint, along with a variety of techniques.
Because each medium is distinctly different in the way it is used, technique is extremely important, and that’s what we’ll be teaching.
If you’ve got a budding painter in your home, this is a perfect way to get them started on the right path. And it’s a killer deal since we provide all the needed materials, saving you hundreds of dollars in supply costs.
- TUESDAY: 4:00-5:30pm IN-STUDIO
• Prior drawing skills required
WATERCOLOR PAINTING
Students will learn about watercolor using variety of techniques. - Blending, masking, wiping out, also combining watercolor paint with pen and watercolor pencils. Subject matter will incorporate student interests along with still lifes, landscapes, etc.
If you’ve always wanted to try watercolor painting this is the perfect class to learn the foundation skills.
- MONDAY: 6:00-8:00pm IN-STUDIO
• Prior drawing skills required
MIXED MEDIA
STUDENTS WILL WORK WITH:
• Mixed Media
• Paint - Watercolor, oil and acrylic
• Graphite
• Charcoal and pastel
• Fabric
• collage
• and more…
Projects will be assigned with specific learning objectives, and students will typically be able to choose their own subject matter. References and resources will always be available if needed. Projects will frequently require multiple weeks to complete. This is NOT a drawing class and there will be no planned drawing instruction as it is expected that students can already draw well enough to participate.
If you have a student who loves art and has the interest and ability to expand their own creative boundaries they will love Mixed Media.
- SATURDAY: 2:30-5:00pm IN-STUDIO
• Prior drawing skills required
OIL PAINTING 1
THESE CLASSES WILL PRESENT A SERIES OF PROJECTS, most of them multi-week, designed to teach and guide students through basic processes that are common to many oil paintings. Students will typically be able to choose their own subject matter but reference materials will always be available to assist them if needed. We recommend that students have some drawing ability however since we will be making simple underdrawings that our paintings will be developed upon.
It’s easy to see why so many people equate oil painting with “fine art.” So many of the master artists we commonly think of worked primarily in oil paint and the iconic masterworks of centuries past tend to be paintings done in oils. It doesn’t take an art conservator to understand why oils have claimed the mantle of popularity among artists. They are remarkably versatile to work with providing artists a broad range of creative options on the canvas. The pigments mix cleanly providing rich colors with clarity and depth. Once cured the medium is stable and capable of enduring many hundreds of years without severe aging effects. The surface can even be cleaned to remove airborne grime and contaminants.
We provide all needed supplies including water soluble oil paints that allow for easy soap and water clean-up at the end of a day of painting. No more toxic solvents and noxious fumes. Life is good, and oil painting is great!
- SATURDAY: 5:30-8pm IN-STUDIO
• Prior drawing skills required
OIL PAINTING 2
It’s easy to see why so many people equate oil painting with “fine art.” So many of the master artists we commonly think of worked primarily in oil paint and the iconic masterworks of centuries past tend to be paintings done in oils. It doesn’t take an art conservator to understand why oils have claimed the mantle of popularity among artists. They are remarkably versatile to work with providing artists a broad range of creative options on the canvas. The pigments mix cleanly providing rich colors with clarity and depth. Once cured the medium is stable and capable of enduring many hundreds of years without severe aging effects. The surface can even be cleaned to remove airborne grime and contaminants.
We provide all needed supplies including water soluble oil paints that allow for easy soap and water clean-up at the end of a day of painting. No more toxic solvents and noxious fumes. Life is good, and oil painting is great!
If you have ever found yourself attracted to the idea of learning to paint with oils this is a perfect opportunity. The price is right, the instructor is top notch and the curriculum is serious but completely approachable for intermediate level painters. We hope you'll join us!
PORTRAIT CLASSES
- WEDNESDAY: 6:00-7:30pm SIMULTANEOUS
INTRO TO PORTRAIT DRAWING
Students should have a solid working knowledge of concepts including: Line, Light and Shadow, Texture, Perspective and Proportion. Because this kind of drawing requires patience and attention to detail students should have the ability to stay on task for a full 1.5 hours.
Learning to draw accurate portraits is a skill building class. Many students will see significant improvements in their overall drawing skills as a result of a class like this.
- TUESDAY: 4:00-5:30pm SIMULTANEOUS
• Previous drawing experience is strongly recommended.
• all supplies included In Studio
FACES, FEATURES & FIGURES
Part 1: Faces — 12 classes, Early Sept. to Early Dec.
Front view, 3/4 view, profile, foreshortened, highlighted, shadowed, with expressions, male, female, you name it...
Part 2: Features — 12 classes, Early Dec. to mid-March
Hands, feet, hair, fabric folds, body foreshortening and distortion, overall integration of faces, figures and features.
Part 3: Figures — 12 classes, Mid-March to late Jun.
Stick-figure, point to point, gestural, anatomy (light), bodies in motion, perspective, proportion, and more...
- FRIDAY: 5:30-8:00pm IN-STUDIO
• Oil, acrylic, and watercolor paint
• Prior portrait drawing experience required
PORTRAIT PAINTING
Our Portrait Painting class is designed for students who have a desire to spend time focusing exclusively on painting faces. Portraits are an engaging challenge that many people are attracted to.
Students should have a solid working knowledge of concepts including: Line, Light and Shadow, Texture, Perspective and Proportion.
THESE CLASSES WILL PRESENT A SERIES OF PROJECTS, most of them multi-week, designed to teach and guide students through basic processes that are common to many oil paintings.
Every project in this class will be a portrait painting, including front-on, ¾ view, profiles and facial features.
Most paintings will start with an underpainting in one of three traditional methods – Brunaille (Sepia), Grisaille (Gray scale) or the Dead Palette (earth tone primary colors). Color and tone will then be built up in glazes to create lifelike skin tones and textures.
Occasional Alla Prima (one day) paintings will be completed during the trimester.
It’s easy to see why so many people equate oil painting with “fine art.” So many of the master artists we commonly think of worked primarily in oil paint and the iconic masterworks of centuries past tend to be paintings done in oils. It doesn’t take an art conservator to understand why oils have claimed the mantle of popularity among artists. They are remarkably versatile to work with providing artists a broad range of creative options on the canvas. The pigments mix cleanly providing rich colors with clarity and depth. Once cured the medium is stable and capable of enduring many hundreds of years without severe aging effects. The surface can even be cleaned to remove airborne grime and contaminants.
On top of all these benefits, today we even use AP certified, non-toxic, Winsor & Newton water soluble oil paints that allow for easy soap and water clean-up at the end of a day of painting. No more toxic solvents and noxious fumes. Life is good, and oil painting is great!
SCECIALTY CLASSES
- FRIDAY: 4:30-6:00pm IN-STUDIO
Students must purchase and bring the following to class - iPad, Apple Pencil, Procreate app
• Prior drawing experience suggested
INTRO TO PROCREATE
Learn the basics of digital art with Procreate, taught by our experienced illustrator Jess! With Procreate, students can explore a realm of possibilities and learn how to use different tools to discover their unique art style. Students will need an iPad and an Apple Pencil, as well as the Procreate app on their device to attend this class. Each week, they will be given a project that teaches them how to use a different feature of the app. Although the class is Procreate-focused, many tools the program uses are similar to other apps such as Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint. This class is best suited for students ages 12+ who want to elevate their drawing skills by exploring the digital medium, though students who already have experience with Procreate may also learn something new.
- SATURDAY: 11:00am-12:00pm SIMULTANEOUS
• Prior drawing experience suggested
SKETCHBOOKING
- TUESDAY: 4:00–5:30pm SIMULTANEOUS
•all supplies included In Studio
INK AND SCRATCHBOARD
- MONDAY: 6:00-8:00pm IN-STUDIO
• Prior drawing skills required
PRINTMAKING
Printmaking is a unique class that offers an exploratory experience regarding both materials and techniques. Projects are intended to provide opportunities for students to use a few distantly different ways of making prints and learn or experiment with ways of using them. At the same time students are encouraged to follow their own creative interests regarding subject matter, composition and interpretation.
STUDENTS WILL WORK WITH:
• Printmaking materials and techniques
Projects will be assigned with specific learning objectives, and students will typically be able to choose their own subject matter. References and resources will always be available if needed. Projects will require multiple weeks to complete. This is NOT a drawing class and there will be no planned drawing instruction as it is expected that students can already draw well enough to participate.
If you have a student who loves art and has the interest and ability to expand their own creative boundaries they will love Printmaking.
- SATURDAY: 12:00-2:00pm IN-STUDIO
• Prior drawing skills recommended
CHARCOAL & PASTEL
We've included Pastel painting in this class as well since the working characteristics are so similar, however color and color theory are huge subjects that are too large for the scope of this class. While color picking and blending will be covered it will be in a fairly simple presentation.
Anyone considering an art school or arts major would benefit from working in charcoal and pastel before college! Some project artwork from this class may be useful for portfolios.
- THURSDAY: 4:00-5:30pm SIMULTANEOUS
•all supplies included In Studio
COLORED PENCIL DRAWING
PORTFOLIO CLASSES
- THURSDAY: 6:00-8:00pm IN-STUDIO RECOMMENDED
• all supplies included In Studio
PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT
- SATURDAY: 5:30-8:00pm IN-STUDIO
• Oil, acrylic, and/or watercolor paint
• Prior painting experience required
ADVANCED PAINTING
This class is for students who wish to further develop their technical painting skills and techniques.
Advanced Painting students are expected to be able to work independently. Paintings should be original ideas, where students either paint from still lives they’ve constructed, reference photos they’ve taken themselves, or sketches and thumbnails they’ve brainstormed prior to the start of each class. Students should be ready to start painting at the beginning of each class, not spend class time thumbnailing ideas.
Projects in this class may take weeks to complete since students will be expected to fully develop the art though multiple layers, glazes, and scumbles. Students will be the primary decision makers regarding the execution of their artwork. There may however be specific learning objectives presented to challenge them and direct them toward useful experiences.
For Oil paint we will be using AP certified, non-toxic, Winsor & Newton water soluble oil paints that allow for easy soap and water clean-up at the end of a day of painting. No more toxic solvents and noxious fumes.
- THURSDAY: 6:00-8:00pm IN-STUDIO RECOMMENDED
• all supplies included In Studio
ADVANCED STUDIO ART
ActonArt: 69 Great Rd, Acton, MA 01720 * 978-266-1600 * info@actonart.com