Creative Workshops


Upcoming Workshops

Intro to Painting

What you’ll learn

What you’ll learn (acrylic painting for beginners and experienced):

  • Basic color theory and mixing techniques

  • Choosing and preparing surfaces (canvas, paper, panels)

  • Brush types, uses, and maintenance

  • Underpainting and establishing composition

  • Layering, glazing, and blending with acrylics

  • Light, shadow, and value studies for realistic and stylized work

  • Composition, focal points, and visual balance

  • Troubleshooting common acrylic problems (cracking, tackiness, muddy colors)

  • Tips for finishing, varnishing, and long-term care

What to have:

  • Acrylic paints (basic set: primary colors, white, black, optional earth tones)

  • Variety of brushes (flats, rounds, filbert, fan) in different sizes

  • Painting surface (stretched canvas, canvas board, or acrylic paper)

  • Palette or disposable palette paper and palette knife

  • Water container, rags or paper towels, and spray bottle

  • Acrylic mediums you use (gloss/matte medium, gel medium, retarders) — optional

  • Easel, desk, or portable support (tabletop easel acceptable)

  • Pencil, eraser, and sketchbook for studies

  • Apron or old clothes and a plastic bag for wet items

  • Small notebook and pen for notes

  • Reference photos or objects (if planning a specific subject)

Who should attend:

  • Complete beginners wanting a structured introduction to acrylics

  • Hobbyists seeking to improve technique and expand their material knowledge

  • Experienced painters looking to refine skills or explore new acrylic methods

  • Visual artists transitioning from other media (watercolor, oil, digital)

  • Teachers and workshop leaders seeking practical demonstrations and exercises

  • Adults and teens with basic manual dexterity (workshop level may vary)

  • Anyone interested in fast-drying, versatile painting methods for fine art or craft projects

Painting, still life composition, basic light, medium, and dark shadow values, color mixing to create new hues, brush techniques for texture and detail, layering and glazing for depth, and simple composition and contrast principles.

What to expect:

Sketch warm-up

Brainstorming Session

Collaborative Planning

Thumbnail/rough sketches

Multiple Feedback Rounds

Actionable Recommendations

Post-Project Support


Intro to Drawing

What you’ll learn

  • Charcoal: vine vs. compressed, handling, smudging/erasing, rich values and contrast.

  • Graphite: grade selection, controlled line work, blending, form and texture, highlights.

  • Colored pastels: layering, color mixing, fixing/preserving, mixed-media with charcoal/graphite.

  • Composition & observation: proportion, perspective, negative space, focal points.

  • Light & value: reading light, mid-tones, deep shadows, smooth transitions.

  • Materials & care: paper, fixatives, erasers, blending tools, basic studio setup.

Who should attend

  • Beginners seeking structure and confidence.

  • Intermediate artists expanding their toolkit.

  • Professionals exploring mixed-media approaches.

What to bring

  • Sketchbook or medium/heavy drawing paper

  • Charcoal set (vinyl & compressed), kneaded & vinyl erasers

  • Graphite pencils (2H–6B), sharpener

  • Soft-colored pastels, blending stumps/tortillons

  • Fixative (optional), masking tape, ruler, cloth for blending

Choose a workshop to strengthen observation, refine mark-making, and explore charcoal’s drama, graphite’s precision, and pastel’s color in one cohesive drawing experience.

Learn to draw with charcoal, graphite pencil, and colored pastels in this workshop; a hands-on workshop series designed for artists of all levels. Whether you’re a beginner learning basic mark-making or a seasoned creator refining tonal control and color layering, this class guides you through techniques, materials, and creative approaches to build confident, expressive drawings.