Teens Fine Art program
(age 14 - 19)

Introduction to Still Life Drawing I (8 weeks)
This course introduces students to the basics of drawing through still-life arrangements. Students will learn drawing fundamentals including the principles of perspective, composition, line, tone, form, structure and light as they relate to static objects. Still-life setups increase progressively in complexity from one object to multiple objects with a landscape motif.

Abstraction from Observation (8 weeks)
Students will gain confidence in their ability to mix and apply acrylic paint and introduce techniques for mark-making and developing space. They construct individual, abstracted still-life set-ups with colored paper and using grey-cards to closely observe color and space, while creating dynamic oil paintings in response. Longer painted responses from still-life set-ups are interspersed with shorter color studies, compositional studies and color mixing exercises.

Beginning Portrait Drawing (8 weeks)
Working from portrait models, self-portraits and master copies, students will study the way underlying bones and cartilages govern musculature and surface form. They will also learn the essential techniques and concepts of proportion, line, value, volume, structure and composition. This class is a good follow-up to a foundation drawing class, because students will focus on the basic concepts of drawing applied to the human form. They will learn to think visually and translate what they see into a compelling portrait using simple techniques.

Portrait Painting (8 weeks)
The overall aim of this course is to support the student in developing a personal response when making portrait. There will be a brief drawing element that will delve into the techniques and problems that are involved in making portraits. This is then followed by a series of paintings that set out to capture, through the use and manipulation of paint and / or other (oil paint, Acrylic, watercolor) materials, the essence of the sitter in a way that says more about them than merely a straight-forward representation.

Beginning Figure Drawing(8 weeks)
You will be introduced to the fundamentals of the form and structure of the human figure and the variety of ways in which this understanding can be interpreted and expressed in drawing, from the objective and analytical to more personal and intuitive. Over the duration of the course the following subjects will be addressed:

• Proportion, scale, composition, perspective, the form in space
• Anatomy as it relates to concepts of form and structure
• Line ,tone, shape, the means of expression
• Rhythm and movement, the natural flow of the human form
• Light and the use of chiaroscuro
• Techniques in mark-making

Acrylic Figure Painting : Imagination and Technique (8 Weeks)
A compelling piece of art often resonates with us because of contrast created by the artist. Contrast in this context describes more than an effective range of values; it also refers to contrasting elements, techniques, media or references. Explore the idea of contrast in your work as you learn to paint the figure in a personal and compelling way. Enjoy the fast drying time of acrylic paint as you experiment with direct painting, dry brush and layering. Fundamental drawing and painting techniques will be addressed and imaginative exploration is encouraged as you paint from photographs figure model.

Abstract Drawing (8 weeks)
Students will learn to explore the power of marks on paper to convey meaning and mood with or without a recognizable subject. Class assignments will stress flexible and experimental approaches to familiar materials with an emphasis on line, form and format. Drawings will be done in a variety of wet and dry media with the focus on works using neutral and limited color palettes. The varied approaches of contemporary artists will guide the students’ work, providing structures for their investigation of pure drawing.

Mix Media Painting (8 weeks)
Students will learn to extend their painting arsenal to encompass and incorporate non-traditional media and techniques. They are encouraged to use a variety of non-conventional means and materials to create a work that goes beyond the traditional parameters of painting, while still adhering to principles that pertain to all works of art. Our instructor will presents different approaches to abstract art including spontaneous gestural painting, color-field simplification, drip painting and collage. Additionally, innovative approaches to combining different materials as varied as mastics and adhesives to acrylic, oil and wax will be explored.

Caricature (Age 16-up)

• Learn how to laugh at yourself. It’s healthy.
• Learn about character development
• Look at history of caricaturing from Monet to current artist eg. political cartoonists, Super News (tv show)
• Basic proportions of a human face and how to reveal their character through exaggeration.
• How to break head into basic shapes.Facial anatomy
• How to draw eyes, lips and nose
• Students will draw their classmates.
• Will learn how to use caricaturing to say something about the subject
• Students will choose a celebrity to caricature
• Students will choose a current event in order to make a political caricature/ cartoon