Experience Level: Beginner, no prior experience needed

Saturday February 21, 9am-3:30pm (1 session)

Ages 18+ (Please contact us at dsegerstrom@paramountarts.org if you have a younger student interested in participating)

Join professional artist Suzann Beck, for this class focused on the introductory skills needed for drawing! Ideal for artists who are beginning to draw or intermediate artists who want to reinforce a good foundation for their drawing skills. Students will learn and practice fundamentals including:

• Line and Tone

• Light and Shadow Values

• Techniques for Comparative Measuring

• Developing Good Compositions

Students will learn how to render a drawing from start to finish with still life setups to fit individual skill levels.

MATERIALS, please bring the following:

Notebook and pen/pencil for taking notes

Soft Vine Charcoal

Generals (brand) Charcoal Pencils—Black and white. (A General’s pack that has 3 hardnesses, a white pencil and kneaded eraser is ideal for the workshop.)

Generals (brand) 6B or 8B Graphite Pencil

2 or more sticks of square compressed charcoal.

Kneaded Eraser

Economical Sketching Paper (I recommend Strathmore sketching paper or similar, at least 14” x 18” notepad or similar).

1 or 2 sheets of tinted Strathmore Charcoal paper or similar for your final drawings.

Masking tape or clips to secure your paper.

A drawing board to attach your paper to (small, medium, or large size).

Paper towels for blending charcoal.

Pencil Sharpener.

If possible, a grayscale/value finder to help you identify and duplicate shadow values.

Optional: A couple of simple objects to use in a still life—plain in texture and color.

Optional items, not needed for the workshop but fun to have!

Chamois cloth for lifting/blending charcoal.

Dry erase pad for soft erasing and cleaning up backgrounds (used in mechanical drawings)

A travel sketchbook and .07mm mechanical pencil and leads—used for sketching on the run.

Experience Level: Beginner, no prior experience needed

Saturday February 28, 10am-3:30pm (1 session)

Ages 18+ (Please contact us at dsegerstrom@paramountarts.org if you have a younger student interested in participating) 

Unleash your imagination in this fun and exploratory workshop that combines the fluid beauty of watercolor with the expressive possibilities of collage! 

Designed for absolute beginners and curious creatives alike, this class invites you to explore abstract art using introductory watercolor techniques that, when combined with basic collage methods, lead to one truly unique work of art!  

Materials to create one piece in class are included in the cost of tuition! 

Experience Level: Beginner; no prior experience required

Saturday March 7, 10am-3pm (1 session) 

Ages 18+ (Please contact us at dsegerstrom@paramountarts.org if you have a younger student interested in participating) 

Explore the beautiful art of Pysanky, the Ukrainian tradition of egg dyeing. Using techniques and patterns she learned from her Grandmother, Laurie will guide the you through the process of creating your own eggs! Each student will have the opportunity to consider several designs and four eggs to either create in class or finish at home using the skills you develop in class!

All materials included in the cost of tuition! 

Experience Level: Beginner, no prior experience needed

Saturday March 14, 10am-3:30pm (1 session)

Ages 18+ (Please contact us at dsegerstrom@paramountarts.org if you have a younger student interested in participating) 

Explore the fundamentals of Roman script and Chancery Cursive with easy to follow demonstrations and discussions on proper form & spacing.  Bring a favorite quote or text from which to work!

Materials provided for use during class, as part of your tuition fee!

Experience Level: Beginner, no prior experience needed

Saturday March 21, 9am-3:30pm (1 session)

Ages 18+ (Please contact us at dsegerstrom@paramountarts.org if you have a younger student interested in participating)

Flowers in Soft Pastel! Explore the lush qualities and endless possibilities of soft pastel in this one-day floral workshop. Suzann will walk you through a step-by-step process starting with a sketch and building up to a luminous finish. You will explore light effect, color temperature and development, value and edges, as well as learn pastel best practices. Suzann will also demonstrate how to use an alcohol wash to add yet another amazing technique to your pastel work. The first segment features a short lecture and demonstration with hands-on student work from photo reference for the remainder of the workshop

Please bring the following materials to class:

Notebook and pen/pencil for taking notes.

A sheet of tinted, fine-grit sanded pastel paper in light or medium gray or other muted color (400 to 800 grit), brands I recommend are Sennelier La Carte, Claire fontaine Pastelmat, Art Spectrum Colourfix Coated Pastel Paper, Pastelbord or other pastel paper you’re comfortable with. 11 x 14 or 12 x16 is a good size to give you plenty of margins for your work.

Some pastel papers come mounted to a rigid backing that give your piece better support for framing.

If you’d like to experiment with the alcohol wash, UArt 800 grit sanded paper in white is a great paper to work with.

Masking tape or clips to secure your paper.

A small drawing board and table top easel. A dust tray made of stiff paper or split paper towel cores to put under drawing board and paper towels.

A Pastel Pencil in a wine or magenta color.

An assortment of soft, semi-soft pastels in the NuPastels brand—the dry “chalk” kind (oil pastels are not appropriate for this technique). For this class I prefer square semi-soft pastels. Square pastels have nice edges for more precise work. A 30- or 36-piece half-stick set would be a good starter set. Look for pastel sets that have a good assortment of lights and darks in each color. Also look for pastels that have nuanced subtle colors as well as intense.

A small tray to hold pastels that are in use.

Feel free to bring your own floral photo reference to work from. The instructor will also provide photos to work from. The following are optional, but nice to have:

If you would like to use gloves to protect your hands from pastel dust, I recommend gardening gloves with breathable mesh backs and a rubber coating on the bottom of the fingers and palm (avoid the nitrile! they’re too stiff!).

Pastel pencils can be helpful for sharp detail. Pan pastels, if you have them, can be convenient for block-ins. A very soft brush if you’d like to soften edges.

Alcohol and a brush if you’d like to experiment with pastel washes.

A piece of glassine or wax paper to protect your drawing on the way home.

Experience Level: Beginner, no previous experience needed! 

Wednesdays,  April 15-May 6, 6-8:30pm (4 sessions)

Ages 18+ (Please contact us at dsegerstrom@paramountarts.org if you have a younger student interested in participating) 

Continue exploring the exciting world of watercolor as you discover tips and techniques for painting landscapes.

This versatile subject matter will help you enhance your landscape paintings, as well as learn techniques that can be applied to other subject matter, as Elly guides your experience to help you find success! Join us!  

Please Bring the Following Materials to Class:

1.) Sketch book, 60 or 80lb, acid free

2.) Watercolor paper: 10.x14 in size 140lb cold press, acid free. (Arches or Strathmore W.C. 400 series recommended)

3.) Watercolor-brushes: 1" flat, &  #6 or #8 round 

4.) Watercolor paints Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor brand (student grade welcome)

5.) Watercolor pallet with good sized paint mixing area.

6.) #2 Pencil & White Eraser

7.) Fine spray water bottle

8.) Paper towels – white (Viva recommended)

9.) Kleenex

10.) Painter’s tape 

11.) Firm surface, 9”x 12” (Plexiglass or hard board recommended) to tape paper onto

12) Two Shallow Water Containers: Cool Whip containers work well!

Experience Level: Beginner, no prior experience needed

Saturday April 25, 9am-3:30pm (1 session)

Ages 18+ (Please contact us at dsegerstrom@paramountarts.org if you have a younger student interested in participating)

Build foundational skills for creating portraits in any medium, with demos covering the principles of drawing a face; understanding what you see when looking at a face, interpreting what you see through line and tone, and hands-on work!

Please bring the following materials:

• Notebook and pen/pencil for taking notes.

• Soft Vine Charcoal

• Charcoal Pencils (Michael’s has a General’s pack that has 3 hardnesses,a white pencil and kneaded eraser,available at art stores as well.)

• Kneaded Eraser

• Economical Sketching Paper (I recommend Strathmore sketching paper or similar,at least 14” x 18”) several sheets.

• 2 sheets of Charcoal drawing paper at least 16”x 20” (I like Stonehenge, from Wet Paint—I like a smoother surface, but bring paper that’s comfortable for you)white or tinted. Be sure to have a white charcoal pencil if you bring tinted.

• Masking tape or clips to secure your paper.

• Paper towels for blending charcoal.

• Pencil SharpenerI have easels, wooden stools, small tables, and drawing boards, but feel free to bring adrawing board if you have a favorite.

Experience Level: Beginner, no prior experience needed

Saturday April 25, 10am-4pm (1 session)

Ages 18+ (Please contact us at dsegerstrom@paramountarts.org if you have a younger student interested in participating) 

Explore the exciting world of traditional Swedish Dalmaning with professional artist and Vesterheim Gold Medalist Patti Goke!Dalmaning is a decorative style of painting utilizing beautiful elements of Swedish folk art. Patti will walk the class through holding your brush and techniques on successfully creating a stunning designs, with a variety of brush strokes!Please note that designs may vary from photograph.

All materials to create one piece included in the cost of tuition.