Art Classes
January-June
2020
Register now for classes to assure you have a place. New: Registrations must be received at least 10 days in advance, so don’t delay.
Yale Peabody Museum's Natural Science Illustration program are conducted on a year round basis at the museum and certain select locations off premise. Highlights of our current classes and workshops are listed below.
Click here to learn more about the Certificate Program in Natural Science Illustration.
Please note our new registration policy: Registrations must be received at least 10 days prior to the first day of class.
All 200-level courses require Drawing I as a prerequisite.
290 Painting Birds in Watercolor
Sundays, January 12 to March 8, 10 am to 1 pm (No class February 16)
Instructor: Bivenne Staiger
Prerequisite: Watercolor I or permission of the instructor
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes January 2
Learn how to incorporate bird subjects with backgrounds that emphasize them. Painting stages and many techniques will be demonstrated with plenty of individual attention given. References provided or student can use their own.
101A Drawing I
Saturdays, January 25 to March 21, 10 am to 1 pm (No class February 15)
Instructor: Jan Prentice
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes January 15
Drawing I is the foundation course for all sequential courses taken at the Yale Peabody Museum. It is here that the necessary techniques in rendering light on form, value, texture, perspective, proportion and composition are taught. Each student will be given individual assignments and critiques, along with a final project, which is due at the culmination of the course.
201 A Drawing II
Tuesdays, January 21 to March 10, 10 am – 1 pm
Instructor: Susannah Graedel
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes January 11
Create silvery tonal portraits of animals and plants in graphite. Natural Science Illustration typically utilizes the traditional light source used by artists since Renaissance times with the light coming from the upper left. When depicting specimens in the classroom or images in photographs, it is helpful to be able to intuitively apply the traditional light source to the illustration. Through exercises, students will be freed from having to work with special lighting.
264 Drawing and Painting Birds in the Peabody Bird Hall
Sunday and Monday, January 26 and 27, 10 am to 4 pm
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$200, 2 days
Registration closes January 16
Using birds from the Peabody’s extensive ornithology collection on the third floor of the museum, students will learn the traditional techniques and methods of observation for drawing birds that anyone, from beginner to advanced levels can apply. All you will need is a sketchbook, pencils and a small watercolor set with brushes.
284 Nature Explorations in Colored Pencil
Mondays, January 27 to March 23, 10 am – 1 pm
Instructor: Betsy Barry
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes January 17
Each week we will work in sketchbooks to explore a new subject in colored pencil. Accurate rendering will be emphasized.
101B Drawing I
Thursdays, January 30 to March 19
Instructor: Linda Miller
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes January 20
Drawing I is the foundation course for all sequential courses taken at the Yale Peabody Museum. It is here that the necessary techniques in rendering light on form, value, texture, perspective, proportion, and composition are taught. Each student will be given individual assignments and critiques, along with a final project, which is due at the culmination of the course.
216 Composition and Design
Wednesdays, February 19 to April 8, 10 am to 1 pm
Instructor: Linda Thomas
Prerequisites: Drawing II and Watercolor I
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes February 9
Learning the elements of composition and design is fun and essential for completing successful paintings and illustrations. Exploring color theory, notan composition, spatial relationships, the golden mean, and perspective, we will create dynamic studies that will serve as templates for final watercolor or acrylic paintings.
258 Watercolor II
Fridays, February 21 to April 10, 10 am to 1 pm
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
Prerequisite: Watercolor I
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes February 11
This course introduces students to more advanced techniques in combining glazes, textures and intense color to create dynamic compositions. Emphasis will be on achieving spontaneity of color, design, and depth of form. Students will learn the technical aspects of mastering watercolor such as correct timing in the dry and wet stages of brushwork, and in producing detailed effects. Critiques and demonstrations will be shared in every class.
205 Pen and Ink I
Sundays, February 23 to April 19, 10 am to 1 pm (No class April 12)
Instructor: Jeanette Compton
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes February 13
The beauty and clarity of natural science drawings in ink have been admired for centuries. Students will master the techniques of traditional scientific illustrations using both crow quill and technical pens to depict the natural world in stipple and line.
261 Vertebrate Anatomy
Sundays, February 23 to April 19, 1:30 to 4:30 pm
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes February 13
Using the dioramas at the Peabody Museum and vertebrate zoology specimens at the Yale West Campus, we will cover the basics of vertebrate anatomy, drawing detailed muscular-skeletal illustrations of animals in graphite, micron pen and colored pencil. Final drawings will depict the vertebrates in accurate detail with fur, scales or feathers.
157 Drawing from the Peabody Dioramas
Mondays, February 24 to March 16, 10 am to 1 pm
Instructor: Linda Miller
$200, 4 weeks
Registration closes February 14
Sketching and painting in front of our amazing dioramas with all their animals and birds in different habitats is a real joy! Explore the museum when it is quiet; it is not open to the public on Mondays. We will also learn how these dioramas were created. This course is appropriate for beginners as well as advanced students.
241 Colored Pencil I
Sundays, March 15 to May 17, 10 am to 1 pm (No class April 12 and May 10)
Instructor: Jan Prentice
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes March 5
Begin your exploration of color with this approachable medium. In our first few meetings students learn and practice key color concepts: primary and secondary color, local color, color temperature, hue, chroma and value. Armed with this information, students will then learn techniques needed to create beautiful, detailed drawings on a variety of drawing surfaces.
267 Digital Techniques: Photoshop and Illustrator
Mondays, March 16 to May 4, 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Instructor: Rebecca Gelernter
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes March 2 (Note: this is more than 10 days, students may need the time to get the materials and equipment.)
This course will teach the basics of digital illustration using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. We will cover topics such as editing scans of artwork for digital display or printing, the basics of Photoshop painting, and vector drawing. Students must provide their own drawing tablet and laptop and have access to Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign in Adobe CS5, CS6, or CC.
201B Drawing II
Saturdays, March 21 to May 16, 10 am to 1 pm (No class April 11)
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes March 11
In Drawing II, students will develop more proficiency in toning accurately with graphite and mechanical pencils, using a traditional light source. Emphasis on observing and rendering subjects with correct proportion, value and scale will be an integral part of this course. Each student will produce a portfolio of realistic drawings suitable for presentation.
252 Botanical Watercolor I: Portraits of Flowers
Mondays, March 30 to May 18, 10 am to 1 pm
Instructor: Linda Miller
Prerequisite: Watercolor I
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes March 20
Discover how to paint portraits of flowering plants in watercolor as you observe them in the classroom. Hone your drawing and watercolor skills as you discover the intricacies of different plants that are blooming in the spring. Many examples of botanical art will be shared. There will be demonstrations and group critiques, and there will always be a focus on individual attention to each student. We will visit the greenhouses at the Marsh Botanical Gardens on the Yale Campus.
225 Colored Pencil II
Thursdays, April 2 to May 21, 10 am to 1 pm
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
Prerequisite: Colored Pencil I
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes March 23
Using both traditional and experimental methods, students will master the techniques of colored pencil needed to create detailed and accurate illustrations for portfolio presentation or publication. Course concentration will be focused on refining techniques learned in Colored Pencil I, increasing pigment intensity, creating textural effects and working closely from museum specimens and still life objects.
244 Watercolor I
Tuesdays, April 7 to May 26, 10 am to 1 pm
Instructor: Linda Miller
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes March 28
Watercolor is a medium that produces luminous, translucent colors. Practice mixing colors while learning about color theory, and gain experience applying washes and layers when using color in your scientific illustrations and paintings. We will be working with fruits, vegetables, flowering plants, and specimens from the Peabody Museum’s collections. Examples of many different kinds of watercolors will be shared. There will always be a focus on individual attention to each student, and group critiques and demonstrations will be shared.
292 Drawing and Painting Life in the Eastern Woodlands
Wednesdays, April 15 to May 20, 10 am to 1 pm
Instructor: Linda Thomas
Prerequisites: Watercolor I and Composition and Design
$300, 6 weeks
Registration closes April 5
Students who want to challenge their creative skills and scientific knowledge will be creating their own unique art composition focused on a fragment of life in the eastern woodlands. Incorporating various seasonal flora and fauna into a composition while exploring concepts like symbiosis, predator-prey relationships,a nd food webs, this class is for students confident in their drawing and painting skills.
270 Plant Morphology
Fridays, May 1 to June 26, 10 am to 1 pm (no class June 19)
Instructor: Susannah Graedel
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes April 21
Explore the exquisite variety of forms of flowers through the microscope. Students will dissect and draw the parts of flowers to produce an artistic botanical “plate.” The connection between flower structure and type of pollinator will be explored.
286 Painting Flowers in Watercolor
Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3, 10 am to 4 pm
Instructor: Bivenne Staiger
Prerequisite Watercolor I or permission of the instructor
$200, 2 days
Registration closes April 22
Learn the timing and sequence to paint flowers in watercolor with backgrounds that support and emphasize them. Painting stages and many techniques will be demonstrated with plenty of individual attention given. References provided or student can use their own.
287 Botanical Illustration in Colored Pencil
Wednesday, May 27, Thursday, May 28, Wednesday, June 3 and Thursday, June 4, 10 am to 1 pm
Instructor: Betsy Barry
$200, 4 days
Registration closes May 17
From sketchbook to final layout, we will create a botanical illustration using colored pencil. Accuracy in rendering will be emphasized.
271 Drawing and Painting Shells
Mondays, June 1 to June 29, 10 am to 1 pm
Instructor: Linda Thomas
Prerequisite: Watercolor I
$250, 5 weeks
Registration closes May 22
A variety of shapes, patterns and textures make shells of all sizes a great subject to explore in both black-and-white and color! Basic shell classifications and life history will be discussed. We will be emphasizing texture and light/ shadow relationships with black-and-white, and capturing pattern and sheen with paint.
145 All-day Drawing Workshop
Saturday, June 6, 10 am to 4 pm
Instructor: Linda Miller
$100, 1 day
Registration closes May 26
Immerse yourself in the classical tools of observational drawing for a whole day! This is a great course for both beginners and advanced students. Bring your lunch.
237 Drawing and Painting Gems and Minerals
Monday, June 8 and Tuesday, June 9, 10 am to 4pm
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$200, 2 days
Registration closes May 28
Explore the fascinating world of gems and minerals incorporating specimens from the Peabody Museum’s collection from the David Friend Hall and the museum’s minerology collection. After a tour with Stefan Nicolescu, we will render these specimens in graphite and colored pencil and execute several small mixed media paintings suitable for your portfolio or personal collection. Open to all levels-previous drawing experience helpful.
260 Drawing and Painting Hummingbirds
Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14, 10 am to 4 pm
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$200, 2 days
Registration closes June 3
Capture the beauty of hummingbirds using graphite watercolor and iridescent pigments. We will work from photos, and bird cams. Students should bring a laptop or smartphone to class. We will make a small flip book of hummingbirds.
A knowledge of drawing birds is helpful.
103 Field Sketching
Saturday, June 20, 10 am to 4 pm
Instructor: Linda Miller
$100, 1 day
Registration closes June 10
Sketch with conte crayon or graphite and/or paint with watercolor outdoors “en plein air” in different locations on the Yale Campus. There are two farms where vegetables, herbs, medicinal plants, and flowers grow; and there are greenhouses, trails with a river and a pond, as well as many kinds of old, unusual trees. There are also many types of animals and birds!