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We have resumed some in-person classes. Check the schedule below for details.  If you would like to get automatic updates about upcoming classes and events, subscribe to our website.

Art Classes and Workshops Held via Zoom or
In-person

 Summer, and Fall 2023
 

 Click on this link to register:

https://shop.peabody.yale.edu/#/Education

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Please register at least 10 days in advance.

 

Courses will meet on-line or in-person as noted in the course description.  In-person courses will meet at the Yale Peabody Community Education Center in Orange, Connecticut.  Some courses have prerequisites or require permission of the instructor to participate.  All 200 level courses require the successful completion of Drawing I (Course # 101) as a prerequisite.

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292X Portraying Natural Science Subjects in Mixed Media
Fridays, June 16 to July 14, 2 to 5pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Dorie Petrochko
$300, 5 weeks, 15 hours
Prerequisites:  Watercolor I or Colored Pencil I
We will explore the many possibilities of representing natural science subjects in mixed media.  Often traditional mediums are used to reproduce accurate renderings of scientific specimens.  We will keep an open mind in creating works that are dynamic and accurate by incorporating watercolor, colored pencil, gouache, pastels and inks.

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172X Children’s Books:  Science and Art (Session A)
Saturdays, July 8 to July 29, 10 am to 12 noon (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Linda Miller
$160, 4 weeks, 8 hours
We will explore some of the wonderful new books out there and have the opportunity to have a dialogue with some authors and illustrators.  We will learn about the process of creating children’s books by journaling and creating storyboards for our own books!

 

286A Flower and Insect Watercolor Workshop 
Sunday, July 9, 9 am to 3 pm (Meets In-Person)
Instructor:  Bivenne Staiger
$120, 1 day, 6 hours
Prerequisite:  Watercolor I
Paint an insect with a flower in this in-person workshop.  Learn the steps necessary in watercolor to successfully integrate natural background features with the subject’s details to create impact using painting elements such as color and value.  The instructor will provide references, and the student may work from their own.

 

103X Field Sketching and Nature Journaling (Session C)
Thursdays, July 13 to August 17, 10 am to 12 noon (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Linda Miller
$240, 6 weeks, 12 hours
Learn the basics of observational drawing starting with simple objects so that you can sketch what you find outdoors as well as indoors. Students will be encouraged to carry their sketchbooks and journals wherever they go. There will be a balance between presentations by the instructor and student work followed by group critiques.

 

286B Watercolor Workshop: The Natural Landscape
Sunday, August 13, 9 am to 3 pm (Meets In-Person)
Instructor:  Bivenne Staiger
$120, 1 day, 6 hours
Prerequisite:  Watercolor I
With a reference of a natural landscape typical of New England provided by the instructor, students will learn how to differentiate foreground from mid-range and background spaces in a wide variety of ways in this in-person workshop.  They will then paint one option in full color in watercolor.  Students will also create a second version from the same motif or from one of their own.   

 

120 The Naturalist’s Palette:  How to Mix Colors in Watercolor
Sunday, August 20, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm (Meets In-Person)
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$120, 1 day, 6 hours
Artists often struggle with reproducing the perfect “mixture of color” that one sees in nature.  In this in-person workshop, we will discuss how we perceive color and light, and how colors interact with one another in nature.  With basic exercises in color mixing, focusing on color families, and tonal relationships, we will create simplistic nature studies using a minimal palette.

282X Nature Explorations in Colored Pencil
Tuesdays, September 5 to October 10, 10 am to 12 noon (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Betsy Barry
$240, 6 weeks, 12 hours
Explore found nature objects and draw a new subject each week using graphite, pen and colored pencil.  Working from life, students will portray subjects such as feathers, shells, driftwood, sticks, etc. They will explore different techniques to capture a variety of subjects in nature. 
 

101X Drawing I (Session A)
Wednesdays, September 6 to October 25, 5 to 8 pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Betsy Barry
$480, 8 weeks, 24 hours
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.

 

103X Field Sketching and Nature Journaling (Session D)
Thursdays, September 7 to October 12, 10 am to 12 noon (Meets In-Person)
Instructor:  Linda Miller
$240, 6 weeks, 12 hours
Learn the basics of observational drawing in this in-person workshop starting with simple objects so that you can sketch what you find outdoors as well as indoors. Students will be encouraged to carry their sketchbooks and journals wherever they go. There will be a balance between presentations by the instructor and actual practice, followed by group critiques.

 

178X Digital Techniques:  Photoshop Clinic
Thursdays, September 7 and 14, 1 to 4 pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Ikumi Kayama
$120, 2 weeks, 6 hours
Bring your Photoshop files or digital files to experiment and manipulate. In this virtual, open-table mini workshop, students can ask questions or discuss roadblocks when using Adobe Photoshop. Based on the topics provided by the students, the instructor will share examples and demo various techniques, tips, and tricks. Sometimes tutorials don’t specifically apply to current projects, and we will brainstorm together to explore creative solutions. 

 

225X Colored Pencil II
Fridays, September 8 to October 27, 5 to 8 pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Dorie Petrochko
$480, 8 weeks, 24 hours
Prerequisite:  Colored Pencil I
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 found objects, and museum specimens to create dynamic scientific studies.

 

168 Nests in Pen and Ink
Saturdays, September 9 to September 30, 9 am to 12 noon (Meets In-Person)
Instructor:  Jeanette Compton
$240, 4 weeks, 12 hours
The shadows and intricate details of birds’ nests lend themselves beautifully to the medium of pen and ink.  This in-person workshop will explore the process of drawing a nest from life in detail, using a fine liner pen and applying the principles of natural science illustration. 

 

241X Colored Pencil I
Saturdays, September 9 to October 28, 10 am to 1 pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Jan Prentice
$480, 8 weeks, 24 hours
Begin your exploration of color with this approachable medium. In our first few classes, 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.

 

112 Flowers Through the Microscope
Sunday, September 10 am to 4 pm (Meets In-Person)
Instructor:  Susannah Graedel
$120, 1 day, 6 hours
In this in-person workshop students will dissect fresh flowers of late summer under the camera/microscope to reveal their hidden intricate structures.  They will see, magnified, the hidden physical features that distinguish the flower families.  These “botanists for a day” will produce one scientific botanical plate.

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244X Watercolor I

Thursdays, September 14 to November 2, 5 pm to 8 pm (Meets Online)

Instructor: Michael DiGiorgio

$480,  8 weeks, 24 hours

Learn the basic techniques of watercolor painting including color theory, color mixing, washes, layering, dry versus wet, dry brush, and achieving fine detail necessary for natural science subjects. Students will learn how to plan a painting and develop it carefully to capture the beauty of this transparent medium. 

 

286C Watercolor Workshop:  Trees
Sunday, September 17, 9 am to 3 pm (Meets In-Person)
Instructor:  Bivenne Staiger
$120, 1 day, 6 hours
Prerequisite:  Watercolor I
Students will learn how to paint palm, birch, willow, white pine, fir and a flowering tree like crabapple or cherry in this in-person workshop.  We will also cover the basics to paint a deciduous tree such as maple or oak in four seasons so that its species is identifiable.  Key details, such as how trunks are attached to the ground and branches are painted between foliage, will also be taught.  Students may bring their own tree references for study.
 

174X The Art of Natural History
Tuesdays, September 19 to November 7, 5 to 7 pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Kate Samworth
$480, 8 weeks, 24 hours
Prerequisite:  Drawing I
This course combines art history with hands-on projects through a series of recorded slide presentations and live (online) painting sessions. We'll examine the fascinating stories behind centuries of collecting and documenting the natural world, from Ancient Greece to the Enlightenment, with special focus on arts and sciences of the Renaissance.  Students will develop skills in color rendering through a series of demonstrations and exercises in mixed media.

 

232X Building Form with Autumn Squashes in Watercolor
Thursdays, September 21 to October 19, 4 to 7 pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor: Nina Petrochko
$300, 5 weeks, 15 hours
Prerequisite: Watercolor 1
This course will cover a step-by-step approach to painting autumn squashes in watercolor. Students will learn the importance of selecting interesting specimens, create fluid line drawings (from life), transfer them to good paper, learn to build up form using a grisaille, and achieve luminosity and basic textures that define the Cucurbita species. Students will hand in one final piece at the end, where they can choose to add vines or leaves to their squash composition.

 

268X Digital Techniques:  Adobe Illustrator
Thursdays, September 28 to November 16, 1 to 4 pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Ikumi Kayama
$480, 8 weeks, 24 hours
In this online 8-week course, students will learn to create a vector-based illustration using shapes, curves, gradients, layers, masks, etc., using Adobe Illustrator. We will cover the “foreign language” of Illustrator terms, and students will learn to find and use tools to create a labeled illustration for publication and education. Many Adobe Illustrator tutorials are for graphic designers; this course is specifically tailored for illustrators to work in Illustrator.

 

190 Painting Landscapes in Watercolor
Sundays, October 1 to November 19, 9 am to noon (Meets In-Person)
Instructor:  Bivenne Staiger
$480, Eight weeks, 24 hours
We will paint a sunset, mountain scene, seascape, and landscape, some in different seasons, and with nature as emphasis.  The instructor will provide reference material and will demonstrate the sequence necessary in watercolor to complete each while helping the student understand how to work with painting elements to create dramatic results.

 

287X Botanical Illustration in Colored Pencil
Tuesdays, October 3 to November 7, 5 to 8 pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Betsy Barry
$360, 18 hours 6 weeks
Explore found nature objects and draw a new subject each week using graphite, pen, and colored pencil. Working from life with such subjects as feathers, shells, driftwood, sticks, etc., students will explore different techniques to capture a variety of subjects in nature. 

 

148X Drawing Insects in Colored Pencil
Thursdays, October 5 to November 9, 2-5 pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Kim Burris
$360, 18 hours, 6 weeks
Explore the intricate and varied beauty of insects.  Students will learn basic insect anatomy and colored pencil techniques to create detailed drawings.  Students will focus on three insect orders:  Coleoptera (beetles), Hymenoptera (bees and wasps) and Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). 

 

132 The Science of Color for Artists
Saturday, October 7, 10 am to 2 pm (Meets In-Person)
Instructor:  Armand Morgan
This in-person workshop will help beginning artists gain an understanding of color through lab demonstrations, examples from nature, works of art, and a few simple exercises.  A variety of subjects will be introduced including the anatomy of the human eye, additive and subtractive color, pigment and structural color, how organisms use color, and basic color mixing.

 

128X Watercolor Workshop for Beginners
Tuesdays, October 10 to 31, 10 am to 12 noon (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Linda Miller
$160, 4 weeks, 8 hours
Get a taste of what is involved when you paint with watercolor. The traditional approach to watercolor painting will be taught with the focus on limited palettes, mixing, layering, and glazing to create luminous, beautiful colors in this special medium.

 

103X Field Sketching and Nature Journaling (Session E)
Thursdays, October 19 to November 30, 10 am to 12 noon (No class November 23) (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Linda Miller
$240, 6 weeks, 12 hours
Learn the basics of observational drawing starting with simple objects so that you can sketch what you find outdoors as well as indoors. Students will be encouraged to carry their sketchbooks and journals wherever they go. There will be a balance between presentations by the instructor with actual practice followed by group critiques. 

 

252X Watercolor II:  Botanical Studies
Sundays, October 29 to January 7, 2 to 5 pm (No class November 23, December 24 and 31) (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Dorie Petrochko
$480, 8 weeks, 24 hours
Prerequisite:  Watercolor I
In this eight-week course, students will explore and demystify the specific techniques characteristic of traditional botanical illustration, and learn how to accurately represent plant portraits in watercolor.  Using graded washes, drybrush, charging, masking, and detailing, we will create a series of four botanical portraits focusing on Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer in the traditional botanical format on hot press watercolor paper. 

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201X Drawing II Session A

Mondays, September 11 to October 30, 5–8 pm (Meets On-Line)

Instructor:  Betsy Barry
$480, 8 weeks, 24 hours

 

201X Drawing II, Session B
Wednesdays, November 1 to December 20, 2 to 5 pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Susannah Graedel
$480, 8 weeks, 24 hours
Create stunning silvery tonal portraits of animals and plants and free yourself from an artificial light source.  Like artists since Renaissance times, students will learn to intuitively portray their subjects with light coming from the upper left.  Through toning in this way, students will bring their subjects to three-dimensional life in delicate intricate detail.

 

101X Drawing I (Session B)
Saturdays, November 4 to January 6, 10 am to 1 pm (No class November 25 and December 23) (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Jan Prentice
$480, 8 weeks, 24 hours
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.

 

145XB How to Draw a Barred Owl
Saturday, November 4, 2 to 5 pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Dorie Petrochko
$60, 1 day, 3 hours
Drawing owls is challenging and fun! Using graphite and colored pencil, we will capture the essence of this raptor’s personality by using specific measurements of head and body and adding realistic detail of feathers and barring in the final process. This class is open to beginners as well as experienced artists.

107X Noticing: Poetry and Nature Journaling
Mondays, November 6 to November 27, 1 to 3 pm (Meets On-Line)
Instructor: Linda Miller
$160, 4 weeks, 8 hours
Read and discuss nature-themed writings; explore and discover possibilities for creating your own haiku and other simple forms of poetry. Find inspiration in these words as we experiment with observational drawing and illustrating our own poems. 

 

213 Drawing Birds from the Peabody Museum Collection
Tuesdays, November 21 to January 2, 5 to 7 pm (No class December 26) (Meets In-Person)
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$240, 6 weeks, 12 hours
This in-person six-week class will introduce students to the fascinating world of drawing birds.  To better understand the structure of birds, a basic foundation of avian anatomy will be introduced using taxidermy mounts and skins from the Peabody Museum’s collection.  Students will learn how to intuitively recognize the form of various bird species by observing and drawing birds from live bird cams. 

 

172X Children’s Books:  Science and Art (Session B)
Thursdays, December 7 to January 11, 10 am to 12 noon ((no class 12/21 & 12/28) (Meets On-Line)
Instructor:  Linda Miller
$160, 4 weeks, 8 hours
We will explore some of the wonderful new books out there and have the opportunity to have a dialogue with some authors and illustrators.  We will learn about the process of creating children’s books by journaling and creating storyboards for our own books!


299X Portfolio Development
Date and Time TBD
Instructor: TBD
$300, 3 Sessions
This final course in the Certificate Program is for a student who has successfully completed all other required and elective courses.  Sessions will focus on concept development, interim progress, and achieving final portfolio goals.  Session dates and times will be determined by the student and instructor.

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