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Beginner Painting Classes Chicago

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Learn the fundamentals of painting in a beginner-friendly class in Chicago, where participants can discover various techniques and explore different mediums to create their own masterpieces.

12 classes have spots left

Pen and Ink Exploration: Color and Texture (Ages 16+)

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Learn how to combine the contrast and detail of pen and ink and the vibrancy of watercolor to create bold, exciting illustrations full of color and texture! We'll start off playing around with basic texturing techniques in both watercolor and ink, and then experiment with how we can combine those techniques to create realistic textures such as skies, soil, trees, fur, glass, metal, water, and more. Demos of specific textures will be open to student...

(83) All levels 16 and older
No upcoming schedules
$190

4 sessions

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Plein Air in the City

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Draw and paint outside the Caldwell Lily Pool, Lincoln Park Conservatory or Garfield Park Conservatory. Work in drawing mediums and or watercolors and watercolor pencils. Focus includes instruction on creating quick thumbnail sketches, composition, and color. Dress appropriately for changing weather, sun protection, and summer insects.

(83) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$195

2 sessions

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Paint the Town

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Unleash your creativity and explore the world of art in an immersive experience where you can unleash your inner artist and bring your imagination to life through captivating and expressive artwork.

(83) Beginner 16 and older
No upcoming schedules
$195

5 sessions

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Landscape Painting with Water-Based Mediums

Evanston Art Center

Water-based paint mediums allow artists the freedom to explore color; create layers, experiment; and make quick changes in their compositions.   This Winter; explore your favorite landscapes  while learning about color, gesture, form, and other elements crucial to a strong landscape painting.  Gouache; watercolor, acrylic, and other water-based mediums are welcome.  Instructor will provide photographic references or bring...

(83) All levels 15 and older
No upcoming schedules

Lighting Effects Workshop

Evanston Art Center

Bring a painting you are struggling with and Didier will help you think about light? Working in your choice of medium (oil, acrylic, charcoal, graphite, or pastel) Didier will show you how to create correct light. Bring a piece that you had started or start a new piece from scratch using a photo reference. Light gives a sense of dimension, mood, and life.  Didier Nolet is an artist who has perfected the use of light in his art. He will share...

(83) Beginner 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

From Drawing to Painting (Ages 16+)

Evanston Art Center

We’ll begin each class with drawing exercises, and then use those drawings as tools to painting. Learn to see deeper, express yourself both intuitively and through observation, and simply indulge in the pleasure of making. Work from still lives you create yourself, as well as reference photos. In drawing you will work with line, gesture, cross hatch and tone. The paintings will expand upon these ideas. There will be lessons for beginners, and...

(83) All levels 16 and older
No upcoming schedules

Paint Your Heart Out

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Awaken your creative insticts and collaborate with a group of kindred spirits while working in the EAC studio environment. Learn to access you uncensored voice and free yourself from limiting opinions of what is considered acceptable artmaking. In this class, students elevate painting skills by exploring paint application methods and mediums. Develop personal imagery and invent on a 2D surface. Bring acrylics, oils, watercolors or gouache. Supply...

(83) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$330

9 sessions

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Color As an Object: Painting with Color

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Want to grow your practice with color in either oil or acrylic? We’ll begin with the basics of color theory, and progress through creating color swatches and learning about our materials, ultimately creating two paintings that demonstrate the main principles of color theory. Paintings will either be abstract or from references you bring.  To expand on these foundational building blocks, we will begin to experiment with color as an object,...

(83) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$190

3 sessions

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Painting Vibrant Flora & Landscapes in Oils

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Render flowers and landscapes richly and beautifully in oil paints! Discover how to achieve vibrant, confident artworks that convey a sense of light, shadow, and sculptural form. Color mixing and brush stroke application will also be a major focus.  You will start with a paint-along demonstration, then work on your own choice of subject. Supply List *Winsor & Newton Artists' Oil Colours: all 37 ml size tubes except for white, which...

(83) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$195

9 sessions

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Pushing The Figure: Abstraction and Beyond

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Designed for the figurative painter who wishes to challenge their way of seeing and representing the figure beyond traditional rendering. You will be exposed to the work of Nathan Oliveira, Elaine de Kooning, Richard Diebenkorn, and Barbara Knoll, among many other contemporary abstract figurative painters.  Re-interpreting figure/ground relationships, use of color, and mark-making within the context of exploring abstraction and strong design...

(83) Intermediate 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$350

8 sessions

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Painting, Color and Design

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Get introduced to stimulating color and design methods. Learn how to progress from idea to sketch to painting to both enrich creativity and bring a sense of order to your artwork. Personalize your color palette, and work with the principles of pictorial structure to help you develop an exciting and cohesive body of work. Acrylic or oil paint, charcoal, graphite or colored pencils will be used. Bring what supplies you have to the first class.

(83) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$295

8 sessions

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Painted Floorcloths (Ages 16+)

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Design your own floorcloth, an Early American art form of floor coverings. Learn various techniques: staining, stenciling, geometric design or free hand images. Display on the floor or use as a wall-hanging. Bring on the first day of class: Any sketch pad Any pencil If the student already has acrylic paint and/or brushes, it is recommended that they come to class the first day before buying any new art materials.

(83) All levels 16 and older
No upcoming schedules
$195

5 sessions

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Plein Air Painting and Sketching

Evanston Art Center @ Interactive Online Classroom via Zoom, Chicago, IL

Create art inspired by nature in oil or acrylic. Learn how to translate the beauty and complexity of the natural world into drawings and paintings. We will alternate working onsite (likely Skokie Lagoons) and at home (via Zoom) while we learn ways to render skies, plant life, and water. Concepts will be explained via lectures so students have a strong grasp of the fundamentals before we head outside. This class will only take place outdoors and on...

(83) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$170

4 sessions

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Teen Beginning/Intermediate Drawing and Painting (Ages 13-18)

Evanston Art Center @ Interactive Online Classroom via Zoom, Chicago, IL

Ignite your artistic journey in Teen Beginning/Intermediate Drawing and Painting. Delve into the fundamentals of drawing, from mastering line and shape to exploring shading techniques. With watercolor paints, embark on a step-by-step exploration of color and realism, creating captivating landscapes, portraits, and still lifes. Join us, whether you're a returning student or a newcomer eager to embark on new projects and refine your skills.

(83) Beginner 13 - 18 years old
$150

6 sessions

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Art Mash-Up with Miss Sam (Ages 7-12)

Evanston Art Center

Calling all artists! Join us from the comfort of your home for a virtual mixed media art class. We’ll explore drawing, painting, collage, sculpture and fun crafts in a variety of artistic styles in a fun, supportive atmosphere. This interactive online class is presented via Zoom. Please download Zoom prior to your first class You will be emailed Zoom meeting instructions, including a unique URL and meeting ID, to join the class at...

(83) All levels 7 - 12 years old
No upcoming schedules

Nature as My Muse: Painting Earth Ages 16+

Evanston Art Center

As an element, earth signifies the terrestrial world. As inspiration for a painting class, it is associated with rocks and soil. Create “earth” textures to incorporate into our paintings or mixed media pieces, as backgrounds or textures within landscapes.  Focus on a technique, such as crackle paste, rust patina, rock surfaces, or fertile soil each week, and expand upon the possibilities into either a step-by-step painting background or...

(83) All levels 16 and older
No upcoming schedules

Fall Plein Air: Nature in Chicago

Evanston Art Center

We’ll draw and paint on the grounds of the North Park Nature Center, Lincoln Park Conservatory, and the grounds of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Work in watercolors and watercolor pencils, drawing mediums, or acrylics. Focus includes instruction on creating quick thumbnail sketches, composition, and color. Materials: small sketchbook, Staedtler #3b pencils, kneaded eraser, also see posted list for all materials.

(83) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$120

2 sessions

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Tropical Plein Air

Evanston Art Center

We’ll draw and paint in either the Lincoln Park Conservatory or the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Work in watercolors and watercolor pencils, drawing mediums, or acrylics. Focus includes instruction on creating quick thumbnail sketches, composition, and color. Materials: small sketchbook Staedtler #3b pencils kneaded eraser.

(83) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$110

2 sessions

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Color Simplified

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Overwhelmed by all the colors on your palette? Gain a stronger understanding of color temperature and harmony by painting with a limited palette. When you limit the number of colors you use, you focus more on color temperature and value, which define form and space in your painting.  Limiting your palette helps to better understand individual pigment qualities such as transparency and tinting strength. We will work from still life setups and...

(83) Intermediate 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$155

4 sessions

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Making Paint from Scratch

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Learn the basic principles of paint fabrication, canvas stretching and priming to deepen your knowledge of the properties of various pigments. Make a painting from the raw materials, the way painters were doing it before readymade paints were available. The session will cover acrylic, oil and other kinds of paints.

(83) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$130

2 sessions

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Beginner Painting Classes in Chicago are rated 4.5 stars based on 83 verified reviews from actual CourseHorse.com purchasers.

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