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Painting Classes Chicago

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Unlock your inner artist and explore the world of painting with a diverse range of classes in Chicago. From beginner to advanced, discover new techniques, develop your skills, and gain the confidence to create beautiful works of art.

21 classes have spots left

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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Exploring Acrylics: From Basics to Pushing the Limits

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Acrylics are versatile paints, and this class explores a range of techniques from traditional to contemporary. From experimenting with the lines of paints to using different mediums, we will work on projects such as layering, making gel skins for abstract landscapes, subtractive painting pouring, mono printing, and more! 

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

5 sessions

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Explore Art Private Group Events

Explore private group events and team building activities ranging from cooking to art, escape rooms, trivia, and more

Explore Art Private Group Events
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Watercolors: Beginning/Intermediate

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

This fun and creative approach to watercolor painting is an exciting way to get started with the medium or enhance and expand what you already may know about it. Learn traditional techniques, including wet-into-wet, glazing, coloring mixing, flat washes, graduated washed, color mixing, and more. Experiment with watercolor paints and watercolor pencils (optional) on a variety of subjects, including still-life and landscape. Please bring these items...

(83) Beginner 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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Watercolor Pencils

Evanston Art Center

Have fun learning to produce vibrant, colorful and unique sketch/drawings using watercolor pencils. Experience a new technique each week, and engage in the sharing and discussion of your artwork with fellow students. Dry pencils/wet pencils, layering of color, creating color, shading, sketching, washing, lifting, lighting and composition will be part of our weekly class. Click here for the instructor's recommended supply list. This interactive...

(83) Beginner 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

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

Beginning Watercolor in American Sign Language

Evanston Art Center

Watercolor is fun and easier than you would think! Learn various techniques and color theory while exploring different ways to combine light, composition, color, and textures in watercolor painting.  Using American Sign Language (ASL) the instructor will teach you how to create your own watercolor paintings, through step-by-step demonstrations. In ASL only. Supply List: Sargent Art Supreme Series Watercolor Cake Sets Strathmore® 400...

(83) Beginner 16 and older
No upcoming schedules

Frankenthaler Did It: Pouring with Oil Paint

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

This one-day workshop will introduce everyone to the soak/stain techniques of Helen Frankenthaler. Over the course of one day we will make our paints and pour our first steps onto the canvas. By the end of the session, learners will have the confidence to complete their paintings on their own. Skill Level: All Levels Click here for the instructor's recommended supply list.

(83) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$155
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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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Painting Vibrant Flora in Oils

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Render flowers richly and beautifully in oil paints! Discover how to achieve vibrant, confident-looking artworks that convey a sense of light, shadow, and sculptural form. Color mixing and brush stroke application will also be a major focus, to avoid muddiness and over-blending. You will start with a paint-along demonstration and receive individual attention.

(83) Beginner 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$130
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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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Painting Water: Reflections, Transparencies, Waves

Evanston Art Center

Painting Water: Reflections Transparencies Waves & Underwater Fluid, seductive, reflective. . . water is the essence of life. Paint different aspects of water: in the movement of waves, reflections and transparencies, pulling inspiration from lakes and oceans, rivers, waterfalls and marshes, and even underwater. We’ll examine abstract and representational depictions of water to understand how different artists have captured imagery: from...

(83) Intermediate 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Intro to Acrylic Painting Through Landscapes

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Learn the basics of acrylic painting to create beautiful landscapes while exploring a variety of color schemes and painting techniques.

(83) Beginner 16 and older
No upcoming schedules
$180

7 sessions

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Learn to Paint: Sea Animals (Ages 5-9)

Evanston Art Center

Sea animals are so much fun to paint! Each week we’ll paint a new sea creature, beginning with a basic line drawing first, and then finishing it off with acrylic paints to bring your sea creature to life! 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 least 1 day before the start of the...

(83) All levels 5 - 9 years old
No upcoming schedules
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Painting Classes in Chicago are rated 4.5 stars based on 83 verified reviews from actual CourseHorse.com purchasers.

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