Chelsea Drawing & Painting Workshops
Upcoming Classes Online

Raphael is an excellent instructor. His style of teaching touches beyond the technical aspects of painting and drawing. He covers the history, the linguistic parallels, and the philosophy behind painting. Being a part of his class feels like I'm in a bygone era, where persistence toward singular aesthetic creations is celebrated, and the wisdom of the artists/philosophers the past are distilled in the proverbs that Raphael recites throughout the classes. Through Raphael's skillful instructions and his own reverence for art creation, I can fully appreciate the arts as a defining pillar of being human. I truly love spending time in his studio and look forward to learning more of what I can do through the skills gained.

This course covered a great strategy for starting drawing. Over the three sessions I learned a technique called "mark mapping" which helps to build the scaffolding of drawing in a way that's really intuitive. The instructor then walks through how to fill in the shading "values" of the drawing and finally how to add details to the drawing. The drawings are usually of abstract shapes - mine was hardware. My sessions were all charcoal based but I was able to transfer the skills to pencil outside of the class relatively easily. It helped me get started with building a practice out of drawing.

I really enjoyed this class! It's super approachable even if you have very little prior experience but appeals to all levels of artists. The class itself felt very intimate and casual, everyone is very friendly and judgement-free. I found learning the fundamentals extremely valuable, teaching concepts like mark mapping and value in a way where anyone is able to improve iteratively. Raphael, the teacher, makes drawing feel more like a step-by-step science rather than magically producing something impressive, which makes it a lot less daunting. I was impressed at how far I had come even in just a few classes, being able to produce a highly detailed piece that I could proudly show off to friends and family. I never thought I could see such a dramatic improvement in such a short time. Highly recommend to anyone who has an interest in art but doesn't know where to start or how to improve.

Excellent class, better than expected. Raphael is a great teacher. We worked on one charcoal drawing over all three classes which was a great way to learn and really focus on the details.

I took the Fundamentals of Drawing & Painting and I loved it! I reconnected with my passion for art and I was guided very well to complete a piece of art I was proud of and could hang up! Would 100% recommend!

I absolutely loved this class! I’d for years wanted to take a class to help me improve on my sketching and learn some basic techniques. I love to draw, sketch, watercolor and now I feel like I have some real skills to create. Raphael is a superb teacher, very personalized instruction and so talented and lovely. I’ll be taking more classes with him in the fall. Wonderful experience

I really enjoyed this 3 part series class. This is the first art class that i took as an adult and Rafael made the process very accessible and inspiring. I love that he provides all supplies so you don't need to buy anything in advance. Also new students come in every week and there are students there who have been working for longer which allowed me to see not just my progression but those of other students as well. I really learned how to see in this class and got much better at drawing than when I first began. Would recommend!

Great class and even better teacher. I progressed so much in just 3 classes. I would recommend to anyone who wants to start drawing.

At first, I was intimidated to take a drawing course since I had no drawing experience, but I’m so glad I did. Raphael is a warm and inviting teacher, and there is absolutely no judgment in the class. He helps bring out each student’s unique style during one-on-ones and provides great critiques. You can tell Raphael truly loves art! Through this course, I learned shading techniques, depth perception, and proportions —all of which are foundational to drawing. I’m excited to apply these skills in future work, and I am retaking another class.

This class has been such a refreshing creative outlet. I had no formal training and barely drew before, but after just 3 sessions I am pleasantly surprised at what I created. Rafael creates a calm, supportive space and teaches practical techniques like mark mapping, scaling with reference points, and breaking down shapes—which made drawing feel approachable and fun. I also loved how he brought in artist references and bits of art history for inspiration. Highly recommend for anyone looking to reconnect with their creativity, no matter their starting point.

This class was very fun and informative! As someone who was interested in exploring their creativity, this was a really engrossing and community-based class to enjoy. The techniques about mark mapping, blending and erasing with charcoal and value were great. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get creative - super good for beginners!

I had a lot of fun and learned a lot in this class! The different techniques, from Mark Mapping to blending/erasing with charcoal, to the value scale, were really helpful and clear. I feel like I progressed a lot in just a three week period with Raphael’s instruction. It was a really warm, community environment which made it enjoyable. Would recommend to anyone who wants to tap into their creative side. As pretty much a total beginner, it was great for me!

Raphael's Fundamentals of Drawing class was an exceptional experience thanks to his personalized instruction and unwavering encouragement, creating a truly inspiring learning environment. The unique studio ambiance further enhanced the journey, making every session a delightful retreat into creativity. I wholeheartedly recommend this class to anyone seeking to grow their artistic skills in a supportive and engaging setting!

Working with Raphael is a real joy. He's an artist through-and-through and conducts his class in a way that is conducive to hands-on learning. He always has something thought-provoking to say and creates a warm, encouraging, and friendly environment for students to learn various techniques and media in the visual arts. I was very surprised at what I was able to create after only 3 weeks of charcoal drawing classes, especially considering I had no prior drawing experience!!

10/10 and this class is quickly becoming one of my favorite parts of the week! It has a relaxed atmosphere that makes it easy to focus and have fun at the same time. Everyone is friendly and supportive which makes the whole experience feel welcoming. Raphael is a great instructor giving personalized feedback and guidance no matter your skill level. I learned how to map out shapes using mark-making techniques and build form through light and shadow. One of the highlights for me was the quick sketching exercises, where I spent 10 minutes each drawing different objects with charcoal. At first it was intimidating, but it really helped me get more confident and comfortable with the process. I’m currently working with colored pastels and excited to see where that leads. If I could only take one art class, this would be the one.

Really enjoyed the 3 week course. Raphael is a great artist & teacher. I didn’t have much experience with charcoal before but learned a ton and felt great about the piece i worked on in the class. Learned a lot about proportions and identifying values & shadows. Would definitely recommend!

I enjoyed the class, the instructor gave us personalized instruction, and I was happy to learn from a professional.