Celebrating Over 25 Years of Outstanding Art Education
The complete list of classes, camps, and workshops offered by the Art Academy, Inc.
This online class for adults will be tailored to each student, following the desired curriculum from our traditional offerings.
See our adult classes for supply lists and additional information about the available programs.
This online class for Advanced Teens will be tailored to each student, following our curriculum.
Participants should have taken in-person classes at The Art Academy and reached the level of advanced watercolor.
Digital Illustration and Composition is an online course designed for self-motivated students who are either new to digital art or want to learn how to better use the tools. Due to the expense of the materials and in-depth concepts covered in this class, this course is for intermediate to advanced students who are invested in cultivating drawing as a long-term skill. Students completely new to drawing will not benefit from taking this course.
The program centers around digital tools and how to use them. In the Digital Art class, students will learn about layer modes, clipping masks, filters, brush settings, gradients, selection tools, color adjustment, and much more to take their drawings to the next level. Art concepts such as color theory, anatomy, line art, lighting, and backgrounds will also be explored, through the lens of digital art styles and techniques.
The instructor will be demonstrating and teaching in the program Procreate, but the techniques and principles are applicable in any comparable program (Adobe Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, Krita, etc). A basic knowledge on your program of choices' tools and how to use them is prerequisite.
This class is designed to be customizable to meet the needs of each student. Before the first class, students will be given a survey to fill out where they will be able to mark off what tools/concepts they already know how to use/do, which they want to know more about, and which they don’t yet feel comfortable with using.
Our online Drawing Manga, Superheroes and Fantasy Figures is designed to correlate with our online Drawing and Painting Fundamentals program. Students may take the two classes together to learn complementary information, thereby accelerating their skill development considerably. However, it can be taken on its own, and there is no prerequisite.
Our online Drawing Manga, Superheroes & Fantasy Figures class features two complimentary programs to satisfy everyone's creative needs: Character Design & Development and Visual Storytelling through Graphic Novels. These classes may be taken together or separately, and sequence does not matter.
The program centers around the figure, where anatomy, construction and movement are studied in conjunction with each other. Children and teens with a strong interest in Japanese animation (Anime), superheroes, comics and role-playing art are especially drawn to this class. For examples, we look to professional artists to set a standard of excellence. The accumulated knowledge of these fine anatomists, draftsmen and painters inspire our students to produce work of higher quality. In addition to figure construction, students learn about costume design, gesture, facial expression, inking and color techniques. After these skills are understood, they are encouraged to create their own Manga, Superhero, and Fantasy Figure characters from local artists who excel in figure design.
See also our online Visual Storytelling through Graphic Novels class.
Comics Level 1 Supply List (for new students)
Comics Level 2 Supply List (for returning students)
Our online Drawing Manga, Superheroes and Fantasy Figures is designed to correlate with our online Drawing and Painting Fundamentals program. Students may take the two classes together to learn complementary information, thereby accelerating their skill development considerably. However, it can be taken on its own, and there is no prerequisite.
Our online Drawing Manga, Superheroes & Fantasy Figures class features two complimentary programs to satisfy everyone's creative needs: Character Design & Development and Visual Storytelling through Graphic Novels. These classes may be taken together or separately, and sequence does not matter.
This online program is designed to teach students how to develop a visual concept through sequential art, which is the largest growth industry within the world of book publishing today. Students explore visual story telling techniques, including: story development, page layout, perspective, camera angles, dramatic lighting, lettering and advanced inking techniques. After these skills are learned, kids create their own comic or graphic novel pages, which comprises their final project.
See also our online Character Design & Development class.
Our online classes follow the progression of our Drawing and Painting Fundamentals program. Students begin with black and white drawing exercises in pencil and pen and ink. After basic skills are learned, children advance to color in watercolor and oil. All levels of study, from beginning to advanced students are accepted.
Throughout history, drawing has always been considered an artist's most prized possession. It is the foundation upon which all other aspects of art are formed. This is true whether an artist chooses to be expressive in a realistic or abstract style. That is why we give the craft of drawing special attention at The Art Academy.
In our online program, special emphasis is placed on teaching the fundamentals of drawing logically and simply. Our methods promote refined draftsmanship, which dramatically improves a student's drawing abilities. With continued practice children can then achieve higher levels of understanding and success.
Many of our initial drawing exercises are executed in pen and ink so students become familiar with the expressive qualities of line. This improves a student’s eye/hand coordination and focus.
Students continue to advance their drawing skills when they move on to painting.
After students have demonstrated a basic understanding of drawing they begin painting in watercolor. While we emphasize line in drawing, painting is a medium devoted to the understanding of mass and color. Watercolor is a great medium to learn these concepts.
As with drawing, we approach the study of color in a systematic way. This helps prevent students from spending months or years mixing colors that interact on paper or canvas in an unpleasant, unintentional manner.
By following revered principles of color theory and color mixing, children create fresh, lively pictures the first time they paint without experiencing any undue frustration.
There is much to learn about painting; and watercolor methods easily translate to other forms of painting and color mediums. Students build upon these skills when they advance into oil painting.
By the time students are ready for oil painting they have thoroughly grasped the refined drawing, watercolor and design principles that will directly translate into the oil medium.
Often considered the most challenging form of painting, oils are introduced to students after they've developed a firm understanding of drawing and color mixing.
Our first objective is to pass safe studio methods on to students. We ensure a solvent-free environment where health and safety come first. After learning clean painting procedures students begin to advance their artistic vision by exploring the fascinating world of oil painting techniques.
At The Art Academy we teach several methods of oil painting. This approach allows students to receive a well-rounded education that promotes development of a personal aesthetic based upon time-honored principles of art history.
Indirect Painting and Glazing are methods of working in oils that were commonly practiced from the fifteenth through the nineteenth centuries. They have proven to be extremely durable techniques. At The Art Academy we teach several variations of glazing and underpainting, including grisaille, verdaccio, bistre, local color underpainting and the mixed tempera-oil technique.
Direct Painting is a method of working in oils popularized during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is the technique of nineteenth century Impressionism. One of the hallmarks of direct painting is color mixing through clear observation. It is an excellent way to improve a student's sensitivity to color.
PEASE NOTE: We’ve found that The Art Academy benefits students in two distinct ways. First, there is the level of our instruction, but equally important is the informal interaction pupils have with fellow students and teachers. To that end, EVERY online class comes with a weekly Friday Night Hangout Session.
These sessions form a gathering of like-minded individuals which allows you or your child to work on a project while casually enjoying the company of others – and there is always a teacher monitoring the session, so you can get extra help with any challenges you may be experiencing in your artwork.
You may also use these Hangout Sessions to make up any classes that you may have missed throughout the term!
Taught by St. Paul artist Jack Dant, the class will introduce students to the joys of Plein Air – or open air – painting. It will include classroom sessions to gain an understanding of the basic techniques of prismatic color mixing and brush handling in oils, and then incorporate painting sessions out of doors, where students have the opportunity to apply their newfound knowledge in front of nature.
Indoors, students will interpret landscape photos to create simple, Payne’s Grey underpainting statements to freeze light effects through drawing, perspective, and edge relationships. Once complete, color will be applied to their paintings to demonstrate how light shifts prismatically as it recedes into the background, creating atmospheric distance.
During outdoor sessions, the same techniques will be applied and perfected. Students will therefore gain an application for the value of a Payne’s Grey underpainting to simplify and capture a scene Careful observation, good drawing and confidence in painting will be emphasized.
SPRING 2024 UPDATE
We are offering a general in-person class for ages 9-18 at various times each week. This wide-ranging class will allow students to continue their training in specific areas of interest as they receive instruction on a one-on-one project basis.
Choose one of these times when registering:
Wed 6:00pm-8:00pm
Thu 6:00pm-8:00pm
Sat 10:00am-12:00pm
Sat 1:00pm-3:00pm
Sat 3:30pm-5:30pm
If you have any questions, please call us (651) 699-1573.
Thank you for your interest.
Students ages 9-13 build skills through drawing, pen and ink, and watercolor. Tonal studies in pencil, colored pencil, charcoal and pastel are other options to improve students’ abilities. Eventually, students advance into oils.
Above all, we offer a variety of classes to suit your pre-teen's growing and changing interests in the arts.
Classes meet once a week on their scheduled day. Review our schedule to find out when course terms start & end, and please see the registration page for class days and times. Our school also has a generous make-up policy.
SPRING 2024 UPDATE
These classes are currently cancelled.
If you have any questions, please call us (651) 699-1573.
Thank you for your interest.
Classes meet once a week on their scheduled day. Review our schedule to find out when course terms start & end, and please see the registration page for class days and times. Our school also has a generous make-up policy.
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