We are offering a general in-person class for ages 14-18 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.
Our program recognizes that teens have diverse interests and skills. Our goal is to provide an environment in which teens can challenge themselves to develop and refine their techniques in a friendly and inclusive atmosphere.
Some teens may reach a level at which they might be better served by one of our adult classes. Please discuss with Jim or Sarah before registering your teen for these classes.
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.
The Drawing Fundamentals class for teens emphasizes the basics of drawing simply and logically. Our methods promote sound draftsmanship, which dramatically improves a student’s drawing abilities, both in class and on independent projects.
A popular class that focuses on character design and visual storytelling. Students may take it as part of the core curriculum, or as an independent class.
This course provides students with a step-by-step process to create fantasy, science fiction, or other original work in pencil, ink and paint. The focus is on developing a rough, initial concept into a complete and finished work through the practical use of sketching, references, and incremental studies.
Our camps are week-long sessions held throughout the summer months for children ages 7 - 18. Camps are a great way to focus on a specific skill or project.
We are offering a general in-person adult class 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:
Mon 7:00pm-9:00pm Tue 6:00pm-8:00pm Wed 6:00pm-8:00pm Thu 10:00am-12:00pm Thu 2:00pm-4:00pm 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.
The Art Academy offers an extensive selection of classes to satisfy the artistic needs of adults within our community. All classes focus on improving skills and are taught with thorough explanation and demonstration. We suggest, but do not assign, homework. We welcome both beginning and advanced students in all of our adult courses. There are no prerequisites to attend our programs.
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.
Learn the tools to draw and paint the figure well - proportion, gesture, anatomy and much more. Gain the knowledge to arrange a figure in a composition.
We are offering a general in-person adult class 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:
Mon 7:00pm-9:00pm Tue 6:00pm-8:00pm Wed 6:00pm-8:00pm Thu 10:00am-12:00pm Thu 2:00pm-4:00pm Sat 1:00pm-3:00pm Sat 3:30pm-5:30pm
All participants will be asked to follow safety guidelines for preventing the spread of this virus following the CDC, Minnesota, and St. Paul guidelines.
Let's face it; you probably became an artist because you have visual ideas bursting inside you. And if you've taken some of our other classes, you've developed the skills to realize your dreams. Why wait to share them with the world?
At this point, what you really need most is a nurturing mentor with a track record of realized images, who creates a safe, judgment-free workspace where you can loosen up, have fun and play. Come to our Creativity and Composition class and experience a positive, relaxed environment that will help you bring your most precious and inspired thoughts to artistic fruition.
Explore your creativity by developing an imaginative picture based upon an existing story that you select, or an idea that you originate. Work at your own pace to learn the time-honored steps of the creative, visual process – from idea generation, through preparatory work, to completed project. Emphasis will be placed on storytelling through composition and character development, as well as how color theory enhances visual communication. Students choose to work in the medium with which they are comfortable. We have experience to support pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, colored pencil, watercolor, egg tempura, and oils.
The basis of traditional Western Art education centers upon learning how to draw the figure well, and that is the focus of these classes. Lectures are given on subjects including – recommended reading, materials, anatomy, aesthetics, indirect versus direct painting methods, and a reasonable breakdown of drawing and painting stages to complete finished work based on historic precedence.
The course stresses the importance of a Sensible Start and clarifies how to balance Unity and Variety throughout the complex Middle Stage of a picture, yet also emphasizes the significance of a Unified Finish to create a poetic, artistic statement. Repeat the class to learn how to combine studies and memory work so much of your extended figure can be completed away from the model.
Students in all classes are encouraged to solve challenging drawing passages by executing smaller, quicker studies. Others may focus on portrait drawing and painting.
Throughout the course, artists will be encouraged to construct solid drawings investigating anatomy, structure, weight and line quality before progressing to use value to build volume. Painters may choose to follow the traditional indirect method presented by the instructor or explore more direct methods – both approaches will receive frequent, positive critiques from an experienced painter. Lectures on traditional methods and materials and how they apply to working from life will be supplemented with informed demonstrations.
The course will conclude with a constructive critique of accumulated classroom work.
Comic, Graphic Novel & Children's Book Development
WINTER 2024 UPDATE
We are offering a general in-person adult class 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:
Mon 7:00pm-9:00pm Tue 6:00pm-8:00pm Wed 6:00pm-8:00pm Thu 10:00am-12:00pm Thu 2:00pm-4:00pm Sat 1:00pm-3:00pm Sat 3:30pm-5:30pm
All participants will be asked to follow safety guidelines for preventing the spread of this virus following the CDC, Minnesota, and St. Paul guidelines.
Today, the most popular forms of communication in book publishing are comics, graphic novels and children's books, and artists David Witt and Bill Hauser are masters of the craft. Together, they will help develop your ideas into exciting, visual stories that communicate your thoughts with exhilarating interest.
Everything is covered, including: Process (story development, layout, thumbnails, roughs, and finish), Composition (narrative flow, page/panel relationship, viewpoint, camera angles, and cropping for emphasized interest), Character Development (expressive gesture through anatomy, posture, facial expression, and costume), Tone Design (dramatic lighting and spotting darks), Lettering, and advanced Inking Techniques.
Drawing Manga, Superheroes and Fantasy Figures is designed to correlate with our 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 Drawing Manga, Superheroes and Fantasy Figures class features two complimentary programs to satisfy everyone’s creative needs.
Character Design and Development
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, Super Hero, and Fantasy Figure characters from local artists who excel in figure design.
Visual Storytelling through Comics and Graphic Novels
This 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 are published each term in Bill Hauser’s and David Witt’s Art Academy fanzine, Sandwhich, which comprises their final project.
The art supplies listed below can be purchased as a kit at the art supply store Wet Paint, 1684 Grand Ave., St. Paul, at a discounted rate.
If you are unable to purchase all the art supplies listed below by the first class, don’t worry. The instructor can loan you supplies for that lesson.
We encourage students to use these supplies outside of class as much as possible!
Comic, Graphic Novel & Children’s Book Development Drawing Supplies
• 2 – F pencils
• White Block eraser
• 500 Bristol 11”x17” plate Pad
• Set of 4 Micron Pens, #02, #03, #05, #08
• Speedball Penholder, Black
• Nikko G-Pen Nib, 3-pack
• Dr. Ph Martin's Black Star Hicarb waterproof India ink
• Elite Synthetic Kolinsky Watercolor Round Brush, #2
• Elite Synthetic Kolinsky Watercolor Round Brush, #3
• Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud
Household Items
• Shoebox or Tackle box to hold art supplies
• Roll of Paper Towels (to be left at classroom). Continuing students need to bring a new roll every session
The Oil Study: Proper Techniques for Traditional Painting
SPRING 2024 UPDATE
We are offering a general in-person adult class 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:
Mon 7:00pm-9:00pm Tue 6:00pm-8:00pm Wed 6:00pm-8:00pm Thu 10:00am-12:00pm Thu 2:00pm-4:00pm Sat 1:00pm-3:00pm Sat 3:30pm-5:30pm
All participants will be asked to follow safety guidelines for preventing the spread of this virus following the CDC, Minnesota, and St. Paul guidelines.
Designed to be taken independently or in conjunction with our Renaissance Drawing and Painting Techniques and Beyond course, this class is formatted to teach art students how to paint simply and quickly using traditional methods. While students in Renaissance Drawing and Painting Techniques learn the importance of finish, this class is designed to emphasize the significance of an intelligent and efficient start based on working methods and aesthetic principles established during the 15th through 19th centuries.
Initially, systematic painting methods are stressed to build confidence and speed of execution. Concepts of shape, value, color, edge relationships and brush manipulation are approached with concise clarity to help increase the accuracy of intuitive decision-making and to facilitate assured painting. During each painting session the importance of intent is emphasized to help students focus on essentials and use limits of time to their best advantage. The class includes an informed overview of materials, techniques, and ways to increase artistic seeing and thought processes.
The art supplies listed below can be purchased as a kit at the art supply store Wet Paint, 1684 Grand Ave., St. Paul, at a discounted rate.
If you are unable to purchase all the art supplies listed below by the first class, don’t worry. The instructor can loan your child supplies for that lesson.
We encourage students to use these supplies outside of class as much as possible!
Character Design and Development Supplies
• 2 – F pencils
• White Block eraser
• 300 Bristol 11”x17” plate Pad
• Strathmore 9”x12”, 100 sheet, 50 lb sketchbook or equivalent
• Set of 4 Micron Pens, #02, #03, #05, #08
• Simplified Anatomy For The Comic Book Artist by Christopher Hart
Household Items
• Shoebox or Tackle box to hold art supplies
• Roll of Paper Towels (to be left at classroom). Continuing students need to bring a new roll every session
If your child is attending the camp, please have your child bring two snacks to each class. Please avoid snacks with nuts.
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