Blog

Design Basics: Intro to Digital Typography – NEW!

April 16, 2020

Dive right into both Adobe Illustrator and InDesign, as well as the rich world of type! Through a series of demonstrations and projects, we’ll look at choosing and pairing fonts, looking at the array of categories of typefaces, manipulating letterforms and legibility.

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Social Media Marketing for Artists – NEW!

April 16, 2020

Explore the process of designing materials for a social media campaign to promote either yourself, your business or any other service/event you’d like to present to the public. The materials for the campaign can come from a variety of sources and can be formatted for each social media channel. Learn how to reach a targeted […]

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Short Story Fiction Writing

April 16, 2020

Explore short story fiction writing by studying narrative craft elements like story, plot, character, scene, structure, archetypal patterns and dialogue. We’ll examine professionally published pieces and your own work. By the end of the course, you’ll be ready to begin a story based on a word or an idea. You’ll also understand how to evaluate […]

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Acrylic Painting – NEW!

April 16, 2020

This two-hour studio course is designed for painters who are familiar with the fundamentals of color and basic acrylic techniques and who are interested in the development of the subject matter, style and content of their painting. Each session will begin with a short presentation on an artist, technique or exhibition with follow up time […]

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Journaling for Artists, Writers + Photographers – NEW!

April 16, 2020

This two-hour studio course is designed for anyone interested in the techniques and development of visual journaling. We’ll review the contributions of visual diarists such as Dan Eldon and Frida Kahlo. Each session will begin with a short presentation on a visual diarist, technique or significant artist with follow up time for guidance, feedback and […]

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(Re)Writing an Artist Statement – NEW!

April 16, 2020

Bring your current artist’s statement to class and workshop it with the group. How can we make your verbs active, your voice unique and your purpose clear? Reading others’ statements will give you a better idea of how to be specific in your own voice and give your work it’s due.

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Chain Sampler Remix – NEW!

April 16, 2020

Work with a mix of wire sizes that you have on hand in your studio to form and solder chain links: oval, modified oval and eyehook. Explore technique and design, gain experience in repetitive production and build confidence in point and small-joint soldering. Demos will also include handmade clasps.

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Frame Weaving with Found Materials – NEW!

April 16, 2020

Create a weaving that is ready to display on the same picture frame you use to weave it. Learn the two selvedge warping method for frame weaving as well as multiple tapestry techniques. We will be embedding flowers or other organic materials that can be found just outside your front door to create unique, woven […]

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Introduction to Digital Photography (B)

April 16, 2020

Learn how to effectively and creatively use your digital camera and leave the auto button behind! You’ll learn the fundaments of photography and image capture, including aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and composition. We’ll also cover tips and tricks like choosing the right lens for your image. Weekly assignments, critiques and discussions will help […]

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Create a Digital, Ceramic Sketchbook – NEW!

April 16, 2020

Compile a digital sketchbook of contemporary and historical ceramic artists, techniques and conversations that will inspire you in future classes at VisArts. We’ll discuss different ways of approaching functional pottery as well as sculptural work. We will watch and discuss wheel throwing and hand-building videos, then talk about slip, underglaze and glaze applications. We’ll research […]

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Ink, Watercolor + Gouache – NEW!

April 16, 2020

This two-hour studio course is designed for painters who are familiar with the fundamentals of water media and who are interested in the development of the subject matter, style and content of their painting. Each session will begin with a short presentation on an artist, technique or exhibition with follow up time used for guidance, […]

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Introduction to Watercolor

April 16, 2020

Watercolor is the perfect medium for online learning, no matter whether you want to challenge yourself or relax. In this five-week course, we’ll explore this medium’s properties and possibilities through video (which can be reviewed at your own pace) as well as live feeds for in-the-moment help and encouragement. We’ll cover exploratory samples, value and […]

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Write Your Novel Now – NEW!

April 16, 2020

Scholars think Shakespeare wrote King Lear while he was social distancing during the bubonic plague. Hemingway was hard at work on “The Sun Also Rises” in 1926 when a bad case of whooping cough forced him to self-quarantine with his young daughter, wife and mistress in a little house on the coast of France. There’s […]

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Drawing for Comfort, Memory + Meaning – NEW!

April 16, 2020

Rediscover objects that you come into contact with everyday. We’ll explore ways of interpreting through drawing, focusing on what holds meaning, good memories and importance in our surroundings. The instructor will demonstrate pencil drawing techniques, show visual subject ideas and examples. Students will work through a new drawing assignment each week.

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Thrown + Altered Forms – NEW!

April 16, 2020

Learn to create expressive ceramic pots by altering thrown forms. In addition to demonstrating the basics of wheel throwing, we’ll cover a variety of techniques used to alter forms like cups, vases, bowls, etc. We’ll also cover creative surface strategies.

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Editing the Digital Photograph in Adobe Lightroom

April 16, 2020

Adobe Lightroom CC has become the leading editing program for photographers. It is less cumbersome than Adobe Photoshop, with effective, time-saving tools that transform your photos into works of art. In this four-week class, students will learn how to import images, navigate folders and collections, filter and rate photos, fix exposure and color casts. We’ll […]

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Sex and Its Outcomes: Reproduction, Pregnancy and Childcare in Visual Art – NEW!

April 16, 2020

This is a class for anyone who was ever an infant. This four-week art appreciation class will explore how reproduction and child-rearing have been represented in visual art. The class features artists who explore how reproduction influences and is influenced by systems of race, gender, sexuality, class, politics, philosophy, beliefs, daily life, economies and ecosystems. […]

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COVID-19 Video Diaries – NEW!

April 16, 2020

We are all living in an unprecedented moment, one that presents an array of challenges and feelings. In this course, students will create a video time capsule by recording digital diaries and collaborating to share them with a larger online community. We’ll explore the history of first-person video, view several examples, then discuss and produce […]

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Wheel Throwing Forms for Spring – NEW!

April 16, 2020

This five-week class will focus on spring time as a theme. We’ll work on two projects that can bring some of the spring season into your life. We’ll also create a few small pots with trays and a lantern with a base.

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Writing the Memoir

April 16, 2020

Thomas Larson writes that “memoir is most successful when it is not the ‘story of a life,’ but a focused part of that life—a dozen summers spent working on a grandfather’s farm, a long relationship with a dying relative, the first year of law school.” You’ll work on writing prompts and timed writing exercises, and […]

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Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator + InDesign for Beginners (B)

April 16, 2020

Students will learn the basics of Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator, to help them create, revise and update documents. Using their own Mac or PC computers and software, students will share files from the instructor, and work together on several projects. InDesign: We will create a simple document ‘from the ground up’. Photoshop: We’ll select, […]

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Writing Worlds: Worldbuilding in Science Fiction, Fantasy + Other Genres

April 16, 2020

Now is the perfect time to work on your epic fantasy novel, sci-fi video game, or tabletop roleplaying game, and this course can help you break ground. We will talk about the principles of good worldbuilding, read excerpts from stories that do it well, and write and workshop pieces as a class. You will leave […]

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Drawing with Colored Pencils

April 16, 2020

Learn the characteristics of color for mixing and identification through practice with hues, value and intensity. We will mix and layer varied amounts of individual color together on paper. The mixing process will occur by blending colors with techniques through methods of gradation (with or without a colorless blending tool and various solvents), instruments for […]

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Polymer Clay Jewelry at Home – NEW!

April 16, 2020

While you’re stuck at home, why not adorn yourself with jewelry that you made? We’ll learn different building techniques using clay that can bake in the oven. You’ll make pendants, earrings and beads to create bracelets and necklaces.

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Handbuilding a Vase – NEW!

April 16, 2020

Make a unique, three-sided vase for all those spring flowers popping up! This workshop will be a great introduction to clay. There are simple, easy to follow steps which will teach the basics of molding and attaching clay parts to form a complete and functional object.

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