Animal Painting Techniques with PCAD Professor Jason Ward and Ceanna Davis - August 15, 2026 10AM-4PM
August 15th 10AM-4PM - $90/person
This workshop, for both beginners and advanced artists, will focus on measuring the proportions of the animal figure. We’ll learn to look for key skeletal landmarks while thinking about the animal's range of motion. We’ll cover how to use perspective and will also touch on how far a strong silhouette goes towards bringing life to our figures. Class will begin with an introduction, then move to a brief demonstration, and the remaining time will be spent working from a reference photo. This class is open to both drawing and painting mediums.
Materials list:
Painting oils/acrylics:
- Paints: Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine BlueAll other colors are optional
-Brushes: A variety of brush sizes and shapes, as well as, both stiff and soft bristles are recommended.
-Palette Knife: I use a medium/small metal diamond shaped palette knife for both mixing and application of paint.
-Artist Palette: A proper wood or glass palette is recommended, palette paper will work fine for this workshop. Please avoid creative substitutes (such as watercolor palettes, paper plates, anything wrapped in tinfoil, etc.) as they tend to cause problems during the painting process.
-Surface: A primed and stretched canvas, or hardboard panel is best for painting. A heavy bodied paper, such as watercolor paper, will also work.
-Lint Free Rags or paper Towels
-(Optional) For oils -Turpentine, Odorless Turpiniod, or Mineral Spirits:Good for cleaning brushes, but I just use soap and water. For Acrylic- jar for water
Drawing:
-Pencils and Graphite Sticks: A range of leads from H-B’s is recommended, however a classic #2 pencil is hard to beat.
-Charcoal: Soft vine charcoal, compressed charcoal sticks, charcoal pencils, and charcoal powder are all recommended.
-Erasers: A kneaded eraser and a rectangular white eraser are both great. I often use pink pencil cap erasers.
-Artist Sandpaper Block or Stump: A great tool for toning a surface, and sharpening pencils and charcoal sticks.
-Surface: For graphite I recommend a heavy bodied hot press paper such as Bristol Vellum. For Charcoal, a heavy bodied charcoal or watercolor paper will work. My preferred paper for charcoal is Rives BFK.
-Paper Towels and Artist brushes: For blending.
August 15th 10AM-4PM - $90/person
This workshop, for both beginners and advanced artists, will focus on measuring the proportions of the animal figure. We’ll learn to look for key skeletal landmarks while thinking about the animal's range of motion. We’ll cover how to use perspective and will also touch on how far a strong silhouette goes towards bringing life to our figures. Class will begin with an introduction, then move to a brief demonstration, and the remaining time will be spent working from a reference photo. This class is open to both drawing and painting mediums.
Materials list:
Painting oils/acrylics:
- Paints: Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine BlueAll other colors are optional
-Brushes: A variety of brush sizes and shapes, as well as, both stiff and soft bristles are recommended.
-Palette Knife: I use a medium/small metal diamond shaped palette knife for both mixing and application of paint.
-Artist Palette: A proper wood or glass palette is recommended, palette paper will work fine for this workshop. Please avoid creative substitutes (such as watercolor palettes, paper plates, anything wrapped in tinfoil, etc.) as they tend to cause problems during the painting process.
-Surface: A primed and stretched canvas, or hardboard panel is best for painting. A heavy bodied paper, such as watercolor paper, will also work.
-Lint Free Rags or paper Towels
-(Optional) For oils -Turpentine, Odorless Turpiniod, or Mineral Spirits:Good for cleaning brushes, but I just use soap and water. For Acrylic- jar for water
Drawing:
-Pencils and Graphite Sticks: A range of leads from H-B’s is recommended, however a classic #2 pencil is hard to beat.
-Charcoal: Soft vine charcoal, compressed charcoal sticks, charcoal pencils, and charcoal powder are all recommended.
-Erasers: A kneaded eraser and a rectangular white eraser are both great. I often use pink pencil cap erasers.
-Artist Sandpaper Block or Stump: A great tool for toning a surface, and sharpening pencils and charcoal sticks.
-Surface: For graphite I recommend a heavy bodied hot press paper such as Bristol Vellum. For Charcoal, a heavy bodied charcoal or watercolor paper will work. My preferred paper for charcoal is Rives BFK.
-Paper Towels and Artist brushes: For blending.