Drawing & Painting Workshops
2021 Workshop Season Update:
Touchstone is pleased to be able to offer a modified 2021 workshop season. Based on best practices related to Covid-19, workshops will run at a reduced capacity of 6 participants, all multi-occupancy lodging has been converted to single-occupancy, and mask and social distancing protocols will be strictly enforced. Our updated cancellation policy* can be found
HERE and our Covid-19 Policies and Procedures* can be found HERE *Subject to change.
2021 Workshop Schedule
These workshops are no longer open for enrollment.
JUL 12-16 | 5-DAY (MON-FRI)
Introduction to CAD (Rhino 3D)
Instructor: Michael Nashef
Beginner-Intermediate
$585 Member | $615 Non-Member
$15-$35 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.
-
Learn more...
All Levels (Ages 14-17)
$615 Non-Member
$75 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
Teen week is no longer open for enrollment.
-
Learn more...
JUL 26-30 | EDUCATORS’ RETREAT | 5-DAY (MON-FRI)
Journaling: Drawing & Painting from Life
Instructor: Roger Hyndman
All Levels
$585 Member | $615 Non-Member
$50-$80 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.
-
Learn more...
AUG 2-6 | NATURE WEEK | 5-DAY (MON-FRI)
A Closer Look at Nature:
Botanical Illustration
Instructor: Robin Menard
All Levels
$585 Member | $615 Non-Member
$25-$55 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.
-
Learn more...
AUG 16-20 | 5-DAY (MON-FRI)
Luminosity, Lines, and
Transparency with Encaustic
Instructor: Lynda Ray
All Levels
$585 Member | $615 Non-Member
$75-$105 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.
-
Learn more...
AUG 28-30 | 3-DAY (SAT-MON)
Seeing Nature as Shapes
Instructor: Ron Donoughe
Intermediate
$410 Member | $440 Non-Member
$15-$45 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.
Explore the basics of outdoor painting with Ron as your guide. Concentrate on seeing nature as a series of shapes, which will become the building blocks of a painting. Composition, value, color, seeing shapes, and edge treatment will be addressed. The workshop will also touch on the use of photography as an aid to seeing the landscape, so bringing your smart phone or iPad is suggested.
Ron has been painting the Western PA landscape for nearly 30 years. He has taught outdoor painting workshops throughout the US and France. Ron is a Distinguished Alumni of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and has won numerous awards for his work. Ron is a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and his work can be found in many corporate and private collections as well as The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, The Duquesne Club, and The University Museum at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Most recently, his collection of 90 Pittsburgh Neighborhoods’ has been acquired by the Heinz History Center as a permanent exhibition.
Instructor website: donoughe.com
Instagram: @rdonoughe
SEP 4-5 | 2-DAY (SAT-SUN)
Intro to Watercolor Painting
Instructor: Dean Simpson
No Experience Necessary
$300 Member | $330 Non-Member
$15-$45 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.
Learn the basics of watercolor painting and how to paint in a loose, expressive style. Starting with basic color theory and simple sketching, you will learn how to capture an object or scene using a limited palette and just a few brushstrokes. We’ll explore different techniques including wet on wet, dry brush, texture and masking, while learning to control the fluidity of watercolor paints. Enjoy the spontaneity and magic that happens when layering transparent colors and effects in watercolor.
Dean Simpson is an artist and Marketing Manager at Touchstone Center for Crafts. A lifelong learner, Dean studied Fine Arts at Indiana University of PA; Visual Communication at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh; Painting and Art History in Pavia, Italy; and holds a Master of Arts degree in Communication Technology from Point Park University. Throughout his career, he has worked in a variety of traditional and digital artistic disciplines.
SEP 11-13 | 3-DAY (SAT-MON)
Figure Drawing & Painting
Instructor: William Pfahl
Intermediate-Advanced
$410 Member | $440 Non-Member
$85-$115 Studio and Model Fee
Download Materials List
This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.
Learn solid methods for painting the figure from life. Techniques using grisaille (a method of painting in gray monochrome) and limited palette colors will be explored. Students will acquire painting and pastel techniques for creating dynamic figurative art. Various models will be used as subjects.
Bill holds a BFA in painting from RISD and is a member of the AAP and PSA. His passion in his creative life is painting from direct observation, exploring the environment, and responding to it in the moment. He has been painting plein air cityscapes since 1989 and recently completed 40 paintings of Sharpsburg street scenes. Bill is actively engaged with fellow artists, painting and drawing from the model and in active critiques. Bill was Touchstone’s 2015 Artist of the Year.
Instructor website: williampfahl-fineart.com
Instagram: @williampfahl-fineart
SEP 18-19 | 2-DAY (SAT-SUN)
The Studio of Nature: Observing and Drawing from Found Objects
Instructor: Julia Castor
No Experience Necessary
$300 Member | $330 Non-Member
$15-$45 Materials and Studio Fees
This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.
In this workshop, we will be focusing on an in-depth study of the natural world with an emphasis on the flora and fauna around Touchstone’s beautiful campus. We will explore different drawing techniques through observation and the rendering of found objects gathered from around campus. Students will learn how to capture texture, form, and light, as well as develop their compositions skills by creating botanically detailed still life’s of plants, animals and other natural articles.
Julia Castor is a fine art painter and potter from Bucks County Pa. Her work focuses on a dialogue between the world of fine craft and that of fine at, a dialogue that finds creative force in the pieces she creates. She has had the privilege of studying with many masters, professors, and mentors in both fields, and she is always seeking to push and develop her work further through focused study. Julia sells her work locally and nationally through her online store, various shops and galleries, and numerous craft shows and festivals in the Bucks County area.
Etsy site: EynhallowPottery
Instagram: @castor.art.and.pottery
SEPT 25-27 | 3-DAY (SAT-MON)
Understanding & Exploring
Modern Portraiture
Instructor: Paige Tibbe
Beginner-Intermediate
$410 Member | $440 Non-Member
$30-$60 Materials and Studio Fees
Download Materials List
This workshop is no longer open for enrollment.
Develop portraiture techniques while completing a portrait of your own using a mix of graphite, charcoal, and oil paint. Over 3 days you will learn the importance of the under-drawing, tips for checking proportion, tricks to mixing flesh tones, as well as some history of portraiture and what it means to make thought provoking portraits. This course is for those who are looking to develop their portrait skills and those who are at the curiosity stage and ready to explore. You are highly encouraged to bring your own photo as reference for the portrait you will be working on. Please no selfies.
Paige is a visual artist based of of Pittsburgh, PA. She graduated from Seton Hill University with a BFA in Studio Art, is a member of both the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Society of Artists and has exhibited at galleries in the surrounding Pittsburgh area. Paige’s work has been included in notable exhibitions such as the Students of Artists Who Teach at the Westmoreland Museum of Art and Physique at Panza Gallery at which she was awarded Jurors’ Choice Award (2018). Paige’s inclusion in the juried exhibition, Art of the State, in Harrisburg, PA was awarded with Honorable Mention for her painting titled Mike (2019). She works out of the Susquehanna co-studio spaces located in Homewood.
Instructor website: paigetibbeart.com
Instagram: @tibbe.artworkx
Workshops are filled on a first-come-first-served basis. Many fill quickly. Please register at least 15 days ahead of the start of any workshop so that we can count you in! Touchstone makes the determination of whether a workshop will run 14 days in advance of all workshops’ scheduled start date, primarily based on the number of participants registered at that time.
A processing fee of $15 will be added to 1-5 day workshops.
Nonrefundable COVID-19 Fee: A $10 (1- & 2-day workshops), $15 (3-day workshops), and $20 (5-day workshops) COVID-19 fee will be charged per participant, per workshop during the 2021 season to help offset the extraordinary additional and increased expenses to Touchstone for cleaning, sanitizing, PPE, disposables, and other costs directly related to ensuring health, safety, and social distancing requirements as outlined by the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This fee is nonrefundable.
To view a full listing of the Terms and Conditions as part of your enrollment, download the 2021 Student Guide.
Touchstone Center for Crafts prohibits discrimination in employment, educational programs, and activities on the basis of race, national origin, color, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or association preference. Touchstone Center for Crafts also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to its facilities and programming.