The foundational elements are as important to a visual artist as grammar and spelling are to writers. To become a professional at what you do you need to have a strong grasp of the rules of your trade. You can learn a lot from the school of hard knocks, but we’d like to offer you a much easier, faster, and less agonizing path; practical hands-on foundational training.

While “foundational training” may not sound like the most exciting thing to spend your time on, it is very difficult to be creative when you struggle with composition or brushwork. Have you ever spent hours pushing paint around your canvas without understanding why your painting just isn’t working? Stop wasting your time and making yourself frustrated. Once you get your foundations down you can get back to enjoying your creative process, you can truly develop your skills, and begin to build a solid artistic career if that is something you desire. This foundational work is necessary if you want to be good at what you do.

The Foundations Progam is a series of 10 classes, each focusing on 10 different fundemental concepts and taught by 10 different instructors, which aims to provide an introductory, high-level overview of what every artist should know. Each of these instructors are wonderful artists in their own right and also have at least a decade, often two decades or more of teaching experience. We’ve lined up a different instructor for each evening so you can benefit from their collective wisdom, all of whom have collaborated with each other to bring you a cohesive and progressive foundational program.

Class Schedule
Week 1 - Elements of Design: The Tools to Make Art
Instructor: Jan Crawford, AFCA

Week 2 - Principles of Design: How to Use the Tools to Make Art
Instructor: Lalita Hamill, AFCA

Week 3 - Drawing for Painting: The Art of Seeing
Instructor: Mark Anthony

Week 4 - Painting as an Extension of Drawing
Instructor: Rick McDiarmid, SFCA

Week 5 - Tonal Values
Instructor: Alan Wylie, SFCA

Week 6 - Colour Theory & Mixing
Instructor: Gaye Adams, SFCA

Week 7 - Brushwork
Instructor: Paul Chizik

Week 8 - Backgrounds, Layering & Glazing
Instructor: Janice Robertson, SFCA

Week 9 - Visual Reference Sources
Instructor: Liza Visagie

Week 10 - Inspiration, Creativity, Expression, Narrative
Instructor: Suzanne Northcott

*Corresponding weekend workshops that will expand on each topic will be open for registration in Fall 2018. Stay tuned for details.

Program Options
A) Wednesday Evening 10-Week Program from February 21 2018 - April 25 2018
Time: 6:30-9:00pm
Location: Federation Gallery
Cost: $365 for Members / $415 for Non-Members
Website: https://artists.ca/courses/view/id/1977

OR

B) Saturday Full-Day 10-Week Program from February 17 2018 - May 5 2018
Time: 9:30am-4:30pm
Location: South Surrey Arts & Recreation Centre and Willoughby Community Centre
Cost: $685 for Members / $735 for Non-Members
Website: https://artists.ca/courses/view/id/1978