Mini Workshops
In addition to the ongoing
classes and typical weekend workshops, the Mainstreet staff
instructors also offer a variety of short mini-workshops on
specialty subjects. Upcoming offerings are listed below: |
Barb Benstein
Portrait Steps -
Portrait Painting
CHARCOAL & PENCILS
RETURNING STUDENTS: OIL OR PASTELS
September 20, 21 & 22, 2024
Friday,
Saturday, Sunday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
$345.00
SUPPLY LIST |
Portraiture Basics - Start Here!
It all starts with good drawing skills. First time
students will begin in charcoal and pencil. There will be demos,
lecturing, and practice exercises to give you a better understanding
of how to draw the head. You’ll learn to build the structure of a
variety of heads and capture different angles, head shapes, and
different aged subjects. You will learn to build the structure of
the head, block in with masses, mix flesh tones and develop the
features in the face through a series of demos and practice
exercises.
More advanced students will continue on their portrait journey with
various portrait studies. |
![](workshops/2023/benstein_portrait_2023.jpg) |
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Cheryl Cook
Figure Drawing: Drawing Skills Bring New Life to Your Painting
CHARCOAL
Saturday & Sunday
October 5 & 6, 2024 or March 1 & 2, 2025
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
$230.00 plus model fee
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Learning how to see and interpret reality through line drawing helps you develop the ability to think and see like an artist. Cookie will lead you through a series of exercises, designed to train the artist to draw figures with accuracy, simplicity and skill. This class will strengthen your figure drawing skills for both beginner and experienced artists. Sessions will begin with short exercises to capture gesture, movement, and anatomy.
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![](workshops/2025/cook_figure_2024.jpg) |
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Susan Ploughe
Art and Your iPad
DIGITAL
Thursday & Friday
October 31 & November 1, 2024
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
$100.00
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The iPad is an incredibly useful tool for artists! In six hours, you will learn what Susan has spent many years discovering. In this workshop you will explore two amazing apps, Procreate and Notanizer that will enable you to:- Draw and “paint” on your iPad
- Combine and modify photo references for stronger compositions
- Understand the value structure of your paintings
- See colors more accurately
- Experiment with color and lighting choices, and much more!
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![](workshops/2025/ploughe_ipad_2024.jpg) |
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Susan Ploughe
Getting Started with Gouache
GOUACHE
Friday February 28, 2025 9:00 am - 4:00 pm $115
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Gouache (which rhymes with “squash”) is a delightful medium that provides endless possibilities for expression. It allows you to paint as you would with oils or acrylics because of its opaque qualities, while also providing watercolor-like characteristics. Its rich, matte color can be used in a range of applications from thin and semi-transparent to many opaque layers. It is a water-based paint, making it easy to use and clean-up - no solvents! It’s fantastic for sketching, traveling, and working out ideas, and can be used for quick studies or as a finished painting. In this workshop you will learn about the necessary supplies, how to handle the paint and palette, what surfaces to paint on, and you will practice a variety of painting techniques to get you started on your gouache journey.
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Susan Ploughe
Background Check
OILS OR PASTELS
Friday
April 4, 2025
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
$115.00
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“I just don’t know what to do with the background.” If you have ever said that, this workshop is for you! Susan will take the mystery out of backgrounds as you:
- Explore the role of backgrounds in successful works of art
- Learn design principles that you can apply to your own paintings
- Discover when to paint the background
- Experiment with many different background options
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![](workshops/2025/ploughe _background_2025.jpg) |
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