The Drawing Studio upcoming events

Intermediate Drawing/Painting, The Figure (September 22, 2026)

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 19:00:00 GMT

This 8 session, three hour class meets Tuesday afternoons 12am-3pm from September 22, 2026, through November 10, 2026. All first time Drawing Studio students, no matter how experienced, must take Intro to Drawing at The Drawing Studio before taking this class.

This class is for intermediate level drawers and acrylic painters who want to work primarily from the figure. I will typically give exercises during the first hour to help students loosen up and to encourage experimentation. Students will then run their own show during hours 2 and 3, though I will continue discussing process issues through the whole class. There will be figure models nearly every session.

Students who want to paint but are new to painting should take the 3.5 Day Intro To Painting Intensive in September or the Winter Term Intro to Painting class rather than this class. Students who have never taken any of Phil's classes should first take the Intro Drawing class even if experienced. I have had exhibiting artists with MFAs take the Intro class and say that they have never done anything like it and that it really helped their work.

Intro to Drawing (September 26, 2026)

Sat, 26 Sep 2026 17:00:00 GMT

This 8 session, two hour class meets Saturday mornings, 10:00am-12:00pm, from September 26, 2026, through November 14, 2026.

For absolute beginners. This class is also great for experienced drawers who don’t love to draw, or haven't drawn in a while, or want to loosen up or open up their drawing. Emphasis is placed equally on seeing and expression, description and the pleasure of making. Exercises break down students’ preconceptions about how drawings come about, so that drawing becomes a matter of truly human scale exploration and experimentation, rather than the product of giant leaps of talent or inspiration.

All students who are new to Phil's teaching should start with this class, even if experienced. I've had exhibiting artists with MFAs take this class and say that it wasn't like anything they had previously done and that it really helped their work.

Materials: Please bring the following materials to the first class meeting and wear clothes you don't mind getting charcoal on:

two 4b or 6b graphite sticks (rectangular shape, not pencil shape)

one white vinyl eraser

two soft charcoal pencils

one soft charcoal pencil with peel off wrapping (if you can't find this, it's OK)

six to twelve sticks of compressed charcoal (Alphacolor Char-Kole if the store has it)

Paper, drawing boards, clips, drawing horses and easels will be provided by the studio.

3.5 Day Intro to Acrylic Painting Intensive (December 10, 2026)

Fri, 11 Dec 2026 02:30:00 GMT

This workshop, taught by Phil Sylvester, will provide an introduction to painting with acrylic paints. Class will meet Thursday evening December 10 through Sunday afternoon December 13. Thursday the 10th, we'll meet from 6:30-8:30pm. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we will have two 2.5 hour painting sessions each day, the first from 10:00am-12:30 and the second from 3-5:30pm. This format allows students to take a seven session introduction to painting that only requires taking one day off work.

Beginning painting exercises will help students become comfortable experimenting with acrylic paint, using paint expressively, and reworking paintings. Breadth of color familiarity will be encouraged through color mixing exercises. The workshop will take place at The Drawing Studio, 3614 SE Division, Portland, Oregon.

Required Materials:

One large tube of acrylic titanium white

One large tube of acrylic gel medium

One small tube of acrylic ultramarine blue

One small tube of acrylic thalo blue

One small tube of acrylic cadmium red medium (not hue)

One small tube of acrylic quinacridone red or alizarin crimson

One small tube of acrylic lemon yellow (any greenish yellow)

One small tube of acrylic cadmium yellow medium (not hue) or diarylide yellow

One small tube of yellow ochre

One small tube of raw umber

3 to 4 thumb sized hog bristle flat brushes

one palette knife

one fairly large, shallow, rectangular, tupperware tub

The studio will provide paper to paint on, boards, and easels.

Intro to Drawing (January 12, 2027)

Tue, 12 Jan 2027 20:00:00 GMT

This 8 session, two hour class meets Tuesdays, 12:00-2:00pm, from January 12, 2027 through March 2, 2027. The class is taught by Phil Sylvester.

This class is an introduction to drawing designed for absolute beginners. That said, this intro class is also great for experienced drawers who don’t love to draw, or haven't drawn in a while, or want to loosen up or open up their drawing. Emphasis is placed equally on seeing and expression, description and the pleasure of making. Exercises break down students’ preconceptions about how drawings come about, so that drawing becomes a matter of truly human scale exploration and experimentation, rather than the product of giant leaps of talent or inspiration.

All students who are interested in Phil Sylvester's teaching are encouraged to take this intro class at some point, even if experienced. Phil has had exhibiting artists with MFAs take this class and say that it wasn't like anything they had previously done and that it really helped their work.

Drawing 2 (January 16, 2027)

Sat, 16 Jan 2027 18:00:00 GMT

This 8 session, two hour class meets Saturdays, 10:00am-12:00pm, January 16, 2027 through March 6, 2027. It is taught by Phil Sylvester.

This class is open to any student who is fairly experienced drawing and to all students who have taken Phil's Intro To Drawing. Experienced drawers who also paint may use paint as their medium (only acrylic). The class is basically a continuation of Phil's Intro Class as well as a place for students to pursue intermediate work. We'll explore riskier ways to work, we'll do studies from other artists' work, and class will provide time to explore more deeply one's own process. Half of the sessions will have figure models.

All students who are new to drawing or uneasy with drawing should take Phil's Intro to Drawing before taking this class. Experienced drawers who haven't worked with Phil before are welcome to take this class, but would still be encouraged to take Phil's Intro to Drawing at some point no matter their level of experience. This class is not appropriate for people who want to learn to paint.

Materials: Just brings charcoals, graphite, and erasers, and anything else you like to use, excluding pastels (too toxic in a group setting).