Join Shirley Anderson for an unforgettable Bald Eagle Paint Night! In this class you’ll learn to capture the majestic beauty of the bald eagle through Acrylic painting. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, Shirley will guide you step-by-step to create your own stunning masterpiece celebrating this iconic symbol of freedom and strength. Canvas and paints are supplied.

Spend a day exploring different aspects of painting figures in watercolor. We'll kick off with a brief tour of watercolor paintings that include figures in various settings as well as standalone figures. The day's activities will commence with quick figure sketches, where students will alternate between posing and painting. This exercise is an effective way to understand how the body's weight rests in a pose. Throughout the workshop, students will explore a variety of ways to depict figures in watercolors, including portraits, figures in settings, figures in motion, and symbolic figures for landscape scenes. For photo references, you might find it fun to use old black and white photos of relatives, but the choice is ultimately up to you. Please note: This is a one day 7-hour workshop with a brief break for lunch. Bring your own lunch/snacks. Students should bring their own watercolor supplies which should be of professional grade, all cotton 300 lb watercolor paper, large excellent brushes and professional grade tube watercolors. In addition, please bring several small jars for mixing pouring options.

Come learn the basics of macrame in this 1-day workshop designed to introduce you to the craft. We will cover basic terminology and techniques that will help you get started with a small project, a plant hanger. A $10 materials fee, payable to the instructor, must be paid on the night of the workshop.

This Iteration of Ed Higgins’ popular abstract studio will center around composition. It’s one thing to draw or paint expressively without traditional representational or figural anchors, it’s quite quite another for an artist to know and embrace their unique and original sense of composition. Composition is often under appreciated in abstract art, especially by people who haven’t seen enough of it to gain an appreciation or affinity for it. This term our atelier will focus on what it means to create truly original compositions, avoiding derivative or hackneyed compositional traps. At the end of each class, rather than spotlighting an overview of several works by a famous abstract artist, we will do a more intensive analysis of one masterpiece of abstract composition per class. Not with intent to emulate, but to understand and surpass. To study what makes it unique, original, and special, and how every abstract artist needs to reinvent compositional principles for themselves. *No Class: 10/14, 11/11. **Special note about art materials: Please do not call our office about materials. Come to the first class with your favorite sketchbook and drawing pencils & pens. Suggested materials will be discussed by the instructor on the first day of classes. Thank you.

One of the things that holds artists back from achieving the foundational skills they need to achieve mastery, is avoiding something they believe they can’t do well, instead of redoubling their efforts to figuring it out. Perspective is a classic example. Perspective is actually as simple as trusting your eyes, and yet it gets built up as an intimidating hurdle that reinforces lack of confidence in drawing. As many of you know, Ed Higgins doesn’t believe in separate classes for beginners, but he does believe in creating drawing drills and strategies for conquering the fear that frequently manifests as artists self-identifying as beginners. In this class you’ll learn to tame and demystify perspective, turning it into a valuable visual and compositional drawing tool that you control, not something that controls you! *No Class: 10/14, 11/11. **Special note about art materials: Please do not call our office about materials. Come to the first class with your favorite sketchbook and drawing pencils & pens. Suggested materials will be discussed by the instructor on the first day of classes. Thank you.

Learn which papers, materials, and brushes work best for you as we go over the basics of traditional and contemporary watercolor ideas and techniques. Class work will be a combination of watercolor exercises, whereby we learn the behavior of and particularities of watercolor through exercises. We will then apply this knowledge to small set ups so that we can gain some practical application. I will spend some time going over basic drawing ideas, color theory, color mixing, and brush care. A willingness to draw, and/or improve upon drawing skills will enhance your experience in this class. Absolute beginners in both drawing and watercolor need to recognize that they are attempting two new skills: drawing and watercolor. Don't let this dissuade you from signing up, but recognize where you are coming in and give yourself some grace in the moments where drawing is involved. I will do my best to help you where you are at! Always wanted some watercolor instruction from the ground up? This class will get you started! *No Class: 10/14, 11/11, 1/20, 2/17.

In this one night class you will learn about the different kinds of glass , how to cut and grind glass. We will be making acid etched hearts. You will be able to take them home that night. Lab fee $10.00 to be paid to instructor at the beginning of workshop.

This 12 week course continues where Narrative Arts 3 left off - working with the Drawing and Writing techniques used to create your own: Comic Book or Graphic Novel Series, Single Panel Gag Cartoons, Comic Strips, 3D Animation, Children’s Books, Storyboards for Movies, Video Game Design or even Novels. This Class is open only to students that have already completed Narrative Arts 1,2,&3 - OR students with enough artistic ability to work at this level. Consultation by phone or email with Instructor Vance Bessey will be necessary before signing up for students who haven’t yet had Level 1, 2&3 training. Contact me through Merrymeeting Adult Education. Taught by Vance Bessey, a graduate of The Joe Kubert School of Comic Book Illustration and local Illustrator, Cartoonist, Author and Art Teacher. *No Class: 10/14, 11/11.