Short-term Classes in Austin

At Atelier Dojo, we are dedicated to fostering the next generation of artists. We offer 6-week classes led by nationally recognized artists in an intimate and welcoming environment in Austin. We believe art education should be accessible to everyone which is why we offer classes to all skill levels with evening and weekend flexibility! Our immersive adult art classes focus on the fundamentals and classical skills of realism art through drawing and painting. From figure drawing and painting to portrait painting, our art classes in Austin can help artists discover their artistic potential and learn valuable skills. Explore our upcoming classes below and register today! 

Have any questions about our classes? Get in touch with us for more information!

Cast drawing

Try out Dojo Academy through enrolling in our intro course, Cast Drawing. Try out one class or enroll in both and get the full Academy experience!

Mondays 6:30 - 9:30 pm

6 classes: $350

Starts September 14, 2026

Wednesdays 6:30 - 9:30 pm

6 classes: $350

Starts September 16, 2026

Instructor:

Nate Seay

Prerequisites:

None

Class Description:

In this class, you will work on fundamental drawing concepts through applying them to plaster replicas of Greek and Roman sculptures, the same ones that artists have drawn and painted from for centuries. Students will learn how to articulate form in space — that is take the three -dimensional cast and learn how to construct it in two-dimensions on paper through studying geometric form, light and shadow, contour.

We use similar tools and methods that were taught in the 19th century at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, where many who became master painters studied. This is a great class with which to learn the basics of drawing which can be applied to anything.

Nate Seay, one of our esteemed Academy instructors, is teaching the class. He has helped develop our drawing program at the Academy and is a beloved instructor for his way of combining his deep knowledge with clever visualizations that are both entertaining as well as intellectually stimulating.

Supply List:

• 1 small box Vine charcoal

• 1 small box Willow charcoal

• 1x Conte Pierre noir 2b pencil

• 1x Conte Pierre noir HB pencil

• Small pack Paper stumps (aka blending stumps)

• 1 Kneaded eraser

• 1 Tombow mono zero eraser

• 1 pad 18x24 Strathmore charcoal paper

*Note: all supplies except paper are available for purchase at the studio.

Essentials of Figure Painting

Wednesdays 6:00 - 10:00 pm (4 hours)

6 classes: $575 (includes model fees)

Starts September 9, 2026

Instructor:

Karen Offutt

Prerequisites:

Students must be experienced in both drawing and painting from life. 

Class Description:

In our efforts to understand painting as a visual language it is important to see what we will paint as an abstract form.  To eliminate our preconceived assumptions of what we see and break them down into parts.  These essential elements will give us the foundation to understand what we see and allows for a more intuitive paint application.  The goal is to achieve a 3 dimensional likeness with a simple block-in of the larger shapes and then to build on that by carving out the smaller shapes.   Along the way she will discuss, in more detail, the use of value, color and temperature as well as how to adjust edges to create a sense of atmosphere within the painting.

Supply List:

• 2-3 canvas boards or gessoed panels approximately 11"x14" to 12"x16"

• odorless mineral spirits such as gamsol or turpenoid

• silicoil or metal containers for the mineral spirits

• Viva paper towels or rags

• Some kind of palette holder or platform for palette. If you don't have one, you can use a Masterson Sta-Wet Handy Palette.

• Small container of linseed or poppy oil

• Steel palette knife

• Brushes - 5 - 6 filbert brushes ranging from size 0 - 8

• Oil colors (Gamblin is an inexpensive brand with low toxic paints)

  • Titanium White

  • Cadmium Yellow

  • Yellow Ochre

  • Cadmium Red

  • Alizarin Crimson

  • Transparent Oxide Red

  • Manganese Blue Hue

  • Ultramarine Blue

  • Viridian

  • Burnt Sienna

  • Burnt Umber

  • Ivory Black

Plein-air painting

Saturdays 8:30 - 11:30 am

6 classes: $450

Starts September 12, 2026

INSTRUCTOR:

Jeff Markowsky

Prerequisites:

Students must have some experience in both drawing and painting from life. 

Class Description:

This course takes us outdoors to study natural light where we will put emphasis on the importance of the initial abstract design, seeing the dominant shapes in a painting before paint is even applied to the canvas. Good design hinges on understanding the dynamics of large to middle to small ranged shapes. The importance of drawing is discussed, practiced and emphasized including the use of Notans (small simplified sketches). Goals of the course include; learning about the fundamentals of Value, Hue, Saturation and Temperature. Throughout the course, discussions on creating Atmosphere and Color Harmony to depict the illusion of depth in our paintings will be investigated.

Students who enroll will have access to Markowsky’s Patreon account with 14 instructional demonstration videos which directly correlate with the 6 session on location course.

Supply List:

• An Outdoor easel and paintbox is required for this course.   

  Three suggested options are:

  John Coulter system (http://artboxandpanel.com/)

  Strada Mini. https://www.stradaeasel.com

  Daytripper easel. https://www.prolificpainter.com

  But there are many options available on the market.

• Gamsol mineral spirits

• Cup/clip holder for Gamsol

• Brush cleaner container

• Paper towels / or rags (I use blue shop towels from Home Depot)

• Brushes: I prefer Princeton or Rosemary filbert and long flats, bristle hair, sizes 6,8,10,12,14,16. I also use Rosemary Long Flats (sables-soft brush) sizes 3,5,8 (an assortment is fine and any brand is acceptable)

• Panels: (Suggested: Centurion, Source Tek or RayMar). An assortment of panels ranging in sizes (such as: 8 by 10, 9 by 12 or 12 by 16 inches). You will need approximately 10-12

• Sketchbook and drawing materials. I use a Strathmore 400 series 5.5 by 8.8 inch sketchbook Toned Tan, Design Ebony pencil, eraser pen and white charcoal pencil (Generals brand), but any sketchbook and materials you prefer will work.

• Viewfinder

• Oil Paints - I use Gamblin, Rembrandt and Williamsburg most often. I recommended these basic colors

  • Titanium White

  • Lemon Yellow

  • Cadmium yellow Medium

  • Yellow Ochre

  • Cadmium Red

  • Quinacridone Red

  • Transparent Red Oxide

  • Viridian

  • Ultramarine Blue

  • Severs Blue

  • Chromatic Black (I use Gamblin)

  • Cobalt Blue (optional)

  • Portland Grey light (optional)

  • Portland Grey Medium (optional)

Constructive Figure Drawing

Tuesdays 6:30-9:30 pm (3 hours)

6 classes: $450 (includes model fees)

Starts September 15, 2026

INSTRUCTOR:

Pedro Cardoso

Prerequisites:

None

Class Description:

In this class we will cover many different aspects of Figure Drawing such as Gesture, Structure, Composition, Value, Line Drawing, Mass Drawing, and Anatomy.

We will discuss and practice Gesture as movement, with lines that follow the direction of the contour describing Gesture. Structure complements the gesture, and lines and marks made against the contour will give volume to our drawings, as well as simplify the form into geometric or graphic shapes. Both of these aspects come together when Composing a page, a long pose drawing or a personal project. We will talk about using value to describe form with light and shadow, as well as limiting the value range in our compositions. We will cover Line Drawing and Mass Drawing, and how both can be combined for expressive purposes, either making a drawing more graphic or more naturalistic. Throughout these topics we will investigate the Anatomy of the human body, and familiarize ourselves with muscles, bones and landmarks of the figure.

The goal of learning these topics is to understand drawing as a tool for expression, and how to conceptualize an image and bring it together on paper with marks that will be lively and thoughtful.

Supply List:

• Strathmore 300 Series Sketch Pad 18 x 24"

• willow charcoal, and compressed charcoal

• charcoal pencils General’s 2b and HB 

• drawing stumps

• kneaded eraser

• sand paper and a exacto knife.

Figure Drawing

Thursdays 6:30 - 9:30 pm

6 classes: $450 (includes model fees)

Starts September 24, 2026

INSTRUCTOR:

Danny Grant

Prerequisites:

None

Class Description:

This class is designed to teach students a step-by-step process for approaching every figure drawing. We'll learn to take our drawings from a series of simple, flat, two-dimensional shapes to clean, organic line drawings and, ultimately, to fully rendered three-dimensional figure drawings. We'll use tools like comparative measuring, and learn to judge relationships better by focusing on points, tilts, and shapes. Students will also learn to judge value relationships better by studying the nature of the various forms of the figure and how they relate in space to the light source.

Supply List:

• Graphite pencils - 2B, B, HB, H, 2H (more HB than the others)

• Strathmore 400 Medium Drawing Paper 18 x 24 (Brown cover)

• Kneaded eraser

• Pencil sharpener

Expresive portrait Sculpting

Saturdays 1 - 4 pm (3 hours)

6 classes: $550 (all supplies included)

Starts September 12, 2026

Instructor:

Kaelin Palcu

Class Description:

This 6-week portrait sculpting class focuses on developing a deep understanding of the portrait through working from a live model. The emphasis is on block-ins, learning to sketch with clay, and becoming comfortable interpreting the features of the head in three dimensions.

Students will begin with multiple short starts in order to build confidence and fluency in clay — treating sculpture as a form of note-taking and observation rather than a single long project. These early exercises are designed to help students loosen up, simplify, and organize information quickly while sharpening tools of observation.

The course introduces a basic functional artistic anatomy of the head so students understand not just what they are seeing, but why forms appear the way they do. We will focus on the structure of the skull, major planes of the head, and how features sit within that structure. The goal is to give students a clear and practical framework they can return to in both sculpture and two-dimensional work.

After the initial sketching phase, students will transition into a longer pose using the same model over the remaining weeks. This portion serves as an introduction to naturalistic modeling — learning how to interpret, refine, and develop the portrait over time while maintaining structural clarity.

Throughout the workshop, students will:

• Practice block-ins and organizing form

• Learn to sketch and restart in clay

• Study functional artistic anatomy of the portrait

• Develop observational accuracy

• Interpret features three-dimensionally rather than symbolically

• Begin developing longer, more resolved modeling
  

The class is designed both as a standalone introduction to portrait sculpture and as a foundation for continued sculpture study. It also directly supports painting and drawing by strengthening spatial understanding, form construction, and visual memory.

No prior sculpture experience is required.

Intro to Portrait Painting

Sundays 9:30 am — 12:30 pm (3 Hours)

6 classes: $450 (includes model fees)

Dates: Sep13, Sep20, Oct4, Oct11, Oct 18, Oct 25

INSTRUCTOR:

Denise M. Fulton

Prerequisites:

Experience drawing from life is recommended and it helps if you have experience painting in oils.

Class Description:

This course is will introduce students to creating portraits in oil. There is a different model for each class, so you’ll get to paint a variety of faces.

Each class begins with a short instructor demo (~25 minutes), then the students start painting. The instructor works with students, as needed, throughout the class. There are group critiques at the half-way point and at the end of each class.  

In the first class, we do 2-color paintings and then more colors are introduced over the course of the session.

Supply List:

• Canvas boards/panels/canvas paper.

  • (6) 9"x12"s or 12"x16"s

• Palette & Palette Holder

• Steel palette knife (3" trowel)

• Odorless mineral spirits (no smelly solvents). Gamsol and Turpenoid Natural are good less toxic solvents

• Container for your mineral spirits

• Paper towels (Viva brand is good) or rags

• Small container of linseed or walnut oil

• Brushes – assorted. Try hog and synthetic blend

  • Filbert 2, 4, 6, 8

  • Flat 2, 4, 6, 8

  • Round 2, 4, 6

• Oil colors (please use professional grade)

  • Titanium white

  • Naples Yellow

  • Alizarin Crimson

  • Cadmium Red Light

  • Manganese Blue

  • Ultramarine blue

  • Transparent oxide red (sometimes called Transparent Earth Red)

  • Payne’s Grey

Portrait Intensive: Drawing the Portrait from Life

Mondays 6:30-9:30 pm

6 classes: $450 (includes model fees)

Starts September 14, 2026

Instructor:

Kaelin Palcu

Class Description

This class is dedicated to the study of drawing the portrait from life, bridging the  academic  and individual artistic voice. Students will work in charcoal, graphite — both accessible, foundational drawing media — and are encouraged to explore beyond them into red chalk, natural pigments or other materials as their eye and instinct call for.

The course is built around multistage classes that carry a drawing through its full arc: beginning with the structural block-in and developing into full, refined rendering. Alongside these longer studies, students will also take on shorter, more expressive drawings focused specifically on the structure of the portrait — sharpening their ability to see and construct the head quickly, with clarity and confidence. Together, these two modes train both patience and instinct: the discipline to render at a high level, and the responsiveness to capture structure fast and expressively.

Who This Is For

This class welcomes all levels. Beginning students will be introduced to the practical, structural anatomy of the portrait — the skeletal and muscular logic beneath the surface — while more experienced students will be pushed to sharpen their observational responsiveness and develop a more personal visual language.

Instructor

Kaelin Palcu received part of her technical training at the Florence Academy of Art, where the pursuit of technical excellence and a deep reverence for drawing from life were foundational. She furthered her studies with Steven Assael, Michael Grimaldi, and Vincent Desiderio — artists whose work bridges academic precision with a highly individualistic approach to observation. Kaelin loves and encourages this dual lineage in the classroom: exacting in craft while encouraging individual expression.

SUPPLY LIST

• 3 sheets strathmore charcoal paper (18x24)

• vine charcoal sticks

• willow charcoal sticks

• conte pierre noire pencils. 2b

• marie's charcoal pencil - neutral

• kneaded eraser

• mono zero eraser, or a standard rubber eraser cut into sharp triangles