All Continuing Education Classes

This course examines both traditional and emerging business structures, financial models, and forms of partnership used to create and sustain social, cultural, or environmental change.

Animation Skills Workshop: Story gives artists the opportunity to work one-on-one with CalArts faculty to improve fundamental skills, develop an understanding of their creative goals, and find a pathway to advance artistically and professionally.

Explore the climate emergency through mapping and media practice.

This course introduces the creation and maintenance of valued workplace environments that promote employee and group health and wellbeing through an equity lens.

Become familiar with your rights as artists and designers.

In this foundational course, Get introduced to hands-on and holistic approaches to sustainability.

Become practiced in tying together human, digital, and physical interactions to create differentiated and unique environments for people participating in an experience.

This course introduces the fundamentals of programming using the language of the web, JavaScript.

This course incorporates research, ideation, and application within large-scale branding, publications, signage, mapping projects, and identity systems.

This course explores the UX Design process and leverages it to bridge the gap between functionality and aesthetics, creating a better experience for users.

This course introduces the fundamental language of the web: HyperText Markup Language (HTML).

Capture a child’s imagination with original artwork while learning tricks of the illustration trade.

Throughout the year, Continuing Education sponsors the Figure Drawing Co-op, open drawing sessions for anyone interested in drawing from the live nude model. Open to ages 16 and above.

Throughout the year, Continuing Education sponsors the Figure Drawing Co-op, open drawing sessions for anyone interested in drawing from the live nude model. Open to ages 16 and above.

Learn the foundational principles and practices of graphic design, including color theory, typography, design history and contemporary applications within the design field.

In this introductory course, get a behind-the-scenes look at how contemporary illustrators create work for books, magazines, and online publications.

The practice of User Experience (UX) focuses on a user’s journey from discovery to interaction with the goal of creating a seamless and positive experience throughout.

Explore various modes of meditation, self-inquiry, automatic and experimental journal writing, to deepen or develop an artistic practice and better knowing of thyself.

Dive deeper into the world of art-making and self-expression by exploring a variety of artistic mediums. Open to ages 6–9.

Learn the basics of painting, printmaking, and collage to translate images from the imagination onto the page. Open to ages 9-12.

Throughout the year, Continuing Education sponsors the Figure Drawing Co-op, open drawing sessions for anyone interested in drawing from the live nude model. Open to ages 16 and above.

This introductory class is tailored to those who have never painted or have not used oil paints before and who are ready to take the plunge.

Monotype printmaking is a quick and simple process, creating stunning one-of-a-kind prints. The process is so engaging it feels like play!

Examine the genre of portraiture as an introduction to multiple and varied ways to approach the portrait.

The women of Abstract Expressionism were a talented and brave group of painters who played a crucial role in this dynamic art movement.

Develop and refine an observational drawing practice through close examination and drawing of a variety of plant specimens.

Explore art history through a canon of comedy and make work in the studio with an emphasis on visual humor.

Learn the fundamentals of how to control watercolor through a step-by-process, building from simple to complex renderings and easy to difficult compositions. Open to ages 16 and above.

Discover a personal means of depicting the figure with accuracy, sensitivity, and expression.

Discover long stitch binding, a medieval, non-adhesive bookbinding technique originating from Germany. Open to students 16 and above.

Delve into the fascinating history of Alebrijes, Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures, and discover the symbolic significance behind these whimsical beings. Open to students 16 and above.

Design and build kinetic sculptures in the form of mobiles, exploring movement, balance, and design in three dimensions while gaining practical skills in 3D construction, problem-solving, and creative engineering.

Learn how to create watercolors and inks by utilizing everyday, ubiquitous materials like plants and food waste. Open to students ages 16 and above.

Discover the expressive possibilities of intaglio printmaking, a technique in which images are created by incised or engraved designs into a printing plate—the created lines hold the ink and produce richly detailed prints. Open to students 16 and above.

Get started in building professional materials for applying to grants and other art-related opportunities.

This is the second course in the Web Development course series. In this course, students build on their understanding of HTML, and use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to create well crafted web pages.

Gain hands-on experience with bookmaking and printmaking techniques, and develop the skills and tools to create unique handmade books from start to finish. Open to ages 12-15.

Characters are essential to making a successful story. Take time to observe and discuss how creators establish characters in visual media, including film, animation, comics, and games. Open to students ages 16 and above.

Explore watercolor and gouache while learning techniques such as layering, wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, and washes.

Learn how to create, share, and test an app prototype while learning the basics of Figma, a versatile cloud-based prototyping software that offers the opportunity to explore web and mobile apps, graphic, and UI/UX design in a collaborative and user-friendly environment.

Animation Skills Workshop: Drawing & Design gives artists the opportunity to work one-on-one with CalArts faculty to improve fundamental skills, develop an understanding of their creative goals, and find a pathway to advance artistically and professionally.

In this course you will explore how the moving image is constructed in the production and post-production process.

Sketching is the visual language of fashion, essential for planning and communicating ideas. Capture the energy and essence of a garment by combining the movement of gestural drawing with accurate geometric proportions. Open to students ages 16 and above.

Learn the fundamentals of coptic binding, an ancient and versatile bookbinding technique originating from Egypt. Open to students 16 and above.

This workshop is designed to help students think differently about the ideation process in a welcoming environment, where failure is celebrated and dialogue sparks innovation.

Explore a variety of printmaking techniques, including letterpress, woodtype, stenciling, and more - all while using professional tools like Vandercook and Showcard proofing presses in MCAD's printshop.

This class focuses on the process of how to work on a full 32 page children's picture book manuscript.

In an era of data overload, being able to tell a compelling visual story is what makes insights actionable. This course offers a step-by-step guide through the process of exploring data, spotting patterns, and creating visuals that effectively communicate their implications.

Using flowers and plants as subject matter, create watercolor paintings that are vibrant, delicate, and luminous. Open to students ages 16 and above.

Emotion is a powerful connector when considering relationships between color, art, and design. This course focuses on the emerging field of Colour Literacy and explores the relevance of color to emotion as a salient approach to visual communication. Open to students ages 16 and above.

Nature offers boundless inspiration for sustainable design, but how does one access the wealth of biological information available and apply it effectively to design?

Through projects, discussions, and lectures, acquire a thorough understanding of all aspects of digital illustration.

Learn a variety of media and techniques to streamline the creative process, from ideating to final illustration projects.

Introduction to Generative Art and Design is a balanced exploration of multi-modal generative AI tools and best practices. Open to students 16 and above.

Get introduced to the fundamentals of typography as both communication and visual expression.

Building on the foundation and principles of User Experience (UX) Design, create an interactive mobile app that employs the best practices of UX.

Explore the kinds of creations that can come from combining collage and printmaking techniques through collagraphy. Open to students 16 and above.

This is the third course in the Web Development course series. Students build towards professional-grade front-end web development.

Explore the art of collage through an examination of the medium’s history and an exploration of smaller scale collage techniques.

Explore Japanese side stitch binding (also known as stab binding), a simple, non-adhesive bookbinding technique. Open to students 16 and above.

Explore 2D imagery and 3D objects while learning about wool felting techniques and tools.