OCA Academy of Visual Arts - Beginner Series

Brick and mortar art schools are closing around the world. Art instruction is moving increasingly online. We’ve decided to buck that trend. Art classes at OCA are friendly, supportive, and fun. Making art together is a great way to experience community in a time when many of us feel alienated and distant from others. Do yourself a favor and enroll now in the:

OCA Academy of Visual Arts

Drawing and Painting Classes for All Adults

Spring Semester - February/March/April, 2026

9:30am to 12:30pm in the OCA auditorium, 3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental

Beginner First Fridays: Drawing basics, selecting pencils and sketchbook, sighting with a viewfinder to compose within a rectangle, contour drawing, sighting for size and angle, hatching and shading for value variation, fundamental watercolor materials and techniques, laying an even or graduated wash, color theory and mixing, brush handling, controlling value with water/pigment ratios, introduction to acrylics.

( please note: there is a separate registration page for Intermediate or Advanced classes. This registration is for the Beginner classes on the first fridays of Feb, March and April)

Intermediate Second Fridays: Principles and elements of design, composition, black/gray/white value studies, 3-layer watercolor technique, acrylic technique, one and two point perspective, adding figures to your paintings, sketching on location, intermediate acrylics.

Advanced Third Fridays: Working large, working in series, finding your own style, setting personal goals/challenges, two and three point perspective, getting a likeness in a portrait, advanced acrylics, editing reference photos in Photoshop, digital art on the iPad, becoming an art teacher.

Cost per semester: $100 OCA members, $125 nonmembers.

This registration is for the beginner series on the first Fridays. If you feel you'd like to switch up to the intermediate classes, we can transfer your registration no problem. Space permitting, you could even attend all nine classes in the semester without additional charge.

Teachers: Patrick Fanning has been teaching drawing and watercolor at OCA and elsewhere for years. Linda Kammer is also an experienced teacher of watercolor with great patience and understanding. They will call upon guest artists from the local art community to teach specific topics: