Wednesday Afternoons ( 6 Classes)

May 6th -June 10th, 2026

2:00 - 4:00pm

(Maximum of 6 students)

Teacher: Chris Canales

Course Description:

This class focuses on creating expressive and realistic animal portraits using coloured pencil, with an emphasis on materials, technique, and thoughtful process. Students will explore a wide range of papers, pencils, erasers, and blending methods while learning how pressure, layering, and colour choices affect texture and realism.

Early lessons introduce students to different surfaces and tools, including oil- and wax-based pencils, sharpening methods, and techniques such as gradients, hatching, scumbling, burnishing, and solvent use. Students will also experiment with underpainting approaches using pastel to establish undertones and unify colour.

As the course progresses, students will apply colour theory while building convincing textures for skin, fur, and hair, learning how to transition smoothly from highlights to shadows .The course emphasizes developing complete pieces. Students will begin with a guided pet portrait demonstration as a class before moving into unique projects.

This class is suitable for students who want to strengthen their technical skills while gaining confidence in coloured pencil layering techniques.

Materials will be provided for the first class only. From the second class onward, students will be expected to bring their own materials.

Accessibility note: This class will take place on the second level of the building. We unfortunately do not have an elevator or stair lift at this time. Students enrolled in the class will need to be able to navigate the stairs to access the classroom. We are happy to assist in any way we can to make this more manageable for students with mobility constraints.