Acrylic Painting 101
APRIL 16, 23, 30 & MAY 7
Regular price $225.00DATE: THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 23, 30 & MAY 7, 2026
TIME: 1:00PM – 4:00PM PDT
LEVEL: Beginner to Intermediate
AGE GROUP: Adult (ages 18+)
LOCATION: Building 306, Fort Worden, Port Townsend.
DESCRIPTION
In this series of four classes, developing artists will learn all about painting with acrylics: blending, value, composition, and thinking about color in terms of relationships. Acrylic paint may be used in transparent washes or in striking textures, with the addition of hard modeling paste and gel mediums. We will explore both. You'll learn about and develop the skills to represent foreground, midground, and background planes through painting simple objects from a still life. Through this practice, you'll nurture your core skills to grow creative confidence.
Session 1 includes a sketching warmup, painting of a still life, choosing analogous colored papers and working with a three-color palette.
Session 2 begins with a directional Energy/flow warmup and progresses to creating a 10-stroke painting and painting your choice of a still-life object and using a four-color palette.
Session 3 starts with a high-contrast warmup, creating a line drawing with a generous shadow and areas of contrast, boldly directing the eye's attention. We'll also discuss and explore a variety of dynamic, asymmetrical compositions. We'll paint a coffee cup or an apple — your choice — with four unique compositions and up to four paint colors.
Session 4 explores tools: palette knives, forks, combs, a variety of scrapers. Then we practice with texture, applying several different textural additive mediums, including impasto cold wax, pumice, matte or gloss varnishes, and soft clear gels. Creating from photographs, we'll challenge ourselves to represent subjects with strong textures: the bark of a tree, a winter landscape that has melted to a spring thaw, or the play of light on deep-ocean waves.
SUPPLY INFORMATION
All materials and supplies are provided.
COURSE DETAILS
After registration, course details are available via the Northwind Art School learning portal. Learn more
ABOUT DAVID
Northwest artist David Repyak was struck at an early age by the beauty and power of the natural world, and today he draws on a lifetime of inspiration from, and connection to, nature. His journey as an artist has included a bachelor of fine arts degree from Syracuse University, and a teaching certification from the University of Washington. He has studied with professional artists of the American Watercolor Society, Gage Academy, Plein Air Washington Artists and other organizations. David is the founder and program director of SHINE Art Academy on Bainbridge Island. His goal as a teaching artist is to design and execute a positive, educational and creative experience, with more attention on process than on product.
Artist website: David Repyak, @davidrepyak
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DISCOUNTS
This course is eligible for a 10% member discount at the Supporter level and beyond. Get a membership today!
Don's Pharmacy and Art Toolkit in Port Townsend offer a 10% discount for Northwind Art School students.
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CANCELLATION POLICY
If Northwind Art has to cancel a course for any reason, all enrolled students will be notified and receive a 100% refund of the course enrollment fee.
Students withdrawing from a course at least seven days prior to the first day of class will receive a 90% refund of the course enrollment fee.
Students withdrawing fewer than seven days from the first day of class are not eligible for a refund—except for illness or injury, in which case students are eligible to receive a 40% refund of the course enrollment fee.
Please note that 10% of every course’s registration fee is considered a non-refundable deposit to cover administrative overhead. Any donation given at the time of checkout is also non-refundable. All refunds will be applied to the same credit card that was used for enrollment. No credits or transfers will be granted.
Please email admin@northwindart.org if you wish to withdraw or for more information.