Classes

2017:  October through December

Most of my classes take place in the School of Botanical Art and Illustration (SBAI) at Denver Botanic Gardens, where I have been an instructor since 1998.
For a full course schedule of the SBAI, and to see program fees and course prerequisites, please visit Denver Botanic Gardens.

Classes in the BACK TO BASICS series and other workshops are separate from the SBAI. Class locations and registrations differ by workshop.
Colored Pencil Essentials
Online with Craftsy.com
ALWAYS AVAILABLE!
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On line.
Any time.
Your pace.
Always yours to keep.
Learn the basics of colored pencil & how to mix color like a painter.
Special discount - Click below
Coupon Details: Get 50% off the full retail price of select Craftsy classes taught by Susan Rubin. Cannot be combined with any other coupons. Expires September 27, 2017.

BASICS BOOTCAMPS
Drawing workshops with
Susan Rubin & Marjorie Leggitt

Back to Basics: Drawing with Confidence
Monday - Thursday,  March 12-15
Time: 9:30 am-3pm
Location: Art Gym, 1460 Leyden St, Denver

In this fun four-day workshop, return to the drawing basics of Line, Shading, Perspective, and Composition to bolster your drawing skills and boost your confidence.
Marjorie and Susan will guide you through specific steps to better drawing. Understand how to "see like an artist" and turn on your artistic intuition to draw line correctly the first time. Revisit the principles of light, form, and depth to flesh out compositions both big and small. Practice linear and aerial perspective to accurately portray physical and atmospheric depth. Develop composition strategies to create dynamic artwork. We'll challenge and delight you with subjects large and small, indoors and out.
Instruction, exercises, practice, and individual guidance will assure that in just four days you'll firm up those shaky skills and draw anything better and faster every time.

Beyond the Basics: Finding Focus
Thursday-Friday, April 12-13
Time: 9: 30 am-3pm
Location: Art Gym, 1460 Leyden St, Denver

Back to Basics builds confidence and skills - now reach for the next level in Beyond the Basics: Finding Focus! Expand your understanding of composition, perspective and shading with specific techniques and intriguing subject matter. Start with conscious planning to develop a completed piece, learning essential steps along the way. Two instructors and two full days of instruction and practice will hone your eye for accurate drawing and balanced composition. Beyond the Basics will expand your artistic toolbox and enhance all of your work going forward.
NOTE: Though this workshop is tailored to students who have completed Back to Basics, experienced artists are welcome. Contact us for more information.

Beyond the Basics: Into Color
Thursday-Friday, June 14-15
Time: 9:30 am-3pm
Location: Art Gym, 1460 Leyden St, Denver

Drawing in graphite but dreaming in color?  Take two instructors and two days to accelerate your color acumen.  Before you jump into full color, learn to see in monochromatic values and trick your brain into perceiving varied hues from just one color. Now think in pairs.  We’ll access one warm and one cool color to explore the power of color mixing and temperature as we model light on form with simple subjects. By day's end on Friday you'll not only be amazed by how you look at color differently, you will create a finished piece to be proud of!
NOTE: Though this workshop is tailored to students who have completed Back to Basics and Finding Focus, experienced artists are welcome. Contact us for more information. 

Beyond the Basics: Drawing Challenges
Friday - Saturday, August 3-4
Time: 9am-3pm
Location: Art Gym, 1460 Leyden St, Denver

Let’s draw the tough stuff!  After all this practice, there are still things that stump you. That shadow in the inside of your subject seems almost impossible. Those insect wings that reflect light and show substance behind are so hard to capture. From transparency to translucency and all the folds, crinkles, spikes, hair, and reflections and more in between, we’ll meet drawing difficulties head on. Two instructors and three full days will unravel the mysteries of texture and shadow on almost any subject, large or small. Working in graphite pencil, you’ll elevate your drawings from good to great with an arsenal of tips and tricks for your drawing toolbox.
 
Though this workshop is tailored to students who have completed Back to Basics and Beyond Basics, experienced artists are welcome.

Beyond the Basics: Composing with  Color
Thursday- Friday, October 11-12
Time: 9:30 am-3pm
Location: Art Gym, 1460 Leyden St, Denver

It’s time to take composition to the next level! The tried and true models for composition like the Rule of Thirds, Notan, and balance, just got an update! Learn the basics of composing with color to add new life to your work.  We’ll begin with shapes in color, discovering which colors enhance form, how to use color to push the perception of perspective, and how to create calm or chaos with your color selections. Next we’ll translate that flat mosaic to a fully rendered work, creating a color composition that tells your story precisely. In this fun two-day workshop you’ll have both instructors to guide you through the process in your choice of watercolor or colored pencil. Come see what color can do!

Beyond the Basics: Power of Perspective
Thursday - Friday, December 6-7
Time: 9:30 am-3pm
Location: Art Gym, 1460 Leyden St, Denver

Details to follow.

Color Layering for Colored Pencil
Fri-Sun, January 26 -28 | Time: 9 am–2:30 pm
Fri-Sun, April 6 - 8 | Time: 9 am–2:30 pm
Fri-Sun, 1 - 3 | Time: 9 am–2:30 pm

Colored pencil presents a special challenge: mixing color directly on your drawing! Learn to use a simple color-mixing method adapted to the application of colored pencils.  Learn to determine shadow colors for vibrant results. Practice color matching with a variety of plant material as you create your own extensive color workbook to speed color selection and application for all future colored pencil drawings.

OPEN STUDIO
Monday, February 3, 9am- noon

Bring your current project or start something new.  I am there to help with advice or ideas from 10 am-noon.

Colored Pencil Brush-Up
Mon June 18 | Time: 9 - noon

Joanna Webster
Was your last colored pencil class years ago? It's time to catch up!  Innovative materials, techniques and surfaces are constantly introduced to this ever-evolving medium. Try a selection of new colored pencils, some new tools, innovative and a multitude of new techniques. After these three hours, you'll walk away with a refreshed toolbox, some charming little studies and lots of new ideas.

Trompe L'Oeil: Plants and People, the Art of Ethnobotany
Fri-Sat June 22-23 | Time: 9- 2:30
Plus one month supported project

You'll start this class with a presentation by the curator of the Gardens' ethnobotany collection. Select your subject and tell a story with trompe l'oeil, or fool-the-eye artwork. Difficult but delightful, work in this style requires meticulous attention to detail and perspective and relies on cast shadow to create the optical that the two dimensional image exists in three dimensions. With careful instruction in the style as well as specific techniques, you'll create a small tableau. Finish with artwork that will have everyone scratching their heads.

Light on Form
Fri-Sun, July 13-15 |Time: 9 am–2:30 pm

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Take your drawings from flat to fabulous. The secret to portraying light and shadow on your subjects lies in understanding the scientific method of lighting as it applies
to different forms. Beginning with basic geometric shapes, refine your skills in showing light and volume on any subject.The class will work entirely in graphite pencil, but the principles apply to
all other media. As you progress from fruits and vegetables to leaves and flowers to entire plants with complex shapes, you will
overcome the obstacles in creating three-dimensional drawings.