Summer 2025

I teach at The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Art in Minneapolis, MN. Anyone is welcome to register for classes in the part-time program and workshops. This Summer term I will be teaching three classes AND two workshops! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. If a class day is cancelled due to instructor business travel or national holidays, we will have make-up sessions. No class July 3.

Workshops:

Digital Tools for Art Making.

June 27–29, 2025, Friday 1pm-4pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am-4pm.
In-person at The Atelier.

If you’d like to learn more about the convenience and possibilities of digital tools like Photoshop, then this workshop is for you. Christine will teach you some of the essential digital skills she uses for her digital and traditional art making. Learn about different color modes for making art for print or on screen, “frankensteining” your reference, using a pencil drawing as a base for a digital painting, altering your sketch digitally to explore composition and value design, and drawing and painting digitally. We will not be using any AI/ML image generation tools. You will also be given suggestions to continue to practice on your own. About a week before the workshop, registrants will receive access to the workshop files.

The majority of our projects will be done using Photoshop. I recommend using the 7-day free trial of Photoshop for this workshop. If you choose to purchase a Photoshop plan, be sure you understand the subscription agreement (some are monthly and some are an annual commitment with fees for canceling early). We’ll also look at alternatives to Photoshop that cost less.

Some technical assistance will be available.
The workshop does not include any software or hardware.

Requirements You must:

be familiar with navigating and using your device
have your own laptop that can handle Photoshop (a touchscreen laptop or external pressure-sensitive tablet with pen like a Wacom Intuos is strongly recommended)
download the supplied files in Photoshop before the workshop
be able to connect to the internet using The Atelier’s Wi-Fi
an iPad or similar may be used but please note, only assistance with Photoshop or Affinity Photo will be available, not device tech help

Strongly recommended: If using Photoshop on a laptop, a Wacom drawing tablet or similar is strongly recommended. Christine uses a Wacom Intuos (small size, price starts around $70.00). Some local resources include: Best Buy, Micro Center, Device Pitstop.

I’ve been using Photoshop since the mid 90s, first as a student at the U of MN, then through my graphic design career, and painting digitally for over a decade. I continue to use it as a professional artist and illustrator as part of my traditional painting process and for digital paintings.

Questions about the workshop? Contact me.

Length: 3 days, Friday–Sunday, June 27–29, 2025.
Friday 1pm-4pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am-4pm
Tuition: $300
Limit: 10 students

Week-Long Workshop: Imaginative Art & Illustration

Let your imagination fly! Get a taste of illustration during this week long workshop. We’ll work to develop a strong drawing for an imaginative piece based upon an existing story or your own idea. Topics covered will include composition, brainstorming, thumbnails, research, sketch development, and studies for value and color. Emphasis will be placed on composition, and storytelling. For the first class please bring a sketchbook, and your preferred drawing tools. If you have a laptop or other device with internet access, bring that too for reference research. If you have a specific project in mind, please contact me.

Length: 5 days, Monday–Friday, July 21–25, 2025
Tuition: $250
Register now at https://theatelier.org/study/workshops/illustration/

Classes:

Gestural Figure Study

Breathe life into your figure drawings by building a deeper understanding of gesture. This class blends The Atelier and Studio Arts figure study methods. Christine coaches students through a variety of exercises to explore different ways to see, understand, and capture gesture. By understanding gesture we can incorporate a sense of life into our drawings, tell a story through body language, or exaggerate it for effect. We will be studying gesture from the nude figure. Throughout the course, there will be a variety of models and duration of poses. Experimentation of materials will be discussed and encouraged.

Supply List

Starts Tuesday, May 21, 2024 4:15 – 6:45 PM, in-person at The Atelier
Summer session: 10 weeks,
$285 Register now at https://theatelier.org/study/classes/gesture/

Imaginative Art & Illustration

Hybrid in-person/online (students may attend class by Zoom OR in-person at The Atelier)
Explore your imagination! In this class you will be coached through an imaginative art-making process that Christine uses for creating personal work and client commissions. Emphasis is placed on intent and visual narrative. Christine’s teaching is tailored to the needs of each student, be it exploring personal themes or creating work for your portfolio. Assignments can be provided or self-generated. You may work using traditional or digital media. The goal of this class is for you to learn this process (with modifications as needed) and build confidence in and further develop your unique personal creative abilities, therefore, we will avoid using image generators. During class, critiques and discussion are done in a supportive group atmosphere. Students will work on their projects between classes. We use Google Classroom to share information and review projects (Gmail account needed for access). Classes are not recorded. Contact me. with questions or concerns.

Summer session: TWO separate classes will be offered: one with the lectures (level 1), and one without (level 2).

Level 1 (includes lectures) Starts, Thursday, May 22, 2025, 7:00pm–9:30pm (Central Time), $300

Level 2 (does NOT include lectures) Starts Thursday May 22, 2025, 4:00pm–6:30pm (Central Time), $300

I teach classes through The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Arts in Minneapolis, MN. They handle all the registrations and any payments should be made out to them. To register for any classes, you can do so online through TheAtelier.org (note, The Atelier charges a little more to register online), or by mailing in a check to The Atelier with the registration slip from their mailer (you can get the Course Catalog PDF at TheAtelier.org). Registration can also be done in person but you’ll want to check first that someone will be there to assist you with your payment method.

Information from The Atelier: “For your convenience, you may register for classes online with a credit or debit card. Please note that when registering online, the course prices include an additional percentage to offset fees for accepting credit card payments.” “We still accept mail-in registration with check. Just be sure to let us know in advance which class you would like to sign up for so we can reserve your spot.” The Atelier’s contact information is: 612-362-8421 mail@theatelier.org TheAtelier.org

Regarding masking (for my classes)

IF COVID-19 Community Level is high, masks will be required for students attending my in-person classes. When Community Level is low or medium, people may choose to wear a mask at any time.