Pre-College Weekend Classes

REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS ONE WEEK BEFORE START OF CLASS

Any class cancelled due to weather, instructor illness or other circumstance will be rescheduled one to two weeks after the conclusion of the class. There is no prorating of tuition if the student cannot attend the make up session.

• Register Online
• Downloadable Registration Form to mail or fax

“I want to go to art college, but will I be ready?” A common question, and an increasing concern when students have fewer options at their school to develop the necessary skill sets.
MIAD’s Pre-College classes offer a clear path to get prepared for college. We recommend the following incremental approach to develop the skills and confidence you will need:

• Approaches to Drawing: Grades 7 – 8
• Figure Drawing: Grades 9 – 12
• Scholarship Portfolio: Grade 12 (Fall Semester)

It is extremely important, no matter what discipline you are interested in, to have strong observational and figure drawing in your portfolio when you apply for college. Consider the three classes above as your “foundation” classes.

If you have time to explore beyond these, we encourage you to elect a class from the Adult/Teen section, where you can find painting, photography, illustration, graphic design classes and more. These classes are for ages 16 and up.

Pre-College Only Classes

PC1103A: Approaches to Drawing (Grades 6 – 8) This class has filled to capacity and is closed for registration.
Approaches to Drawing is a great opportunity for younger artists to bolster developing drawing techniques through playful and academic approaches. Students focus on both observational drawing and abstract/expressive mark-making, as well as storytelling through comics. Each class introduces new approaches to drawing so students can refine existing skills and acquire new ones in class, and practice what interests them outside of class without the pressure of homework. Supplies are included in the cost of tuition.
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition (includes supplies): $215
Instructor: Abrahm Guthrie-Potter

PC1128B: Approaches to Painting (Grades 6 – 8)
Approaches to Painting is a chance for younger artists to explore and advance their understanding of color and shape using a variety of techniques. Each week, students investigate new subject matter from photos and observed objects, building on lessons from previous weeks. This is a great opportunity for young artists to learn about art, art history and paint in a fun and expressive environment with no homework.
Saturdays, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition (includes supplies): $215
Instructor: Abrahm Guthrie-Potter

Open Figure Drawing

SB507C: Open Figure Drawing – Pre-registration has closed for this class.  Walk-ins are welcome.
This is an opportunity to draw from a live model without instruction. One model provides a variety of quick and sustained poses. Participants can choose to pre-register: $50 for 10 sessions, or pay $6 per session at the door. Students under the age of 18 must have written parental permission to attend.
Jan. 17 – Mar. 31, 10 sessions
Tuesdays, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Saturday Morning Classes

PC115A: Mastering the Self Portrait
This intensive drawing class is designed to give students confidence in making self-portraits. Class instruction includes discussion of the basic anatomical structure of the human body along with helpful observational techniques. Students experiment with different mark-making techniques as they produce a series of portraits. Group critiques foster students’ analytical thinking, while acquainting them with “the critique” as a respected and fundamental part of the artistic process.
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $215 ($190 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Rosalie Beck

PC1135A: Intro to Product Design (NEW) This class has filled to capacity and is closed for registration.
Product/Industrial Design is everywhere, and it just might be the best “job” you’ve never heard of! Product designers are curious, they take stuff apart, they draw, they build things, they ask crazy questions, they are willing to play with ideas, they tell stories, they play with their friends, they tinker, and innovate. Students in this class are introduced to the exciting world of Product Design and learn how to use their creative skills to work through the Design Thinking process and create products that enhance the lives of themselves and others.
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $215 ($190 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Larry Murphy

PC1136A: Visual Effects (VFX) for Everyone
This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of digital visual effects for video. Students utilize Adobe After Effects to learn the foundations of VFX techniques such as scene composing, motion tracking, rotoscoping, chroma keying, set extensions, and more. The skills learned in this course can be used for practical applications such as removing an unwanted logo from an actor’s clothing, appearing on a virtual set, or even having some fun by teleporting your family to another planet to battle creatures in a light sword competition!
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $235 ($215 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Tim Chiappetta

PC1137A: Drawing from Life: Strategies for Sketching and Developing Images (NEW) This class has filled to capacity and is closed for registration.
Students in this course learn techniques for capturing subjects using traditional drawing media with an emphasis on efficient observational skills. In both sketchbook drawings and larger, more elaborate works, participants gain confidence in many types of descriptive mark-making, encompassing the fundamentals of line, shape, and value. The practice of close observational drawing is presented in a variety of ways— as a method of notetaking, as documentation, and as an expressive vehicle.
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $215 ($190 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Ethan Krause

PC1112A: Etching Open Studio This class has filled to capacity and is closed for registration.
This course is open to beginning-level, as well as advanced etching students. Students prepare, etch and print their own plates through guided demonstrations and work from their own photographs, drawings or designs. Instruction covers techniques such as stage biting to create different line densities and aquatint to create tonal gradient. Two-plate, color and “a la poupee” methods are demonstrated for more advanced students. Closed-toe shoes are required.
Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $265
Instructor: Todd Mrozinski

PC1131A: Screenprinting Open Studio This class has filled to capacity and is closed for registration.
This workshop is for those with beginner-level screenprinting experience as well as advanced students. Students will be given a refresher on preparing images, exposing screens, and basic printing techniques. The instructor will give more advanced demos on color separations, ink mixing, registration techniques, and file prep, as requested. Students are expected to have functioning knowledge and are encouraged to work on their own projects. Please note that the shop is not set up for commercial work or printing yardage.
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25
Tuition: $265
Instructor: Rachel Foster

PC1117A: Comic Strips
Learn how to translate your ideas into comics for print or the web! This course explores the beginnings of modern cartooning and the formal elements of comics themselves before getting into character design, scripting, exaggeration, hyperbole, caricature, pacing and timing. Students are introduced to the traditional approaches of laying out strips, drawing, lettering and coloring to develop their own original comic strips.
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $215 ($190 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: David Beyer

PC1122A: Introduction to Stained Glass Design This class has filled to capacity and is closed for registration.
Join a self-taught, Milwaukee-based stained glass artist as you take your first steps into the delicate world of stained glass design! Students learn about the process from start to finish, and design their own stained glass suncatcher created with the elegant Tiffany technique. Instruction includes creating a design template, scoring and breaking glass, grinding glass edges, soldering with lead-free solder, and waxing the finished piece. Students come away with a solid foundation in stained glass work, as well as their first original handcrafted design.
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition (glass included): $235 ($215 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Hanna Hobson

PC1049A: Korean Ink Brush Painting with Mokwon This class has filled to capacity and is closed for registration.
Learn basic techniques of Korean ink brush painting from the renowned master painter Mokwon, and gain an understanding and appreciation of East Asian art and its aesthetics. In-class demonstrations include basic brush stroke techniques, composition and essential skills needed to paint flowers, birds and iris. These skills are practiced individually and with the master. You may bring your own sumi ink stick, brushes or sumi paper, but supplies, including a brush and paper, are available for purchase during class. All levels of experience are welcome.
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $215 ($190 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Mokwon

PC1145A: Composition: Applying the Basics (NEW)
This course is an in-depth look at composition in two-dimensional art and design. Composition is the study of how individual visual elements work together and contribute to the creation of a final whole. Each class period focuses on a different topic including perspective, the golden ratio, layouts, and/or investigating works from art history. Students are invited to complete projects in the medium of their choosing. Compositional topics are supplemented with demos in various drawing and painting media including ink, watercolor, and more.
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $215 ($190 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Matthew Lee

PC1139A: Painting Landscape Components (NEW) This class has filled to capacity and is closed for registration.
Focus on individual components to gain skill in painting naturalistic landscapes. With a split primary (warm/cool) palette, learn to use color temperature, simplification, and various forms of mark-making to create a naturalistic quality of light, illusion of depth, and sense of place. Each week focuses on a different element such as sky, water, land, trees, architecture, and placing figures in the landscape. Students receive individual feedback as they create sketch copies of master paintings from provided color prints, and later work from personal photo reference if desired. Skills learned in this class provide students with a richer knowledge base for the coming plein air season.
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $215 ($190 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Beth Stoddard

Saturday Afternoon Classes

PC1138B: Animal and Figure Drawing (NEW)
Making comparisons by studying human and animal anatomy, students learn different ways to conceptualize the figure through site visits to MKE Urban Stables and the Milwaukee County Zoo. Referencing master artists and drawing the unclothed figure from life provide further pathways of investigation. Students can expect to build a foundation of comparative anatomy knowledge, develop observation-based life drawing skills using various dry media on both large and small formats, and the ability to more confidently incorporate creatures of any type into their personal artwork or sketchbook practice.
Saturdays, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $235 ($215 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Beth Stoddard

PC1140B: Virtual Reality (NEW) This class is closed for registration.
Create immersive, cinematic experiences for virtual reality using Adobe’s After Effects. Virtual Reality offers both artists and designers a new medium through which to communicate, express, and engage with their audiences. Students in this course can expect to develop a storyline based concept, build and/or capture visual assets, edit, produce, and output VR content. A fundamental understanding of working in After Effects is required.
Saturdays, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $235 ($215 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Jody Campbell

PC1141B: Exploring Color Combinations: Pop Art (NEW)
Pop Art is a genre that can be characterized by the breaking down of images through the processes of patterning and coloration. Students in this class explore a variety of approaches to creating interesting and pleasing compositions through the use of patterns, figures, objects, forms, and color. Open to all levels of experience, students use markers and ink to explore the compositional impact of color and pattern in their imagery.
Saturdays, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $215 ($190 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Dillon Menzies

PC1142B: Intro to Graphic Design: Typography (NEW)
In this course, students learn the modern techniques and everyday practices of a graphic designer. Focusing on the many facets of typography and how it is used in graphic design, techniques covered include expressive typography, digitally manipulated type, and how to mix type with imagery. Students explore the history and anatomy of type through various design projects and activities, leaving the course with an overall understanding of the design process as well as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator basics. This course is open to anyone who is interested in learning about typography in graphic design and no prior knowledge is required.
Saturdays, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $235 ($215 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Francesca Narvaez

PC1143B: Gouache Painting for Illustration (NEW) This class has filled to capacity and is closed for registration.
The medium of gouache— a fast-drying, opaque watercolor similar to acrylic paint— remains popular with contemporary illustrators looking to work outside the digital mainstream. Students in this course generate narrative and character-driven illustrations in gouache, learning the basics of color theory and color mixing. While focusing on this versatile and flexible medium, students experiment with sketching, drawing, and composing successful illustrative pieces.
Saturdays, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $215 ($190 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Ethan Krause

PC1144B: Off the Screen: Processes Behind Photographic Printing (NEW)
In current times, our images often stay in the digital format, trapped on our screens, and hidden away on our hard drives. This class gives students the opportunity to feel the impact of seeing their images in the physical format of photographic prints. Students learn the basics of photo editing, the technical approaches to printing, and build critique skills in viewing their final prints. This class is designed for students who already have a basic comfort level of taking photos and are at the stage where they want to explore the printing process.
Saturdays, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Mar. 4 – Apr. 1, 5 sessions
Tuition (includes ink): $215 ($190 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Maeve Jackson

PC1050B: Approaches to Watercolor This class has filled to capacity and is closed for registration.
Students explore a variety of approaches to watercolor through abstraction, landscape, still life, portraiture and illustration. Students work from imagination, photographs and still life to explore processes including alla prima, wet into wet and layering. Students explore methods for flattening watercolors, delve deep into watercolor equipment and spend a day creating watercolor monotypes.
Saturdays, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Feb. 18 – Mar. 25, 6 sessions
Tuition: $215 ($190 before Jan. 15)
Instructor: Matthew Lee

Please note: If you do not see your course supply list below, it will be posted by Feb. 1st.

Animal and Figure Drawing Supply List 2023

Approaches to Watercolor 2023

Comic Strips Supply List 2023

Etching Open Studio Supply List 2023

Exploring Color Combinations Supply List 2023

Gouache Painting for Illustration 2023

Korean Brush Painting Supply List 2023

Mastering the Self Portrait Supply List 2023

Off The Screen Supply List 2023

Painting Landscape Components Supply List 2023

Screenprinting Open Studio Supply List 2023

Updated Stained Glass Supply List 2023

Typography Supply List 2023

VFX for Everyone Supply List 2023

Drawing from Life Supply List 2023

Composition Supply List 2023

Virtual Reality Supply List 2023

Intro to Product Design Supply List 2023

DPI SCHOLARSHIPS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR SPRING PRE-COLLEGE COURSES.

Questions?
Contact the Pre-College office at 414‑847‑3330.

• Download Program Permission Form and Figure Drawing Consent Form

The health and safety of the MIAD community, including all guests on campus, will continue to drive our decisions as we navigate and remain flexible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please read MIAD’s current policies here.