by Mille Tappe

Created on: June 19, 2008

Very few things have given me the enjoyment my favorite painting classes have, but I have also learned, the hard way, the importance of choosing the right class.

The hard way involves missing classes that are scheduled at times that don't work for you. It involves frustration with a teaching style or class dynamic that doesn't suit your learning style. Don't go the hard way: it's too easy to choose the right class!

First, choose the painting medium: watercolor, acrylic, or oil. The main differences are in how you will experience the painting process, and how the finished paintings will look. Watercolor paints dry very quickly, requiring you to work very quickly. These paints do not allow you to "cover up" mistakes with new layers of paint. Acrylic paint will allow this sort of layering, but these paints also dry quickly, requiring speedy work. Oil paint is perhaps the most forgiving, in its slow drying time and dense "layerability". However, you may prefer the look of watercolor paintings, with their delicate translucence. If you aren't sure, look for a class in which all three styles are taught.

Next, decide how formal you want your painting education to be. Within your community, you likely have access to city-sponsored, recreational classes, as well as more formal painting groups or even one-on-one instruction. If your community hosts an art school, you may be able to enroll in a continuing education class in painting, which may be as informal as a recreational class or as formal as their degree credits. In general, the more informal the class, the lower the price.

Once you know which medium you are interested in and how "serious" you'd like the class to be, it's time to find some classes that will work with your life. This is about time and place. If the location of a class makes it difficult for you to attend, or if the time it is held is not usually clear in your schedule, keep looking. Try to find several classes that meet your expectations for medium, formality, time and place, and then it's time for the final step in your decision-making process: visiting the class for a first hand view of how it works.

You can usually drop in on a class and introduce yourself and your intentions to the instructor, but in some cases it may be better to call ahead. When you visit the class, be as unobtrusive as possible so as not to interfere with the students' learning. Pay attention to the structure of the class: is there a lesson, or is the instruction all one-on-one? How does the instructor communicate with the students? Do you feel good about how instruction is given?

When you find the right class, congratulate yourself! You are on your way to experiencing one of the more rewarding activities humans have enjoyed throughout history.

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