Moorhead Community Education

The word Batarde is applied to the style of Gothic writing used during the 14th to 16th centuries in Northern France and other areas. The Batarde hand was not viewed as a legitimate Gothic but a cursive which allowed scribes some personal flair with commonality! It has flair and is a fun hand to learn. This pairs well with the style of calligraphy we will use in the “Kells are Calling” class so a great addition and yes, we will continue our study of calligraphy and the art in use at the time. So pen and paint for the creation of unique items. I will also be posting you some images on high quality paper as well as one on parchment for an immersive monkish experience! Please bring a pencil, eraser, ruler or T-square, paints and brushes – gouache is preferred but a good quality watercolor will work and be sure you have a white, notebook, file folder, a calligraphy marker 2.5mm or a Pilot parallel pen 2.4mm.

Learn the hand of the Book of Kells and then spend some time recreating some of the images and borders along with your own words of wisdom. We will also spend part of each lesson learning more of the history and making of this magical book. This class will have a mixture of calligraphy and painting as we recreate not just the text but some of the images and styles of the Book of Kells. Images will be posted to you on high quality paper and even one on a parchment for an authentic experience. This could be a unique Christmas card or unique gift idea. Supply list of items for students to bring: pencil, eraser, ruler or T-square, paints and brushes – gouache is preferred but a good quality watercolor will work, notebook, file folder, a calligraphy marker 2.5mm or a Pilot parallel pen 2.4mm.

Okay! Okay! You’ve got a comic book that you are trying to get drawn and get inked, and that you are trying and trying to get colored and lettered and printed and distributed or produced but you just do not know how to start getting all of that done. Well here it is! Here it is! This class is for you and your own story or your own tale or book! This class covers so, so many aspects of producing or completing a comic book series or a graphic novel, from the original pitch or idea to the printed page, or to the uploaded image! All skill levels welcome. Students should bring their active imaginations and a graphite drawing pencil set, a stick of charcoal, a sketchbook or sketch pad, and kneaded eraser.

Have you ever wanted to learn the guitar but simply find it difficult to find the time? In just a few hours you can learn enough about playing the guitar to give you years of musical enjoyment, and you won’t have to take private lessons to do it. This crash course will teach you some basic chords and get you playing along with your favorite songs right away. Since this class is being held online with ZOOM, you will be able to sit at home with your guitar and take this class without any pressure at all. And since the class includes an online book and online follow-up video lessons, you will be able to continue your practice and study on your own. An optional periodic online question and answer session is also included. You will also receive a recording of the class for review whenever needed.

In just a few hours, you can learn enough secrets of the trade to give you years of musical enjoyment. Learn to play piano the way professionals do-using chords. Since this class is being held online with ZOOM you will be able to sit at your piano or keyboard at home and take this course with no pressure at all. And since this course includes an online book and online follow up video lessons, you will be able to continue your practice and study on your own. An optional periodic online question and answer session is also included. You will also receive a recording of the class for your review whenever needed. The course is partly lecture/demonstration and partly hands on instruction.

Add some new and different tools into your art box as we look at some of the fundamental building blocks of creating interesting and pleasing artwork. We will look at different small studies using art theory, a critical eye and our own artistic sensibilities for what we find pleasing, interesting and intriguing through understanding perspective, values, backgrounds and other elements of watercolor. This workshop is designed for students with little to no art experience with challenge exercises for those more advanced. We will focus on pen and ink, pencil and watercolor techniques and methods. Watercolor painting can and will complement a piece of any work – scrapbooking, calligraphy – and make great personalized gifts. There will be a homework component to practice the skills learned. This course is held virtually over Zoom. Bring to class: Pencil, eraser, ruler or T-square, Micro water-proof fine liner pen (if they have one), #6 or #8 round watercolor paint brush – I recommend the Snap or Royal brands, notebook, file folder, reading glasses (if needed), watercolor paints, watercolor paper.

Sketch and paint our rooms, the views in our houses, the scenes in our daily lives that bring joy. This workshop is designed for students with little to no art experience with challenge exercises for those more advanced. We will focus on pen and ink, pencil and watercolor techniques and methods. Watercolor painting can and will complement a piece of any work – scrapbooking, calligraphy – and make great personalized gifts. There will be a homework component to practice the skills learned. Supply list of items for students to bring: Pencil, eraser, ruler or T-square, Micro water-proof fine liner pen (if they have one),#6 or #8 round watercolor paint brush – I recommend the Snap or Royal brands, notebook, file folder, reading glasses (if needed), watercolor paints, watercolor paper.

This class provides a judgment-free environment for learning how to confidently translate a manuscript into an illustrated work. It’s a great first step for anyone interested in writing a graphic novel or children’s book or just wanting to tell their own story in a visual manner. Beginning with a manuscript, students will learn to sketch their characters and settings, brainstorm how to overcome certain challenges, interpret feedback from other artists, and create an illustrated work that sees their original story transformed. All skill levels welcome. Students should bring a graphite drawing pencil set, sketchpad and kneaded eraser.

Learn to sketch birds using a variety of drawing techniques including contour line, basic forms and value shading. No previous art experience is necessary. Please bring a sketchbook, at least 9”x12”, and a No.2 pencil, and a pencil sharpener. Barbara Benda, barbara@barbarabendanagle.com

This class highlights the manner in which a musician’s, or musical group’s, album artwork is designed and produced. Blocking, masking, font or type choices, photography, illustration, and graphic principles, such as shapes, colors and spacing, will be addressed. Please bring a graphite drawing pencil set, a stick of charcoal, sketchbook or sketch pad, a kneaded eraser, and a preferred album or collection of songs by a particular artist, or musical group.

Prerequisite: Seeing Things Differently. This course widens the foundation of Part I by expanding sketching skills in greater detail and introducing strategies for tackling a difficult subject, gesture drawing, and other techniques that will develop confidence in using a sketchbook and pencil. Bring a sketchbook (at least 8.5"x11"), No. 2 (HB) pencil, 6B drawing pencil, eraser and a pencil sharpener to class.

This course is designed for the person who says, “I’m not an artist. I can’t draw. I was never very good at art,” or for those who have spent their lives nurturing others and forgot to take time to nourish their own souls with drawing. This course covers the basics of contour drawing, basic form drawing, value shading, and the combination of all techniques. You will discover that sketching is relaxing, liberating, and not as difficult as it may appear. Bring a sketchbook (at least 8.5"x11"), a No. 2 (HB) pencil, a 6B drawing pencil, and a pencil sharpener with you to class.

You’ve seen the human figure. Observed its natural beauty and its awesome complexity and grandeur, but you just can’t seem to capture it, or render the human form as convincingly, as representationally, or as figuratively as you would like. This class has arrived in the nick of time to set you on the path toward becoming more adept at drawing people and the way you see them with comfort and ease, regardless of your artistic or creative level of expertise! Please have a graphite drawing pencil set, a stick of charcoal, sketchbook or sketchpad, and kneaded eraser.

This class teaches students the fundamentals of rendering a still life in graphite and charcoal. Learn the basics including how to arrange your objects, how to compellingly and dynamically light them, how to compose your piece, and how to execute a representational depiction of the collection of items that you have chosen to draw. All skill levels welcome. Students should have a graphite drawing pencil set, a stick of charcoal, sketchbook or sketchpad, and kneaded eraser.