Painting & Drawing
Code: D0918-26
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Open to All
Students of any skill and knowledge level.
Life Drawing: Form, Color & Symbolism
Jul 27 - 31, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
Tuition: $1,350.00
Course Fee: $270.00
Registration Fee: $45.00
Concept
This intensive life drawing workshop, open to students of all experience levels, allows participants to explore the figure through traditional drawing media, with a focus on value, texture, form, contrast, light and shadow, and gesture. In addition to honing our rendering skills, the class addresses the elements of a drawing composition that create narrative: props, fabric patterns, symbolism, and costume. Emphasis is placed on the role that color plays in a drawing, and how powerfully it can impact the meanings behind a narrative image, particularly when working through a surreal lens. The week begins with fast-paced exercises while drawing from a model, and culminates in a longer pose, incorporating costumes, personal objects, and other materials that build a dynamic, multi-layered figurative stage from which the imagination can blossom.
View All Painting & Drawing Workshops
Media & Techniques
Traditional drawing materials including charcoal, conte crayon, color pastels
Faculty
Robert Pruitt
Robert Pruitt works in a variety of materials, with the focus of his practice centered on rendering large scale figurative portraits. His work is in numerous public collections, including the Dallas Museum of Art); the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston); the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston ; the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University,; the Portland Museum of Art,ME; the Studio Museum in Harlem, NY; the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin; and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond.
Robert Pruitt, Monster on a 15
Tuition: $1,350.00
Course Fee: $270.00
Registration Fee: $45.00
Join Waitlist for Life Drawing: Form, Color & Symbolism
Thank you for your interest in the waitlist. When space in a workshop or program becomes available, registration will open on the website. Everyone on the waitlist will be emailed to alert them of the opening. This ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity to register for the workshop or program.
Workshop Details
Workshop Supplies
For general information about studio access, shipping, and more, please visit our info page.
If you have any questions regarding your supplies for your workshop, please contact Lindsey Yeager, [email protected].
Provided by Anderson Ranch
Equipment
- Butcher paper
- Containers
- Cordless drills
- Cutting mats
- Drawing boards
- Easels
- Gamsol (OMS)
- Gloves
- Glues
- Hand tools: hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, clamps
- Laser printer
- Palette knives
- Palette-topped utility carts
- Presentation projector
- Push pins
- Rags
- Rulers
- Scanner
- Scissors
- Spray bottles
- Staple guns
- Stools
- Tape
- Work tables
Supplies
- 18" x 24" drawing pad
- Blue tape
- Pencil sharpeners
- Vine charcoal, medium
- Spray fixative
- Staedtler erasers
- Chamois
- Clamp lights
- Dust masks
What you need to bring
Required Tools and Supplies
- Prohibited supplies: power tools, torches, spray paint, encaustic, turpentine, resin, plastisol, any solvent that isn’t low VOC
- Charcoal pencils - HB, 2B, 4B, 6B (at least 4 of each)
- Soft pastels, assorted colors
- 9" x 12" sketchbook with at least 50 pages - white, tan, or grey**
Optional Tools and Supplies
- White (or light colored) t-shirt for screen printing**
* Available for purchase in the studio.
** Available to purchase at the Anderson Ranch ArtWorks Store for 10% off. The store aims to stock comparable items, though specific products from the supply list may vary based on inventory.
Learn more about shipping supplies and artwork to and from the Ranch in the Student Handbook.
Lodging & Meals
Housing is limited and includes shared and private lodging options. Reservations will be managed on a first-come, first-served basis. The earlier you reserve housing, the better your chance of receiving your preferred option. Please note: Workshop costs do not include accommodations.
NEW: Course fees includes a welcome dinner and lunches. In our effort to foster a stronger sense of community and accessibility at Anderson Ranch, we include the welcome dinner and all lunches as part of course fees for summer workshop students. Our hope is that this adjustment will encourage all students to come together to share meals and engage in meaningful conversations. The Ranch Café Meal Plan, which is included with Room and Board fees, strives to provide healthy, creative meals that will nourish your artistic creativity. Learn more.
We have established a Business Safety Plan with added layers of precaution that prioritize the health and safety of our staff, students, faculty and guests while continuing to provide you with the Anderson Ranch experience that you know and enjoy.
Painting & Drawing
Painting & Drawing Studio in Aspen / Snowmass
The Painting & Drawing Studio at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, located in Snowmass Village near Aspen, Colorado, is a professional studio environment designed to support immersive artistic practice across a wide range of media. The space provides dedicated work areas, natural light, and technical infrastructure for artists working in oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, and drawing.
Interested in enrolling? Explore the full schedule of Painting & Drawing workshops at Anderson Ranch.
Make, reflect, consider, engage—these are all critical elements of the Painting and Drawing workshops at Anderson Ranch. Our exceptional workshops combine focused, hands-on art making with critical feedback for artists of all levels. Painting and Drawing guest faculty are phenomenal artists and educators with experience supporting students by offering technical knowledge and encouragement.
The bright, natural light of the Wyly Painting and Drawing Building provides an inspiring environment where students can explore and expand their artistic practice. Our facilities are equipped with individual worktables, wall space, easels, rolling palettes, odorless solvents, a wide range of hand tools, computer access with Adobe software, wifi, printing, scanning, and projection capabilities. Spend a week here— or several—and engage in a variety of activities that will fuel your practice throughout the year.
Don’t know where to start? View the skill levels for Painting and Drawing workshops.
Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a historic, rustic campus that features gravel pathways and uneven terrain that may pose challenges for individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. We strive to provide accommodations to ensure all guests can access and enjoy our programs and facilities. With advance notice, our staff can offer personalized assistance and coordinate access to studios and campus spaces. For questions or to request an accommodation, please contact us at (970) 923-3181 or [email protected].
Related Events
Scholarships, College Credit & Discounts
Making Art Accessible
Applications for scholarship support are encouraged. Specific scholarships are funded by Ranch supporters, either through endowed funds or special gifts.
Many colleges and universities offer college credit for workshops taken at Anderson Ranch. Discounts are available for students and teachers.
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