The idea of Sumi-e is the Art of Leaving Out.  The aim to simplify a subject to it's basic Essence. There is an honoring of the viewer"s own imagination by stripping away all but the most essential spirit of a subject. 

Materials provided by The Drawing Studio.

A collaboration between The Drawing Studio, Raices Taller Gallery, and Roots & Roads Community Hospice, this series will commence with a lecture with renowned ofrenda-builders Antonio C. Estrada and Gloria J. Valenzuela, followed by 3 sessions of building mini-ofrendas taught by guest teaching artists. 

Materials provided by The Drawing Studio. Feel free to bring your own mementos for your Mini-Ofrenda. 

Friday Print Lab is where our intergenerational printmakers, with an established practice, meet with others, share work, tips, and life's journeys! Enjoy access to 3 manual roll-top etching/relief presses for your self-directed projects! This studio session is not a regular instructional class, so we recommend beginners start with one of our various printmaking classes.

Membership with The Drawing Studio is required for Print Lab participation. Membership dues allow us to keep cost low. 

Folks are welcome to bring in anything that they wish, just so long as it goes back home with you! A Studio Monitor is available to answer questions and orient you on materials. Some materials are available at cost, so bring cash for additional supplies.

Class description coming soon!

Materials provided by The Drawing Studio. 

Join Russell for this NEW Gesture Drawing series! This series will begin with instruction at The Drawing Studio with a Ballet Tucson model to learn the basics and vocabulary of figure drawing. In the following weeks, this class will meet throughout town at different locations to capture life in motion! As field trip options and community partnerships continue to expand, information will be given to attendees with opportunities for gesture drawing at The Century Room, Reid Park Zoo, and Equinimity!

Acceptable mediums include vine charcoal, sharpie, varieties of pencils and graphite.

Supply list coming soon!

If you feel intimidated by the thought of painting in oils, this class is for you. You will learn how to approach your painting with more confidence and ease by learning the fundamentals techniques to oil painting; how to organize a palette, how to mix color, how to achieve color harmony, how to create form and manipulate values effectively.

Participation in DF I and DF II highly recommended first.

Materials not included. Please bring the following supplies:

Oil paints: Cadmium Red, Quinacridone rose, Cadmium Lemon Yellow, Yellow ochre, Ultramarine Blue, phthalo blue, Burnt Umber, titanium White (required)

Painting Palette (required)

Turpenoid jar (required)

Brushes and a palette knife (required)

Several Canvas boards or oil paper of various sizes (required)

Linseed or another painting medium (required)

Paper towels (required)

Friday Print Lab is where our intergenerational printmakers, with an established practice, meet with others, share work, tips, and life's journeys! Enjoy access to 3 manual roll-top etching/relief presses for your self-directed projects! This studio session is not a regular instructional class, so we recommend beginners start with one of our various printmaking classes.

Membership with The Drawing Studio is required for Print Lab participation. Membership dues allow us to keep cost low. 

Folks are welcome to bring in anything that they wish, just so long as it goes back home with you! A Studio Monitor is available to answer questions and orient you on materials. Some materials are available at cost, so bring cash for additional supplies.

In class, students will create a mixed media portrait using collage, drawing, and painting. The process is guided in clear stages, allowing each student to build a cohesive artwork step by step while making personal choices along the way.

Students will explore how to combine materials, layer imagery, and add visual storytelling through color, texture, and mark-making. Prompts are simple and flexible, supporting both beginners and experienced artists without overwhelming the process.

The art is the outcome, but the experience is where the magic resides. This is identity work, storytelling, documentation. Each participant will leave with a completed portrait that reflects their perspective, identity, and creative voice. One portrait, built in layers. Each phase adds something new, allowing students to choose how within each phase.

Materials not provided. Please bring the following supplies:

-Journals or loose paper for writing

-Pens for writing prompts

-Printed portraits (We will take and print the portraits during the first class session)

-Magazine images or materials they connect with

-Props (fabric, jewelry, objects, symbolic items) or change of clothes for styling (Session 1)

-Any meaningful text, poems, or writings they want to include

-Markers (optional)

-Anything else that makes the portrait more personal and intimate to you