Mini-Workshops

In addition to the ongoing classes and typical weekend workshops, the Mainstreet staff instructors also offer  a variety of short mini-workshops on specialty subjects. Upcoming offerings are listed below:

Cartooning and
Comic Basics

with Megan Senate

Jump into the exciting world of cartoons and comics! Students will be encouraged to gather inspiration from the past, present, and, most importantly, their own imaginations, as they work toward creating an original character to star in their very own comic strip! We will begin with the basics of shape language and how to structure characters, expressions and poses, then move forward to a finished comic.

Megan Senate has been creating art since she could hold a crayon. She focused on digital art through school and first became a published illustrator at age 15. She has worked as a freelance artist and designer on a variety of projects, including logos, greeting cards, stickers, books, comics and character designs. Megan has also branched out to other mediums, like fiber arts, watercolor, pen drawing, lithography and even plein air. She pursued professional art further in Indianapolis with Full Circle Nine Gallery and featured in multiple shows.

Cheryl Cook

Figure Drawing: Drawing
Skills Bring New Life
to Your Painting

CHARCOAL

Saturday & Sunday
October 5 & 6, 2024 or March 1 & 2, 2025
9:00 am - 3:00 pm

$230.00 plus model fee

Learning how to see and interpret reality through line drawing helps you develop the ability to think and see like an artist. Cookie will lead you through a series of exercises, designed to train the artist to draw figures with accuracy, simplicity and skill. This class will strengthen your figure drawing skills for both beginner and experienced artists. Sessions will begin with short exercises to capture gesture, movement, and anatomy.

"Cookie" began her career working for Hallmark in Kansas City designing and illustrating. In Chicago she worked for ad agencies and packaging companies as well as drawing courtroom sketches for the Chicago Tribune and now CBS. Cookie loves working with fellow artists to share the lessons learned by a lifetime of study.

Susan Ploughe

Art and Your iPad

DIGITAL

Thursday & Friday
October 31 & November 1, 2024
9:00 am - 12:00 pm

$100.00

Susan Ploughe

Getting Started with Gouache

GOUACHE

Friday
February 28, 2025
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
$115

Gouache (which rhymes with “squash”) is a delightful medium that provides endless possibilities for expression. It allows you to paint as you would with oils or acrylics because of its opaque qualities, while also providing watercolor-like characteristics. Its rich, matte color can be used in a range of applications from thin and semi-transparent to many opaque layers. It is a water-based paint, making it easy to use and clean-up - no solvents! It’s fantastic for sketching, traveling, and working out ideas, and can be used for quick studies or as a finished painting. In this workshop you will learn about the necessary supplies, how to handle the paint and palette, what surfaces to paint on, and you will practice a variety of painting techniques to get you started on your gouache journey.

Susan Ploughe

Background Check

9:00 am - 4:00 pm

$115.00