Figure Drawing Open Studios, Workshops,
and Continuing Education Classes in the
State of Illinois (from Champaign to Chicago)
Other States and Provinces

This is a directory of places where artists can draw, paint, or sculpt the human form from live art models. The list includes instructed and uninstructed sessions. Drawing groups come and go, and schedules change, so it is wise to confirm with the organizer before attending—website, email and/or telephone is listed for each group.

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Illinois —- sorted by Zip Code

The Art Center
1957 Sheridan Road
Highland Park, IL 60035
847-432-1888
Instructed and Uninstructed
Classes include Figure Drawing & Painting; Figurative Sculpture; Life Drawing for Beginner Thru Advanced.
Uninstructed Figure Drawing, Fridays 9:30am - 12:30pm; Drop in, informal workshop for all levels. Work in any media from a live model; TAC Membership required for this class.
Uninstructed Drop-In Figure Sculpt/ Draw Studio: All Levels, Wednesdays, 1:00pm-4:00pm; An Informal Drop in workshop for all levels in sculpture as well as drawing. Work from a live model.
[E]

North Shore Art League
620 Lincoln Ave
Winnetka, IL 60093-2308
nsalsbcglobal.net 847-446-2870
Instructed
Classes include Figure Art (nude), Portrait Art, and Clothed Figure Drawing & Painting. Come learn how to draw the figure, either nude or with clothing and drapery, using colorful setups and compositions. Students can work in their media of choice. NSAL membership required. All ability levels welcome.
[2009-10-27]

Evanston Art Center
2603 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60201
847-475-5300
Instructed and Uninstructed
Classes include Figure Sculpture; Figure Drawing and Painting; Drawing and Painting the Nude.
Uninstructed Open Figure Studio, Drawing and Painting. Figure Studio offers participants the opportunity to work in their choice of media from nude models. Poses range from one to thirty minutes. A classroom monitor is in charge. Participants must have previously completed one EAC painting or drawing class. Pay $15 at each class session, or register for entire 10-week term and save. Monday 9:30 am – 12:30 pm.
[2009-07-24]

Evanston Atelier
716 Main St.
Evanston, IL 60202
infoevanstonatelier.com 312-480-7796
Uninstructed
Open Studio Figurative Drawing. Fridays 10:30am-12:00 and Saturdays 10:30am-12:00. $10.
[E]

Gay Riseborough
1402½ Greenleaf Ave.
Evanston, IL 60202
gayrisecomcast.net 847-475-5159
Uninstructed
FIRST MONDAYS of every month, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Open Figure Drawing Studio, $20
[E]

Westmont Public Library
428 N Cass
Westmont, IL 60559
awattswestmontlibrary.org 630-969-5625
Uninstructed
Figure Drawing Studio. Sundays 2:00pm. The Westmont Public Library's meeting room is converted into a studio space for artists interested in honing their skills. A clothed or costumed model is provided for independent study. There is no instructor and participants must bring their own supplies.
[E]

Chicago —- sorted by Zip Code

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
37 South Wabash Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603
cssaic.edu 312-629-6170
Instructed
Classes include Intro to Figure Drawing and Figure Painting:Extended Poses. Class offerings vary by quarter.
[E]

The Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts
1012 N. Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60610
fineart1012sbcglobal.net 312 642-4400
Uninstructed
Open studios are daily non-instructed sessions with live models. They are free to P&C members. Non-Members are charged $10 per session. Ten workshop passes are available for $85 from the monitors, or in the office. Easels and tables are provided.
[E]

School of Representational Art (SORA)
116 W. Illinois 7th floor
Chicago, Illinois 60610
sora_artyahoo.com 847-491-6630
Instructed
Classical Life Drawing and Sketching. 6 week classes, Saturdays 9am to 12pm. Price $175.00 per 6-week session. This class is an opportunity to learn the traditional academic approach to realistic life drawing. It is comprised of individual instruction in a group drawing setting. The theme of the class are a focus on proportion, line, contour, value, and gesture. Beginning students will be shown the sight-size method of drawing. Comparative drawing will be shown to more advanced students as necessary. Students will work from short gesture studies, single day poses, and multi-day poses. This class is open to students at all levels of ability.

[E]

Hyde Park Art Center
5020 S. Cornell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60615
generalinfohydeparkart.org 773-324-5520
Instructed and Uninstructed
Open studio figure drawing. Instructed classes include Sculpture - Portrait & Figure; Figure Drawing; Portrait & Figure Painting and Drawing; and Anatomy for Artists. Classes change quarterly; see website for schedule.
[2009-08-06]

The Galaxie
2603 W. Barry Ave.
Chicago IL 60618
artgalaxiechicago.com 773-267-6010
Uninstructed
Figure Drawing. Walk-ins Welcome. Every Saturday 9:30-12:30 pm. $15 for one session
$50 for five. Start the weekend off with a cup of coffee and a three hour drawing session meant to keep your artistic eye sharp and your drawing skills fresh. The classic drawing session will evolve from shorter poses to longer ones, and will give you the opportunity to experiment with the media of your choice. We’ll serve the coffee; you bring your art tools!
[E]

TOJO Gallery
1418 West Division Street
Chicago, IL 60622
infotojogallery.com 773-726-4545
Uninstructed
Figure Drawing Tuesday and Thursday evenings 7:00pm to 9:30pm.
[E]

University of Chicago
Cobb Hall, Room 403
5801 South Ellis Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60637
jgravesuchicago.edu
Uninstructed
Outside the lines is a University of Chicago organization hosting weekly figure drawing sessions on Tuesdays 6PM - 9PM from second week to ninth week of each quarter. We welcome beginners and experienced artists from the University and surrounding neighborhoods to our sessions on campus. Events are free with a University of Chicago ID, but donations are appreciated. $5 for non-University participants. There will be a live model at each session. Paper, easels, drawing boards, and other supplies will be available. Poses increase in duration over the three-hour period.
[E]

The Drawing Workshop
4410 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
drawingworkshopmindspring.com 773-334-4412
Instructed and Uninstructed
Drop-in figure drawing sessions take place on Sunday morning 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM and Wednesday evening 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM. No enrollment required. $15.00 per session.
Basic Drawnig class using the live model. Continuous enrollment. 10 weeks enrollment or 10 consecutive classes from the date you start. Monday 6:30-9:30 PM, Thursday 6:30-9:30 PM. $275.00.
[E]

Rumble Arts Center
3413 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
rumbleartsgmail.com 773-278-4441
Instructed
Figure Drawing Workshop. Thursdays 6:30-9:30 pm. Students will learn how to draw the human form and will experiment with a variety of mediums. We will begin with simple black and white sketches and move towards color composition of extended poses in both paint and pastel. Our final project will be the completion of a large, nude composition in student’s choice of color medium. No prior experience with the figure is necessary. Those in high school, college and beyond of all levels will find the class challenging and rewarding.
[2009-09-08]

Tom Robinson Studios Figure Workshop
2416 W. North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
tomtomrobinsonartist.com 773-227-3144
instruction/critique available
Life drawing class at the beautiful studio/gallery of artist Tom Robinson. Sundays from 1 - 4 pm $20 instruction available. Model mostly female and nude. Artists must be 18 and behave in a professional manner. Small friendly relaxed group. Learn by watching. Short and long poses. Some benches and easels.
[2009-09-09]

MELD (Monday Evening Life Drawing)
McGown Studios
5801 W Springfield
Champaign IL 61822
Monitored by RJ Karlstrom: welddrawingyahoo.com 217-355-3650
Uninstructed
Mondays 7-9 p.m. $7. All 2D media are welcome, and we provide chairs, stools, table space and tray tables. Easels are also welcome. Cost is $7.
[2009-09-01]

 


[E] = An email has been sent asking the organizer to verify or correct the information listed.
[date] = the listing has been verified by (or submitted by) the workshop organizer.

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The Art Model's Handbook: The Naked Truth about Posing for Art Classes and Fine Artists • by Andrew Cahner
ISBN-13: 978-1-442-16969-2 • ISBN-10: 1-442-16969-9 • Available from Amazon.com
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