DAC Art Classes & Workshops
Please Note:
In the event that classes are canceled because of unforseen circumstances or low attendance, all students who signed up will receive a full refund and be notified by email. Please be aware that unless specified, all our classes are for adults (18 years of age or older) and may be unsuitable for children.
For classes in textile art, weaving, soap-making, fabric dying and more, offered by our creative partners, Hawaii Handweavers’ Hui, visit hawaiihandweavers.org!
Weekly Sessions at DAC
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Monday Night Life Drawing Group (Weekly, 2025)
DAC is pleased to host the revival of Monday Night Life Drawing Group, a weekly artist-run uninstructed drawing session with live models, music, and a great collaborative, creative atmosphere.
All artists are asked to bring all their own equipment and supplies. Seating is primarily at tables.
Facilitator: Jared Wickware
Mondays, 6 - 8:30 p.m.
Tuition: $15 per session online, $20 at the door
Limit 25 people. -
Tuesday Portrait Sessions (Weekly, 2025)
The Tuesday Portrait Drawing Group is a weekly, artist-run, uninstructed drawing session with live models, a supportive group of artists and plenty of creative spirit! Artists are asked to bring their own equipment and supplies. DAC provides tables and chairs, but artists may bring their own easels. The focus of this group session is on capturing the portrait of the clothed model, who will be maintaining the pose for 2.5 hours (with breaks).
Facilitator: Alla Parsons
Tuesdays from 1-3:30 PM weekly
Tuition: Tuition: $15 per session online, $20 at the door -
Making Art for Art's Sake (Saturdays, 2025)
Let your creative spark loose. Release your INNER ARTIST! Come play, and make art with an open mind, free spirit, and sense of fun - for its own sake.
In our weekly one-off make & take art workshops, taught by various DAC teaching artists, students will be given a new project designed to stimulate creativity and learn new art-making techniques in various media.
Instructor: Various
Every Saturday from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Ages: Adults 18+ (or 16+ accompanied by a parent or guardian)
Tuition: $20 (all materials included)—-APRIL—-
4/5 - (Kilikina) Woodworking/Pyrography
4/12 - NO CLASS due to HEART of Honolulu Festival - FREE Make & Take workshops on the street and in Studio 1C!
4/19 - NO CLASS
4/26 - Hope Hamada ( Is it a book? Is it a box?)—-MAY—-
5/3 - Kilikina (Lei Making)
5/10 - Charlene DeLory (Abstract in Acrylic)
5/17 - Cathy Gleason (Small Prints)
5/24 - CANCELLED for special Esther Nowell Retrospective
5/31 - Cathy Gleason (Gel Block Printing)—-JUNE—-
6/7 - Killikina (Calligraphy Notecards)
6/14 - Marvea Johnson (Zentangles, Hana Hou)
6/21 - Kilikina (Woodburning, Pyrography)
6/28 - Marvea Johnson - (Papier Mache)- - -
For questions or cancellations, please email classes@downtownarthi.org.
Art Classes & Workshops
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Intermediate Watercolor with Dwayne Adams (April-May 2025)
Dwayne Adams' watercolor class is for intermediate-level students with watercolor or brushwork experience. It consists of six sessions, five at the Downtown Art Center and one plein air session nearby. The course covers composition, brushwork, perspective, plein air techniques, and Renaissance concepts.
Students should bring a watercolor brush set (including a mop, #12 oval or round, and a fine brush) and tube paints in primary colors. Kits are available for purchase below.
Instructor: Dwayne Adams
6 sessions: Sundays
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Dates: 4/6, 4/13, 4/20, 4/27, 5/4, 5/11
Class Cost: $240 per person
Ages: 16+ -
Simple Sketch & Watercolor Basics with Michelle Dolan (April-May 2025)
This class introduces students to fundamental art techniques and principles, beginning with an exploration of materials and the elements of design. Students will learn about composition through principles like the rule of thirds and the golden ratio before applying these concepts to still life and landscape projects.
Each person signed up for the first session in April will receive a sketchbook and travel watercolor kit. Supplies/tools will be provided for use in class but, please feel free to bring your own or wait until after your first lesson to purchase. For your convenience, DAC also offers watercolor kits for sale HERE.
Instructor: Michelle Dolan
5 sessions: Thursdays Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Dates: 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22
Class cost: $150 per person
Ages: 18+ -
Mini-Book of Zen with Hope Hamada (May 2025)
In this 2-day class (3 hours per day), we’ll make prints using the Zen art form of Suminagashi (‘floating ink”). The prints will then be placed in mini frames and bound into a book using a no sew binding.
Teacher: Hope Hamada, P.E., M.B.A. (Paper Engineer, Mini Book Artist)
2 sessions: Saturdays 9:00am - 12:00pm
Dates: 5/10 & 5/17
Class Cost: $100.00 per person
Ages: 18+ -
Color and Composition Workshop with George Woollard (May 18 & 25, 2025)
Students will learn to compose and manipulate color and shape using colored papers and watercolor, with an emphasis on balancing a composition. Create your own masterpiece under the direction of respected veteran Hawaii artist George Woollard! This workshop is in conjunction with “The Essence of Things,” an exhibition in the Main Gallery featuring the work of George Woollard and Jinja Kim.
Instructor: George Woollard
2 sessions: Sunday, May 18 and Sunday, May 25 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Class Cost: $200 per person (includes $25 materials fee)
Ages: 18+
DAC Art Kits
DAC Watercolor ART KIT (For Use with Any Beginner Watercolor Class)
This is an art kit for watercolor classes that may be used for any of the Beginner-level watercolor classes at DAC. If you do not have your own materials and would like to purchase a $90 art kit for any of our watercolor classes, please purchase it here.
Please do NOT purchase this kit for our acrylic classes!