The CCA Atelier program in San Francisco offers weekend workshops during fall and spring semesters. These art and design focused studios include a range of creative disciplines that allow students to learn new techniques directly from our college instructors, while exploring new materials and making portfolio-ready pieces. Unless otherwise noted, all materials are provided and included in tuition.

Registration closed.

• $395 (noncredit)
• Instructor: Barbara Pollak-Lewis
• Sundays, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM, October 8-December 3 (8 sessions, no class on November 26 for Thanksgiving Break)
• CCA Main Building, Drawing Studio 200, 1111 8th Street, San Francisco

California College of the Arts offers this course as a special opportunity for high school students to develop their drawing skills and experience drawing from a live nude model. Please note that a model is not employed for the first class meeting. Students spend the first class focusing on a variety of drawing issues in anticipation of drawing from the model. All seven subsequent sessions involve drawing from a nude model.

Prerequisite: Must be currently enrolled in high school ages 14-18 to attend.

Bring to first class: 20" x 26" drawing board with clips, 18" x 24" pad of 80 lb weight drawing paper, two sticks vine charcoal (medium or jumbo size), General's soft charcoal pencils (at least 4), kneaded eraser, masking (artist's) tape, blending stumps (various sizes), white conte crayon (pack of 2) B or 2B, 11x14” pad toned grey or tan paper, sandpaper sharpener, Pitt Artist brush pen. Optional: artist’s chamois.

Registration closed.

• $395 (noncredit)
• Instructor: Yael Levy
• Saturdays, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM, October 7-December 9 (8 sessions, no class on October 21, and no class on November 25 for Thanksgiving Break)
• CCA Rayko Building, 428 3rd St, San Francisco

Screenprinting is one of the most versatile print mediums and we see it everyday. It's used in textile design and to make clothing, signs, wallpaper, household objects and art. It has been used to make posters for revolutionary resistance movements, printed ads, and to promote bands of all types.

This 8 week course gives students the special opportunity to dive into the process and practice contemporary techniques in a professional college-level studio. Following an overview of basic principles and mechanics, students create hand-drawn or cut-film positives used to expose a stencil onto a photopolymer emulsion-coated screen. Screen preparation, ink mixing, printing on paper and fabric as well as two color registration will be covered. We will use this hands-on process to create posters, zines and totes that students can later exchange with each other. While creating their zines, students will also be introduced to fundamental principles of visual storytelling, layout and cover design as well as some simple paper folding. Students will leave this class with portfolio ready pieces that include their own limited edition creations (in the spirit of small run independent publications) as well as a small collection of artwork made by their peers.

Prerequisite: Must be currently enrolled in high school ages 14-18 to attend.

What to bring: All basic screenprinting materials will be provided. A list of additional materials will be discussed in the first class. Students are encouraged to bring: Sketchbook and favorite sketching materials, newsprint pad, specialty ink colors (metallic, neon, etc), other papers of choice (different colors), T-shits, totes, or textiles to print on.

Registration closed.

• $200 (noncredit)
• Instructor: Marty Marfin
• Saturday, November 18 & Sunday, November 19, 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
• CCA Main Building, Room S9, 1111 8th Street, San Francisco

In this intensive hands-on workshop, students will learn about the design development process by redesigning a common consumer item. We will formulate a design concept, then ideate through sketching. By the end of the first day, we will have completed our first low-fidelity prototype using cardboard and foamcore. On the second day, we will develop our design with modeling foam form studies. You will learn how designers translate their 2-dimensional concepts into 3-dimensional models. We will finish by refining our designs further with a detailed plasticine clay
form model. Students will have the opportunity to present and document their creative process. The goal of this workshop is for students to be introduced to the tools, techniques, and methods that an industrial designer utilizes to develop a new consumer product.  

Prerequisite: Must be currently enrolled in high school ages 14-18 to attend.

What to bring: Sketchbook and pencils, colored pencils, or your favorite drawing tools. All other materials included.

Registration closed.

• $200 (noncredit)
• Instructor: Yina Kim
• Saturday, October 21 & Sunday, October 22, 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
• CCA Main Building, 1111 8th Street, San Francisco, studio N19

Dive deep into the world of illustration! Students will be guided through the intricacies of creating a standout piece from start to finish. The instructor will shed light on the real-world workings of an illustrator, offering a hands-on experience that simulates industry scenarios. Students will start on a journey through the design development process. Beginning with a prompt, they will conceptualize and bring their visions to life via sketches. The collaborative environment ensures students benefit from diverse perspectives through constructive group critiques. At the end of the workshop, each student will have a redesigned book cover that showcases their unique styles and research skills. Moreover, students will acquire skills in visual storytelling, understanding typeface integration in illustrations, and familiarizing themselves with illustration terminologies.

Prerequisite: Must be currently enrolled in high school ages 14-18 to attend.

Materials Needed: Students should bring along their favorite book, as they will have the opportunity to redesign its cover. All other materials will be included.

Registration closed.

• $200 (noncredit)
• Instructor: Bec Imrich
• Saturday, October 28 & Sunday, October 29, 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
• CCA Main Building, 1111 8th Street, San Francisco

Practice different drawing techniques and methods using various materials in a fun, studio environment. Learn about line quality, form, color, negative space and composition while drawing from observation and reference. Participants will have a chance to improve technical and representational skills through a variety of subjects such as still life, the human figure (with a live model), natural/urban landscape and each other. We will look at local and contemporary artists and consider how representation can also be a means of expression. Join this class and explore your own drawing voice!

Prerequisite: Must be currently enrolled in high school ages 14-18 to attend.

All materials provided.

Workshop postponed to Spring 2024.

• $200 (noncredit)
• Instructor: Anna Firth
• Saturday, November 4 & Sunday, November 5, 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
• CCA Main Building, Animation Lab 110, 1111 8th Street, San Francisco

In this workshop, students are invited to explore methods and modes of animation through a series of short-form, portfolio-ready animated projects. We will cover the foundations of motion design through applied techniques to build each student’s personalized animation toolkit. Projects will be both individual and collaborative— emphasizing the collaborative effort required for animation production. Through the class, students will watch and discuss screenings to develop vocabulary around animation and cinematography. Each student will edit their mini assignments into a cohesive reel as a final project.

Short projects will include instruction on the basics of movement (pendulum swing, ball bounce, flour-sack vs feather) as well as how to construct a walk cycle with character design. Animal realism and an anatomy study, palimpsest & parallax experiments, and a rotoscope nonfiction micro-short will also be created and shared.

Prerequisite: Must be currently enrolled in high school ages 14-18 to attend.

Materials: Bring drawing materials (pencils, pens). The school will provide iPads with Procreate, animation light tables, and computers with Adobe Creative Cloud for students to use during class. If you have your own iPad, you are welcome to bring it.

Workshop postponed to Spring 2024.

• $200 (noncredit)
• Instructor: Bec Imrich
• Saturday, November 11th & Sunday, November 12th, 10am-3:30pm
• CCA Rayko Building, 428 3rd St, San Francisco

This experimental photography workshop will cover an exciting range of alternative practices. We’ll make our own pinhole cameras, create cyanotypes outdoors, and discover the magic of the darkroom with photograms and chemigrams. Digital scanning and manipulation techniques of our experiments will also be explored. The variation in each process and hands-on manipulation techniques will allow students to create unique pieces that push traditional concepts of photography.

Prerequisite: Must be currently enrolled in high school ages 14-18 to attend.

Materials: All photography materials provided. A list of possible objects and additional collage materials for student projects will be shared in advance of the workshop.

Spring 2024 Workshops will be posted in December. Sign up on our mailing list to be notified when registration opens!

We believe creativity is a lifelong experience that expands the potential of communities and individuals alike. How can we help? Email YouthPrograms@cca.edu.