The best art classes in Chicago

Explore your creative side and meet other budding artists in one of the many art classes offered at The Evanston Art Center, Chicago’s largest community art education center. Here, you can enroll in classes covering everything from beginner drawing for new artists to advanced classes in subjects like oil painting, film photography, 3D printing or metalworking. Join other artists to learn new skills, discover new communities and build friendships and professional relationships.

Founded by floral designer Michael Gaffney, the American School of Flower Design teaches classes in 14 cities around the country. Students can take classes in everything from bridal flowers to the business of floral design, but total beginners might want to opt for the three-hour sampler. You’ll make three different arrangements so you can try your hand at both American and European design. And since Gaffney himself teaches the class, you know it has to be good.

Sewing is a very practical skill to learn, allowing you to save money on clothing repairs and alterations (or even on new clothes if you are feeling particularly adventurous). Sew Anastasia is a Chicago-based sewing school that offers immersive and hands-on courses for students of all skill levels. Whether you are looking to master the art of using a sewing machine, make your own clothing, alter and repair everything from dresses to streetwear, or even make personalized lingerie, there is sure to be a class for you at Sew Anastasia.

Fine jewelry can complement any ensemble, work as a wonderful gift or make you a little money on the side at craft shows or on a platform like Etsy. Learning to make fine jewelry, however, requires learning how to work with metals like silver, gold and copper, and in one of these courses, you can get hands-on training on how to construct beautiful rings, necklaces and brooches that can later be set with stones. Students will work on individual, personalized projects throughout the course and they will receive direct feedback from their instructors as they learn practical, hands-on metalworking skills.

If you are more interested in the plastic arts, you can enroll in a pottery class and learn the art of turning raw clay into stunning, practical designs. You can enroll in courses working with hand clay (which is convenient because you can continue working at home with minimal supplies) or you can learn to work with a pottery wheel (which requires more studio time but can create larger, more complex products much faster). In either case, you’ll get detailed, hands-on instruction from experienced artists and you’ll likely have the chance to have your work glazed and fired, so you can bring home a functional clay pot (or other drinkware or any other large project).

Why limit yourself to a single medium when you can explore a blend of different approaches to art in this Mixed Media Art course. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to unleash your creative spirit as you create stunning art pieces out of everything from acrylic paints and pastel pencils to cut out images and found objects to create abstract or representational artwork that you can put on display anywhere in your home. You’ll learn how mixed media is utilized in various art projects and how to create a piece that balances the multiple forms so that they work as a symphony rather than a cacophony (unless that is what you want). This course is an excellent introduction to the world of mixed media art, which is such a diverse field that you’ll have so much to explore once you get out of this class and have your feet set.

Participate in the story tradition of folk fiber art in this stuffed bunny making class where you will sew, stuff and accessorize your six inch felt rabbit. You’ll be given all of the supplies you need and an experienced craftsman will guide you through the process of building the rabbit, sewing its bows and flowers and giving it the personalized touches needed to make it your own. This introductory felting class is a great way to learn the basics of fiber arts and it will help you explore the wide world of folk art in an accessible and hands-on way.

In this beginner-friendly mosaic art workshops, you’ll learn the principles of pique assiette, or “broken plates,” a style of mosaic focused on blending color, form, and texture into new pieces defined by their collective arrangement. In this course, you’ll get hands-on experience creating stunning mosaic pieces as you create new pieces of art from the remains of broken or unused china, ceramic and glass pieces. You can even bring in your own old china or broken heirlooms to complement the piece, adding a personalized touch to your creation and giving new life to treasured possessions.

Learn oil painting in the presence of the masters in this multi-level program themed around Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, one of the most recognizable paintings of the Baroque Dutch Golden Age. Beginners can enroll in this class to learn the basics of oil painting, the history of the medium and some of the techniques that make it so recognizable and versatile. Intermediate and advanced students will be instructed on the subtle techniques the Dutch masters used to create these timeless works of art. This course is a wonderful blend of art history, appreciation and practice that will be well worth the time of anyone interested in oil painting.

Once you are comfortable with the basics of figure drawing, consider honing your skills by enrolling in this long form pose drawing and painting course. In this class, you’ll practice short pose drawings aimed to get you warmed up before you spend 2-3 hours (repeated over a few weeks) on the same nude figure pose, drawing and painting in a range of styles and perspectives. This gives students the chance to dive deep into the process of the different ways that nude figure drawing can be approached and it offers a chance to get repeated practice learning how to draw and paint the human body.

Chicago is one of the most architecturally interesting cities in the nation and there are no shortage of places to visit to take stunning photographs. In this live photo safari course, you’ll visit St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral and have the chance to photograph both the inside and the outside of this stunning building. With the help of an experienced instructor, you’ll get training on composition, perspective and technique as you take photographs of this architectural marvel. This class is a great way to get practical experience in the field taking photographs of people, places and objects, and it is only one of the many Chicago photo safaris you can enroll in.

Upcycling is a popular trend that focuses on taking existing things you have lying around the home and altering or reworking them to create wholly new accessories and outfits. In this course, you can take old rings, trinkets, bracelets, charms and so much more and learn how to re-build them into new accessories that can complement any ensemble. You’ll get hands-on experience turning your own sentimental keepsakes, single earrings, buttons, charms, chains, family photos, and found objects in stunning pieces and you’ll learn transferable jewelry-making skills like soldering, wire wrapping and the use of various kinds of metal strings. If you are interested in learning a new artistic skill that can be practical and environmentally sound, learning to upcycle junk into jewelry is a great skill to pick up.

While there is artistic merit and worth to painting figures as realistically as possible, there is also merit in experimenting with the artform and creating paintings that seek to do more than recreate our world. Abstract painting seeks to produce evocative images that don’t directly correlate to any real world object and it is one of the harder styles of painting to master at a high level. In this studio class, you’ll have the chance to experiment with different techniques and styles as you put your own touch on a series of abstract painting prompts that will have you thinking outside the box and painting outside of the lines.

Unsurprisingly, photography is often associated with photorealism, attempting to recreate an object, person or scene exactly as it would be in real life. While this is often the case, there is a lot you can learn to do with a camera beyond capturing life-like images. In this abstract photography course, you’ll learn how to use digital or phone cameras to reduce your subject to its most basic composition of lines, shapes and colors, creating stunning and impressive abstract recreations along the way. You’ll learn how to manipulate aspects of your camera, including shutter speed, range, focal length and more to create complex and original images that showcase your skill as a photographer.

If you want to take your sewing skills to the next level, consider enrolling in this streetwear sewing class, which focuses on learning how to create, repair and alter trendy streetwear pieces like joggers, t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, beanies, and crewneck sweatshirts. Casual clothing requires a different set of skills when tailoring, since it aims to be more comfortable than fashionable, so all of the lessons in this class are geared towards helping you create clothing that you want to wear when lounging around the house, running errands or otherwise just kicking back. All of the supplies and patterns are included in the course, so you’ll leave your sessions with hand-sewn, ready to wear street clothes made to your exact specifications.