Figure Drawing Open Studios, Workshops,
and Continuing Education Classes
in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia
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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District of Columbia - sorted by Zip Code

Warehouse Galleries
1019 Seventh St. NW (yellow doors)
Washington, DC 20001
Contact: Frederick Nunley, coordinator. Woodcut55aol.com 202-635-1309
Uninstructed
This is Washington DC's unique "drop in" drawing group for the exclusive study of the nude male figure. Meeting most Monday nights 7:00 - 10:00 PM. Fee $10. Relaxed cordial atmosphere with two breaks. Poses from one minute gestures to 45 minutes. We supply a chair for each artist. Portable easels are OK if you bring one. Weekly reminder emails available for regular attendees. Street parking and Metro accessible: Convention Center/Mount Vernon Sq. or Gallery Place.

Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
545 7th Street SE
Washington DC 20003
202-547-6839
Instructed and Uninstructed
Instructed: Life Drawing. In this class students will increase their understanding of and comfort with rendering the human figure. It is assumed that all students have some prior drawing experience.
Uninstructed: Working from Figure, a 4-week figure drawing studio on Saturday afternoons. This is an opportunity for artists to work on drawings or paintings in front of the live model. Please bring your own drawing materials. Easels are available. Cost: $60 for 4 sessions payable to CHAW or $20/session drop-in. Session will be canceled after first day if 6 people are not registered.
[E]

Corcoran College of Art + Design
1801 35th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
ceadvisorcorcoran.org 202.298.2541
Instructed
Course offerings include a standalone figure drawng class as well as a series of courses leading to a Certificate in Figurative Studies, students are grounded in the fundamentals of anatomy, figure drawing and figure Sculpture. Electives in figure painting, color theory and large format painting offer the student the opportunity to proceed toward certificate completion in a more personally expressive approach.
[E]

Figure Models Guild at MOCA DC Gallery
1054 31st St. NW
Washington, DC 20007
figuremodelsguildcomcast.net 202-342-6230 or 202-361-3810
Uninstructed
Wednesdays 7-10 PM, uninstructed figure drawing, long pose, $12. First Sunday of each Month, 1-7 PM—call to verify. Artist & Model Meeting, $10 artist's fee. First hour is set aside to meet each other and discuss various issues in modeling, followed by uninstructed figure drawing. The Figure Models Guild also maintains a list of additional open sessions in the Washington DC metropolitan area on their website.
[2009-08-10]

International Arts & Artists
Hillyer Art Space
9 Hillyer Court NW
Washington, DC 20008
eventsartsandartists.org 202-338-0680
Uninstructed
Life drawing. Tuesdays 6:00 - 9:00 PM. $12 a session. $10 for IA&A members. Please come join us!
Hillyer Art Space is located behind the Phillips Collection and Cosmos Club, just blocks from the Dupont Circle metro stop (Red line). Please note the gallery does not have parking. Street parking is available (R Street and Decatur Place are best). International Arts & Artists an organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally. Please contact Lucy Clark at lcstudioearthlink.net or 202-546-6060 if interested in modeling.
[2009-10-09]

Washington Studio School
2129 S Street NW
Washington, DC 20008
adminwashingtonstudioschool.org 202-234-3030
Instructed and Uninstructed
Instructed classes include Figure Drawing and Figure Sculpture.
Uninstructed Open Drawing with the Model, Mondays 7-10pm and Open Painting with the Model, Thursdays 7-10pm. Monitored. $18.00 per session or may purchase ‘packs’ of sessions for a discounted price. Registration is necessary, but may be done just days in advance of the session. Drop-ins are welcome as space allows.
[2009-08-13]

A. Salon
6925 Willow Street NW
Washington, DC 20012
ASalonDCverizon.net 202-882-0740
Instructed and Uninstructed
Life Drawing w/instruction and Uninstructed Life Drawing. Ages 16 - 18 must have permission letter.
[E]

Dupont Drawing Group
2201 P Street NW [The group meets at Church of the Pilgrims]
Washington, DC 20037
dupontdrawinggroupgooglegroups.com 202-841-0864 - Blog - Google Group
Uninstructed
Artists meet on most Tuesday nights from 7:00-9:00 PM and draw from the live model. Bring your own materials. Drawing spots and easels are available on a first come first serve basis. Arrive any time after 6:45pm. There is a modest model fee collected to pay our models. The drawing begins promptly at 7:00pm. No reservations are required, notices usually go out on Monday confirming a given Tuesday session. Cancellations will be sent out as soon as we know of scheduling issues. Street parking may be available on the south side of the church, please do not park in the church parking lot.
[E]

Maryland - sorted by Zip Code

Atelier Royal — The Private Studio of Gerald King
4510 Sheridan Street (near the intersection of Route 1 and East-West Highway- or Route 410)
Riverdale, Maryland 20737
geraldgeraldking.com 301-779-1488
Uninstructed
Open Drawing and Painting with a live model. $15.00/three hours (Includes model fee). $20.00 first time and/or with instruction from Gerald King. Thursday evenings- 7:00 P.M.-10:00 P.M. Sustained poses accommodate painting and chiaroscuro drawing. Models will maintain the same pose for 4 or 5 sessions (12-15 hours). Artists supply their own tools and materials. Some easels available on first come basis.
[E]

Greenbelt Community Center
15 Crescent Road,
Greenbelt, Maryland 20770
ndewaldgreenbeltmd.gov 301-397-2208
Instructed
Classes include Drawing from Life. Learn to draw from a live model. Students bring their own drawing materials. Easels provided. All skill levels welcome.
[E]

Washington School of Photography
4850 Rugby Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
http://wsp-photo.com infowsp-photo.com 301-654-1998
Classical Fine Art Figure. One-day photography workshop. Join us for a day of learning to work with models, classic and inventive lighting techniques, backdrop and posing choices, and some fun props.
[U]

Yellow Barn Studio
Glen Echo Park
7300 MacArthur Blvd.
Glen Echo, MD 20814
Brandt4749aol.com 301-371-5593
Instructed and Uninstructed
Uninstructed Open Studio Figure Drawing. Instructed classes include Figure Drawing; Advanced Life Drawing & Painting; Figure & Portrait Painting; Portrait & Figure Drawing & Painting; Landscape, Figure and Studio; and Figure & Studio. For questions about the classes, see contact information above. For course registration, contact the Glen Echo Partnership for Arts & Culture at 301-320-7757.
[E]

Parker Studio of Structural Sculpture
5313 Falmouth Rd.
Bethesda, MD 20816
sculptorBradPyahoo.com 301-263-0324
Instructed and Uninstructed
Open sculpture group Mondays 6:00-9:00PM and open drawing/sculpture Fridays 6:30-9:30PM. Other session times vary by semester for Open Drawing, Open Sculpture groups, and classes in Portrait Sculpture, Figure Sculpture, and Drawing. Ask about classes, and other times for open groups not posted on the public Calendar at the blogspot web site contact information above. Description of various classes posted at the blogspot web site above. Plentiful free parking on street, and adjacent County Recreation Park free parking lot.
[2009-08-05]

Montgomery College
The Rockville Campus
51 Mannakee Street,
Rockville, MD 20850
Uninstructed
WEEKEND ART GROUPS
Friday Night Portrait Group: 6:30-9:30 p.m., room 405 ART. Portrait study, clothed models, $6-9/session ($5 MC art students). Contact: Dewey Heising, 202-363-2034
Saturday Morning Sketch Group: 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., room 304 ART. Figure study, short poses, $6-9/session ($5 MC art students). Contact: Decheng Cai, 301-977-7153
Sunday Life Study Group: 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., room 301 ART. Figure study, long poses, $9/session ($5 MC art students).. Contact: Barbara Seligson, 301-738-0016
Sunday Figure Painting Group: 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., room 405 ART. Figure painting, one long pose, $9/session ($5 MC art students).. Contact: Al Sanchez, 301-384-4278
[E]

Plaza Artists Materials
1594-B Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
helpplazaart.com 301-770-0500
Uninstructed
Open Studio with Figure Model. Join us on the 2nd Sunday of every month for a non-instructional open figure model session. Work from a nude model and improve your life drawing skills, while benefitting from the company and skills of other artists. Please bring your own supplies. Work in any medium. Must be 18 or over. Sorry, no refunds unless there is someone on the waitlist who can fill your spot. $8 - Early registration. $12 - Drop-in (please call for availability).
[E]

BlackRock Center for the Arts
12901 Town Commons Drive
Germantown, MD 20874
infoblackrockcenter.org 301-528-2260
Uninstructed
First Tuesdays 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Join your fellow artists for a four-session series of figure drawing. All levels are welcome to participate in these fun, free style sessions. Work at your own pace as you practice your figure drawing skills and see how other artists work. Bring your own art supplies; we provide the costumed model and easels. Single session drop-in fee: $10. Discount for 4 prepaid sessions. For more information, contact Gallery Coordinator Kim Onley at konleyblackrockcenter.org
[E]

School of Art + Design Noncredit Program
Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus of Montgomery College
Program Location:
930 King Street
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Mailing Address: School of Art + Design, 7600 Takoma Avenue, CF120, Takoma Park, MD 20912
Instructed and Open Model Drawing
Classes include Introduction to Figure Drawing, Portrait Drawing, and Advanced Figure Drawing and Painting: Single Pose. For more information, please contact Belva.Hillmontgomerycollege.edu 240-567-5821. Ms. Hill is the Model Coordinator and can give information about noncredit open enrollment figure drawing and painting classes.
[2009-08-12]

Howard County Arts Council
8510 High Ridge Road
Ellicott City, MD 21043
infohocoarts.org 410-313-ARTS (2787)
Uninstructed
Life Drawing/Painting Sessions - Drop In. Tuesdays, 7:30-10:00 PM, Room 9. Year-round. $12 per session (purchased in advance). $60 for 6 sessions. A live, nude model is provided at each session. A monitor coordinates all sessions, however, instruction is not provided. The sessions consist of a single pose with the same model over a multiple week period for detailed figure study work. One day, multi-pose sketching sessions will be held on occasion. Bring your own art materials. There are a limited number of easels, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Sessions purchased in advance are only good for one year from time of purchase. Pre-registration is not required. Participants under age 18 must have parental consent to participate.
[E]

Dr. Sketchy's Baltimore
Windup Space
12 W North Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21201
Uninstructed
Cabaret drawing events. Second and fourth Monday of every month. This is the Baltimore affiliate of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School, founded in New York City.
[E]

The Schuler School of Fine Arts
7 East Lafayette Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21202
infoschulerschool.com 410-685-3568
Uninstructed
We offer an open studio figure session on Friday nights 7-10pm, one pose per session, sometimes continuing on the next week if participants are interested. The model fee is $10. Interested participants may contact Hans at the phone or email above.
[2009-09-07]

Plaza Artists Materials
519 York Road
Towson, MD 21204
helpplazaart.com 410-823-6406
Open Figure Model
Join us for a non-instructional open figure model session. Work from a nude model and improve your life drawing skills, while benefitting from the company and skills of other artists. Please bring your own supplies. Work in any medium. Must be 18 or over. Sorry, no refunds unless there is someone on the waitlist who
can fill your spot. $8 - Early registration. $12 - Drop-in (please call for availability).
[E]

Charcoal Club of Baltimore
Meadow Mill Building, Suite 207
3600 Clipper Mill Road
Baltimore, MD 21211
Uninstructed
Life Drawing & Painting. The Charcoal Club life sessions continue to thrive 125 years after their inception.
Monday Long Pose. 7–10pm. $10 per session. One pose for the entire session in 20-minute intervals.
Wednesday Short Pose. 7–10pm. $10 per session. Poses range from 1 minute to 20 minutes.
Contact John Brewer, Life Session Monitor: 410-255-4432 or J_E_BREWERhotmail.com.
[E]

Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
1300 Mount Royal Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21217
410-225-2219
Instructed and Uninstructed
Classes incude: Figures in Clay (Human and canine models are provided); Painting the Portrait & Figure; and Drawing the Whole Figure: Head, Hands and Feet. Open studio model sessions offered for those who want to draw or paint from the live figure; each section includes two models—one for quick poses for sketching, and one for sustained drawing or painting.
[E]

School 33
1427 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
school33promotionandarts.com 410-396-4641
Instructed
Classes include Figure/Portrait Drawing: This class focuses on rendering accurately the various parts of the human body and face. Techniques for observing form and value, mapping with shapes and creating textures in pencil and charcoal would be demonstrated and practiced. Artists will draw a live model during 3 of the class sessions. Supply list will be mailed. To enroll in this class or for inquires please contact Ann Wiker, AEArtDealeraol.com
[2010-01-03]

St. John’s College
60 College Avenue
Annapolis, MD 21401
molly.burnettsjca.edu 410-626-2881
Instructed
Classes include Life Drawing and Figure Sculpture in Clay.
[2009-08-18]

The Life Drawing Group
Cumberland Theatre
101-103 N. Johnson Street (entrance on the Fayette Street side of the building)
Cumberland, MD 21502
Contact Bev Walker 301-724-8978.
Uninstructed
The Life Drawing Group meets Thursdays at 7pm. This informal sketch group focuses on learning to draw nude figures in a variety of media. The cost varies, depending on how many people show up for the class. Participants each pay a portion of the model fee ($40) and the facility fee ($10 for utilities). Fees include most supplies for the class.
[E]

Virginia - sorted by Zip Code

ArtSpace Herndon
750 Center street
Herndon VA 20170
infoartspaceherndon.com 703-956-6590
Instructed and Uninstructed
The ArtSpace Herndon offers masterclasses and workshops in figure and portrait painting with regional and nationally recognized artists. Artists are invited to participate in a life drawing/painting group ($15/person) that meets every Wednesday night from 7:00-10:00pm. Call or e-mail for details about classes, workshops and life drawing sessions.
[2010-04-02]

Loudoun Academy of the Arts
222 South King Street
Leesburg, VA 20175
artclassloudounacademy.org 703-777-8043
Uninstructed
Life Drawing open studios are offered Mondays 6:30-0:00 PM and Fridays 1:00-4:00 PM. Friday session is a long pose - same model and pose for two to three weeks to allow for drawing, painting, or sculpting.
Bring your own drawing materials. $12 Drop-in fee per Monday sessions. $15 Drop-in fee per Friday sessions. Disocunts for multiple sessions.
[2009-08-06]

Great Falls School of Art
1144 Walker Road, Suite D
Great Falls, VA 22066
contact Terri Parent at terrikateaol.com
Instructed
Classes include Figure Drawing, Drawing from Life, and Oil Painting from Life.
[E]

Workhouse Arts Center
9601 Ox Road
Lorton, VA 22079
debrayarringtonlortonarts.org 703-495-0001
Uninstructed
Open Life Drawing. Drop In And Draw! The poses range from 1-minute gestures to a long pose running roughly an hour each week with the same model for four weeks. Nude models will be utilized in this class. The class meets in W-4 on most Thursdays 7:00-10:00 p.m—see website for exceptions. $10 for members and students with ID; $15 for non-members. Reservations are suggested. Most media welcome. For more information, please contact Josh Yavelberg at joshyavelbergstudios.com.
[2008-08-12]

McLean Project for the Arts
McLean Community Center
1234 Ingleside Ave
McLean, VA 22101
703-790-1953
Uninstructed
Open Studio Figure Drawing three times a week: Tuesdays 7:00-9:30 p.m.; Thursdays 1:00-4:00 p.m.; Saturdays 4:00-7:30 p.m. Drop in and draw sessions with discounts of three free sessions for enrolling in advance for a ‘semester’ of 10-12 sessions. Well-lit, large and airy studio (16 foot ceilings with skylights) contains easels, tables, chairs and sinks. Saturdays are devoted to longer poses, with Tuesdays and Thursdays more traditional gesture-to-moderate length. No instruction, though traditional classes are often offered. See website for schedule and fees.
[2009-10-14]

Vienna Art Center
115 Pleasant Street N.W.
Vienna, VA 22180
703-319-3971
Uninstructed
Figure Drawing Open Studio. Mondays 4:30pm-6:30pm. 18+ years of age, unless written permission to attend by legal guardian. 6 sessions for $50 (or $10 per walk-in).
[2009-08-06]

Arlington Arts Center
3550 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
educationarlingtonartscenter.org 703-248-6800
Instructed
Classes include Contemporary Expressions in Figure Drawing
[E]

Illustrators Club
Art Institute of Washington
Art Lab, Room 1104
1820 N. Fort Myer Drive
Arlington, VA 22209
"Go Figure!" Open Life Drawing Sessions. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:00-9:00pm Male and female models. Short and long poses. METRO Rosslyn (Blue & Orange Lines). Exit at rear of station (up the steps). AIW is across the street. MEET IN THE LOBBY between 5:30 and 5:55pm to be escorted up to the 11th floor (elevator passkey required). IC Members and regular attendees $8; non-members $10; free for AIW students & faculty. For more information contact Marie Dauenheimer 703-648-9038 or dauenheimererols.com
[2009-08-20]

The Del Ray Artisans
2704 Mount Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301
katherinekatherinerand.com 703-836-1468
Uninstructed
Open life drawing, Selected Wednesdays. See website for schedule. These open life drawing (or painting) sessions operate on a drop-in basis so there is no need to register in advance. Grab your supplies and join us at the gallery to work from our live models. The fee for each session is $8 for DRA members and $10 for non-members.
[2009-08-23]

The Art League School
105 North Union Street (Located in the Torpedo Factory Art Center)
Alexandria, VA 22314
schooltheartleague.org 703-683-2323
Instructed and Uninstructed
Instructed classes: Anatomical Drawing, Figure Drawing, Figure Painting, Figure Sculpture, Figure Drawing in Varied Media, Figure Drawing - Long Pose, Gesture Drawing & Painting, The Portrait & Figure Explored.
Uninstructed: Open-life Drawing Sessions - Sessions require a minimum enrollment, thus registration is encouraged over drop-in. Drop-in is for enrolled students, Art League members, and Benefactors only.
[E]

Visual Arts Center of Richmond
1812 West Main Street
Richmond, VA 23220
aimeejoyauxvisarts.org 804-353-0094
Instructed and Uninstructed
Open Figure Drawing, All Levels,No Instruction. Adult students may come and draw or paint from a model. No instruction. Bring all of your own materials. Easels provided. $6.00 per session – pay in class.
Instructed classes include: Figure Drawing & Painting; Intro to the Figure Workshop; Anatomy of the Head Workshop; and Drawing Hands and Feet.
[E]

Dr. Sketchy's Richmond
The Camel
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
drsketchysrvagmail.com
Uninstructed
Cabaret life drawing, with babes, contests, and prizes held every second Wednesday of the month . A different theme each month. This is an affiliate of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School, founded in New York City.
[2010-04-06]

Norfolk Drawing Group
The Warehouse
1229 West Olney Road
Norfolk, VA 23507
norfolkdrawingyahoo.com
Uninstructed
Our figure drawing group meets every Tuesday evening from 7 to 9:30 pm. It costs $7 to attend for a single session, or $20 for four consecutive weeks. Bring your own easels. We have plenty of chairs. The format varies, but generally we do a few gesture drawings and march up into a series of 20-minute poses. Every first Tuesday of the month is our "painting day” with a 3-hour pose for the painters among us, but people work with whatever medium they choose. Our models are paid $17.50 an hour.
[2009-11-4]

Academy of Fine Arts
600 Main Street
Lynchburg, VA 24504
ClassesAcademyFineArts.com 434-528-3256
Uninstructed
Firgure Drawing. Artists will work independently to draw or paint in a media of their choice from live models. A monitor will be in charge of the sessions. Pre-registration is encouraged but not necessary. Join anytime! $10 for 1 Session. $35 for 4 Sessions. $70 for 8 Session. See website for schedule.
[E]

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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
contactartmodelbook.com • Contents of this site © 2009. All rights reserved.
Painting on book cover: “Trois Couleurs Noir.” Oil on canvas. © 2004 Antoine de Villiers. Used with permission.