AAFG 2026 Workshop
“Making Art A Practice” (Blended)
Cat Bennett
Sundays October 18 through November 22 from 3 – 5 p.m.
Exception: Sunday November 8 will meet from 2 – 4 p.m.
Fee: $49*
This is a 6-Week Group Workshop for AAFG Members
Guild members will meet in the Custard Room at the Westgate Library
Grow as artists with fellow guild members and build a consistent art practice with the support of illustrator and author Cat Bennett. With simple materials and a casual, comfortable approach that invites spontaneity, we’ll experiment with mark-making, drawing from nature, making portraits, and playing with purely imaginative work while using sketchbooks as a place for discovery. No matter what art practice you prefer, Cat will help address issues we all face as artists:
- What can we do when we feel blocked?
- How can we overcome the inner critic or feelings of inadequacy?
- How can we find the time to make art in the midst of busy lives?
- How do we find our own style in our art?
- What are great reasons for making art?
- How do we keep our art practice vital?
Each week, members will gather to work through each lesson together, completing drawing and painting assignments. If you can’t make it in person, no worries! You may join via Zoom or follow the lesson on your own time. We’ll learn alongside each other while using our comradery to stay committed to the program.
Cat will offer daily inspiration (Monday through Friday) with general comments on the work, and further exercises for the super motivated! She’ll also be available via a dedicated Facebook group and email to answer questions and provide feedback.
Cat worked as an illustrator/designer for about thirty years. Her illustrations have appeared in The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, The Wall Street Journal, The Baltimore Sun and Time Magazine, Houghton Mifflin, Scholastic, Harcourt Brace and many other publications. She has also made short animations for CBC-Sesame Street, Nickelodeon TV, WHDH-TV, WGBH-TV and various non-profits. She has exhibited her art in group shows in Boston, New York, and Tokyo.
Supplies:
– 9″ x 12″ (or larger) mixed media sketchbook (Canson; Strathmore, etc.)
– 3″ x 5″ pocket sketchbook (Moleskine or similar for pencils and markers)
– 6″ x 9″ (or larger) smooth paper for pencils and markers (Fabriano, Moleskine etc.)
– ebony or 4B+ drawing pencils
– gum eraser
– steel pencil sharpener
– fine tipped drawing marker (Sharpie, Micron etc.)
– scissors
– glue stick
– set of colored pencils (Dick Blick, Prismacolor, Derwent etc.)
– #3, #6, #12 student grade watercolor brushes (Princeton)
– set of opaque cake watercolors (Pelikan)
Note: Whatever brands you prefer are just fine!
*To sign up and learn more: Visit carlasonheim.com/online-classes/makingartapractice and click “Add to cart” to purchase the class. You’ll have full access to all videos and corresponding materials.