fine arts

fine arts

Find out what you can create with pencil, paintbrush or your own bare hands by letting your imagination run wild at one of the fine arts courses.

STARTING DATES AND LENGTH OF COURSES
Most CREA courses run in 10 week blocks. You can start a CREA course at 3 different points in time: in the week of 18 September 2023 (block 1/fall), in the week of 11 December 2023 (block 2/winter) and in the week of 18 March 2024 (block 3/spring).
There are exceptions such as week courses (5 days, mostly in block4/summer), day courses (1 day) and there are a number of longer courses and special projects. Check the course for more info.
Stay up to date about our courses by signing up for the CREA newsletter! >>

CLASS SCHEDULE
CREA courses take place weekly on the same day and time (with the exception of day, week and weekend courses). Lessons cancelled due to holidays, course-free periods or teacher illness will be caught up at the end. Please note that a course may be extended by one or more weeks.
Find an overview of public holidays and course-free periods here >>

PRIORITY RULE
Full-time students (from all educational institutions) and young alumni (UvA and HvA) have priority when enrolling.
For others and old alumni/employees of the UvA and HvA, enrolling is possible from 1 September 2023 – 12:00 hrs (block 1/fall), 13 November 2023 – 12:00 hrs (block 2/winter) and 19 February 2024 – 12:00 hrs (block 3/spring). There is no priority rule on summer courses (block 4/summer).
Read more about this priority rule here

Analogue Collage

Martijn den Ouden

In this course, you will step into the wonderful world of collage.The art of a collage lies in creating a telling, poetic image by using existing images. A new image that tells a story, reveals a secret or, on the contrary, conceals a truth. And everything is done by hand. Scissors, paper, glue. The starting [...]

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Anatomy

This course is an extensive introduction to drawing the human figure from a photographic reference/live model using a variety of art materials (pencil - charcoal -pastel), techniques, and artistic approaches. The purpose of this course is to help you obtain the basic skill of drawing the human form, including anatomy, observation of the human form [...]

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Anatomy

This course is an introduction to drawing the human figure from a photographic reference or a live model using a variety of art materials (pencil, charcoal and pastel), techniques, and artistic approaches. This course helps students obtain the basic skill of drawing the human form, including anatomy, observation of the human form and fundamental exercises [...]

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Applied Ceramics

Vika Mitrichenko

Vika’s classesDuring our ceramics course, we will create a variety of functional pieces by working with different types of clay, including red, white and black. We will glaze our ceramics with a range of glazes, both transparent and opaque, with glossy and matt finishes, and with different colours. All your creations will be fired in [...]

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Artist Sketchbook

Bas Coenegracht

A sketchbook is perfect for combining drawing studies and detailed drawings. Some pages can show beautifully detailed end results, while others grab attention with a quick line drawing. In a sketchbook there is room to try out new techniques, to make colour studies or to add text and collage. What will you be doing?In this [...]

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Artist Sketchbook

Bas Coenegracht

This week you will go out with your sketchbook. When you draw and paint for yourself, the possibilities are endless. What materials will you use? Where will you work? What is your subject and how will you get it on paper? A sketchbook is the perfect place to start your research; everything can come together [...]

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Ceramic Sculptures

A dynamic introduction to clay and ceramics with follow-up possibilities. From clay from the pack to a fired and coloured ceramic sculpture. Playful assignments are the basis of this course. You usually work individually on an assignment. Sometimes with a group. What you can expect are modelling with the help of an artefact, something from [...]

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Ceramics: Plant Pot Sculpting

Vika Mitrichenko

Learn all about the art of sculpting plant pots suitable for outdoor gardens and windowsills!Using a variety of clays, you will explore different textures, incorporating botanical elements to enhance the aesthetic appeal of your creations. You will also have the opportunity to paint their pots with ceramic pigments, adding a personal touch to your designs. [...]

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Ceramics: Summer Tea Set

Vika Mitrichenko

Get ready for an exciting week diving into the world of ceramic art! You'll work with various clay types like terracotta, black, brown, and porcelain to create stunning pieces like Yixing teapots, sculptures, and porcelain cups painted with Delft blue.After firing your creations in the ceramic oven, you'll explore a rainbow of ceramic glazes—transparent, opaque, [...]

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Creating Scents

Fragrance designer and perfumer Frank Bloem introduces you to the world behind fragrance design and perfumes. In this one-day course, Frank will teach you how to build a perfume and introduces you to a wide range of ingredients. You will create your own perfume just as perfumers do. Not only will you go home at [...]

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Cyanotype (dagcursus)

This course is for all those interested in learning a manual photographic printing technique. The cyanotype process is one of the first non-silver technologies used to create photographic images. What will we be doing?You will learn how to print cyanotype on paper using object and flowers. You will discover the origins of cyanotype and its [...]

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Drawing

Bas Coenegracht

Mels de Gooijer

In this course, you will get acquainted with different materials such as pencil, charcoal, pastel and ink. You will work by observation to train eye-hand coordination and use photos as sample material. What will we be doing?Explore the benefits of studies and sketches and find out how to develop them into a final result! You [...]

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Drawing and Painting

Bas Coenegracht

Barbara Guldenaar

In this dynamic course you will use all kinds of drawing and painting materials such as pencil and charcoal, and in colour soft pastel and oil pastel. You will paint with acrylic paint and gouache which are two water-based paints with a very different character. You will work with the materials separately and sometimes interchangeably [...]

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Drawing and Sculpting in Clay

In this course you will work mainly from perception. You will learn the technique of drawing and modelling. What will you be doing?You will get to know the differences between the changing materials but also the influences they can have on each other. While modelling you look at all sides of for example your hand, [...]

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Drawing from Observation

Forget what you know and look again. During this course, you will learn to draw what you actually perceive. We will learn to look, learn to let go, learn to explore materials and how to use them. We are not going to make ‘beautiful’ drawings, because mistakes are interesting. What do I see in that [...]

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Drawing like the Surrealists

Rienke Enghardt

Embark on an artistic adventure during this course through lots and lots of drawing! Playful ánd deep like the Surrealists, you will learn to depict the current zeitgeist as powerfully as possible in your own drawings. Using activism & collective artworks of artists from the last two centuries as a starting point, together - and [...]

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Etching and other Printing Techniques

Mels de Gooijer

Etching is first and foremost a drawing technique which, although ancient, has never lost its topicality. In this course, you will learn many different printing techniques, including etching. During the week, there is a build-up in which the techniques become slightly more complicated with each lesson. You will learn to make use of the surprise [...]

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Experimenting with Cyanotypes

For all those interested in learning about a manual photographic printing technique. The cyanotype process is one of the first non-silver technologies used to create permanent photographic images in an assortments of cyan-blue values. This unique type of printing is a form of photography that does not require a camera. What will you be doing? In this [...]

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Freestyle Art

Freestyle art is organic, abstract, contemporary, free-form, gestural, and expressive. During this course you let your mind take over, allowing an organic drawing experience where your hand and pencil are free to just be the tools your mind needs to get ideas onto paper. Creating an imaginary figure or just playing with colours, making active reflection [...]

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Graphic Arts

Mels de Gooijer

This course is about simple printing techniques like etching and the cross-over with digital media. The boundary between graphic design and autonomous graphics is an exciting subject. Is a poster or a package autonomous and can you call it art? Since the 20th century, many artists have been working on this boundary, such as Pop [...]

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Meditative Painting

Meditative painting is a great example of meditation art - the main goal is to clear your mind of everything except the paints, brushes, and paper in an effort to enter into a meditative flow. When you paint from this place, it is less about techniques and more about letting go and just entering into [...]

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Model Drawing and Painting

The model is a great basis for increasing your understanding of form, developing your powers of observation, and giving you the freedom to experiment with all kinds of materials. What will we be doing?You will work on the technique of representing proportions accurately. Meanwhile, you work on all kinds of aspects of drawing and painting: [...]

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Model Moulding

In this course we create figurines, portraits and occasionally drawings of people. You learn to look closely at someone and to translate forms into a sculpture. Anatomy, proportions, composition and the personal view are extensively discussed. What are we doing?We work every class to professional models (male/female, clothed/nude). Most of the lessons we work with [...]

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Painting

Painting is a bit like sorcery. The magic of colour and paint can enrapture you. The power of the personal touch of the material, the hand of the master, can take you away and immerse you in the creator's ideas, vision, and imagination. Of course, painting is difficult, but engaging in it gives you a [...]

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Painting and Drawing

Have you ever been captivated by a figure or still life, wishing you could capture its essence on canvas? During this course, you will transform from an admirer of art into a capable painter. We'll break down the essentials – composition, color theory, light and shadow – making them easy to understand and apply. What [...]

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Playstation Clay

Clay is a calming, grounding material and is infinitely versatile. Discover these different sides during ten surprisingly totally different lessons with the Playstation Clay course. What will we be doing? We start each lesson with simple Chi Qong exercises to arrive and create space. Space to play and explore in the moment: directly with your [...]

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Repair Art

CREA X Blazinbell presents ‘Funky Fashion Repair Art’. During this course, you will learn the basics of sewing and make a work of art with your sewing machine using recycled fabrics - old clothes that you no longer wear or fabrics that are lying around gathering dust. We paint with needle and thread, make the funkiest stitches, [...]

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Scents

This course introduces you into the world of scents. Scent artist Frank Bloem introduces you to the world of perfume in 10 lessons but also teaches you what it means to create a work of scent art. Nice scents, bad scents, natural versus synthetic, showcasing scents and building a perfume step by step is all [...]

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Sculpting in Clay

Vika Mitrichenko

During this course, you will discover different types of clay, including red, white, black and brown. We will work with porcelain and Egyptian faience to create sculptures. To add colour to our ceramics and sculptures, we will use the famous Delft blue pigment. All your works will be fired in the ceramic kiln and you [...]

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Sculpting in Stone

Stone carving is one of the oldest, most versatile and traditional crafts. The fascination with shaping a stone is as old as mankind itself. Once you get a feel for the stone's properties and processing techniques, you have every opportunity to use your own creativity. The most breathtaking stone sculptures mainly come about through a [...]

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Sculpting Techniques

In this course you will get to know different sculpture techniques and materials. The emphasis is mainly on clay, plaster and soft natural stone. What will you be doing?While making a sculpture in clay you learn to deal with volume and the principle of constructive work. We will also sculpt two different reliefs in clay, [...]

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Still Life: working with different materials

Vika Mitrichenko

This special course is about different materials and techniques.During this workshop you will produce variety of works, which could be eventually setup into a big still-life presentation. What will you do?You will work with clay, Egyptian faience and porcelain, making sculptures and ceramics. You will learn how to make plaster casts of botanical elements and [...]

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STONEtrace

In this course, we delve into the fascinating art of tracery, specifically in relation to the material limestone. Tracery is an art form involving the creation of fine stone ornaments, mainly found in Gothic architecture and used to decorate windows, rose windows and other architectural elements. History of traceryThe history of tracery dates back to [...]

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Street Art

Bas Coenegracht

During the Street Art course, you will try out techniques such as stenciling, posters, spray can markers, painting with a brush and roller. You will develop your own logo, cartoon, name or other idea and explore which material best highlights your personal style. What will you do? You will visit several graffiti locations in Amsterdam, [...]

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The Coloured City

How do you look at the city? How do you experience colours, shapes, sounds, while at the same time your mind can be somewhere else, following the world news and conferring with your friends on the other side of the globe? A city is always in motion. It is being built and changed, greening and [...]

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The Portrait

Vika Mitrichenko

This course consists of two parts. The first part focuses on academic art, where you will learn to draw and sculpt various facial features such as eyes, nose, and mouth. We will explore different aspects: proportions, the use of light and shadow to create shape, the role of colour in painting, and the importance of [...]

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The Portrait as Landscape

Creating a portrait is more than just placing eyes, nose and mouth. It is an exciting combination of all kinds of factors that make it so special. A face is always in motion and can change expression in an 'instant' like a landscape of ever-changing emotions. Eyes, mouth, muscles, skin colour, shadows: everything is constantly [...]

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Upcycling Porcelain

Vika Mitrichenko

Join us for a relaxing one-day course where you''ll turn your ordinary crockery into unique and usable works of art. Using ceramic transfers on ready-made porcelain plates, cups, teapots, or even soup tureen (which you can bring from home, or purchase at stores like HEMA or IKEA, or even find in second-hand shops or flea [...]

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Walk-in Studio Model Drawing

Every Saturday morning from 10:30 to 13:00 you can visit CREA for the Walk-In Studio: Model Drawing. This comes with a fully equipped room with easels, a professional model, drawing materials, paper, and a teacher to assist you and to offer help if you should need it.We will work with all kinds of drawing materials [...]

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Water colour on ceramics

Barbara Guldenaar

Majolica is a glazing technique for applying decorations to ceramics. This way of working is a centuries-old craft and that is a nice delay in all the hustle and bustle around us, especially nowadays. What will we be doing?To get a free hand in painting and to learn to work with flowing colours, a lesson [...]

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Watercolour Wildlife

Barbara Guldenaar

During this day course, you will dive into the world of flora and fauna and explore the world of watery colours. You will learn about the timing of the drying process and how to use different colour combinations to create the most beautiful images of wildlife. During this specific day we will focus on birds [...]

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