Our workshops alternate between the Oakland and San Francisco stores. They often fill to capacity before the event date, so don’t delay – sign up now!
Click here to view our full Calendar of Workshops & Events.
Daniel Smith Watercolor Seminar
Sunday, July 10, 1pm - 3pm - FREE
FLAX Oakland
Have questions about watercolor? Join us for a fun and engaging conversation with watercolorist and Daniel Smith Brand Ambassador, Scott Stevenson. Have questions about Quinacridone pigments, where the color Serpentine comes from, or how the color Moonglow get its name? Wonder how Daniel Smith tests their pigments for lightfastness? What’s granulation? This in-person lecture/demo is a great opportunity to ask questions in a conversational and relaxed atmosphere.
In this hands-on lecture, we will learn about the colorful history of Daniel Smith manufacturing and the many aspects of developing their products. Scott will show us first hand lab paint-outs, some of the minerals used to manufacture colors in the PrimaTek line, and more. We will also take a look at a selection of Daniel Smith Watercolors straight from the tube so you can see the Daniel Smith difference! Lastly, we will have a chance to swatch out some of these beautiful colors and create a very useful reference guide.
All Daniel Smith will be on sale at 25% off the list price!
Sign Up for this workshop at the right.
Screen Printing Demo with Speedball
Sunday, July 17, 1pm - 3pm - FREE
FLAX Oakland
Join Speedball Demo Artist and printmaker, Alden Knight as he shares his passion and excitement for the art of printmaking. This two-hour lecture and demonstration will provide attendees with in-depth information about the screen printing process from preparing the screen to printing the image. Learn about the wide range of Speedball inks, tools and accessories, giving insight to each product’s use and attributes. This demo is ideal for the beginner seeking the experience of pulling a print or the skilled printmaker looking to learn new tips and tricks!
About the Artist: Alden is an independent printmaker with a strong familiarity of the fundamentals of screen and relief printing, and he possesses a talent and passion for the education of printmaking techniques to all experience levels. In Alden's business, Odd Petals DIY Creative Resources, he of course provides screen printing services, but the DIY ethos is extremely important to everything he does. "I love teaching musicians and artists how to take more command of their merchandise, and showing them that anyone can make and enjoy art."
Sign Up for this workshop at the right.
Winsor & Newton Gouache Demo
Sunday, July 24, 1pm - 3pm - FREE
FLAX Oakland
Join artist Kristen Brown for this informative and fun step-by-step demonstration using Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache. Kristen will share the attributes of Designers Gouache while taking participants through the steps of creating an illustrative floral painting perfect for gifts, cards, or decoration for any room. Popular among designers and illustrators, gouache paint is similar to watercolor paint, but it is opaque rather than transparent. It is also widely used in fine art painting, both on its own and with transparent watercolors.
About the Artist: Kristen has a Master of Fine Arts from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She is a working professional who also teaches groups on the proper use of Winsor & Newton art materials. In her artwork she leans toward abstract, dreamlike images, creating motion blur, distortion and multiple exposures in her paintings. "I will often use multiple places or time periods in a painting to illustrate the idea of being taken back into a past moment from a current one, or the idea of the past and present feeling as though they are happening simultaneously," she explains. In the rare cases when she is not painting, you can find Kristen printmaking, dabbling in ceramics, traveling, playing guitar or meditating.
Sign Up for this workshop at the right.
Zen + the Art of Urban Sketching
2nd Saturday of the month, noon - 3pm - $65 (sign up)
FLAX Fort Mason
Zen + the Art of Urban Sketching is about getting outdoors and putting pen to paper. With a hand-picked set of tools and some simple, practical techniques, we’ll set out to sketch in a location rich with subjects, like Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Sketching is fun—if you do it right. And it’s good for you.
Join instructor Zip Lehnus and learn how to make sketching a daily habit you look forward to that enhances your memory, perception and mood!
Learn more here. This class is held the 2nd Saturday of the month (April - October) and sells out quickly.
Past Workshops & Events
Still Life Painting with Winsor & Newton Artists’ Oil Colors, June 12, Oakland Store
Semi-Annual Oakland Pen Faire & Sale, May 14, Oakland Store
Liquitex Painting on Fabric, w/ Kristen Brown, April 24, Oakland Store
Expressive Sketching with Fountain Pens, w/ Eileen Goldenberg, April 10, Oakland Store
Zen + the Art of Urban Sketching, April 9, Fort Mason Center Store
Sketch Odyssey, March 27, Oakland Store
Daniel Smith Watercolor Zoom Demo, June 25
Semi Annual Pen Faire & Sale, May 22 and 23, Oakland Store
Daniel Smith Watercolor Seminar, January 7, Oakland Store
Game Playing with Blue Orange Games, December 7, Oakland Store
FLAX Pen Faire and Sale, November 16, Oakland Store
FLAX ART JAM anniversary event, November 2, Fort Mason Store