Westerfield Artworks
Westerfield Artworks
Ink Illustration Fundamentals Grades 9-12 (Teen class)
Learn how to bring pen and paper to life in this 6-session course!
In the age of AI, we feel it is vital to continue teaching analog art mediums to younger generations. Using your hands and imagination to create art in a tangible form engages the body and the brain while building confidence and improving focus.
This teen intro to ink drawing class makes it easy to dive into this versatile medium. This course will get students introduced to drawing characters, portraits, posters and album covers, dynamic scenes, and anything else they can imagine! There are many possibilities of what you can create with a simple pen and some paper.
Our focus will include, but not be limited to the following basics of illustration standards;
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Shading techniques (cross-hatching and stippling, gesture lines)
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Contouring and shaping of forms and spaces within compositions
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Creating textures and patterns within characters, backgrounds, objects, and scenery
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Controlling line weight, consistently applying the ink to achieve the desired effect
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Balance of line application, incorporating negative spaces, included to balance a heavily worked area of composition
This class is flexible, so feel free to address any skills your student is interested in working on. Our goal is that by the end of the class, your student will have built skills and techniques to produce art and designs that they are proud of and that they can continue to build on.
Registration opens October 2026
Wednesdays January 6th - February 10th, 2027, 2-4pm
Location: Barn 5400 studios, Petaluma
Materials:
Graphite pencil
Erasers (kneaded and soild )
Drawing pens in black ink (Sakura Micron are good)
-Variety of tip sizes, #.5 #1, #3
8x10 OR 11x14 Bristol board paper
Animal Portrait Workshop
In this one-day workshop you will learn about different ways of drawing animal portraits and choose from a variety of styles to illustrate your animal. You'll learn anatomy, shaping, and shading techniques and leave with a finished illustrated animal portrait at the end of the day. You'll learn how to bring character and personality into your portrait and how to harness a unique style of your own.
We will focus primarily on black ink, but participants are welcome to bring colored pens, pencils or paint markers.
Materials:
Graphite pencil
Eraser
Drawing pens in black ink, variety of tip sizes (Sakura recommended)
11x14 Bristol board
$80 per workshop
Next workshop: 1pm-5pm October 3rd
Location: Barn 5400, 5400 Old Redwood Hwy N, Petaluma
Questions? Contact us
Poster Workshop
We're excited to be partnering with Slough City Studios in Petaluma for our next workshop!
This 3 hour workshop focused on the layout and creation of an illustrated event poster or album cover. You'll learn how to use a variety of techniques, and utilize your own style and characters to tell your story. These skills and techniques can be easily translated into many other ventures, such as album and book covers, cards, cloths, logos, etc.
Kip's poster techniques lean heavily into character interaction and story telling. His focus will be on layout techniques, composition, and markmaking similar to 1960's underground comics and imagery from R. Crumb and the many poster artists in the West Coast rock music poster and comic industry.
Together we will be creating dynamic scenes in black and white, intended for posters, comics, book covers, or illustrations focused on storytelling, You can learn to illustrate in this simple crosshatching style, and incorporate these moves into your own skills and style to your poster, and bring your work to life.
In this workshop we will cover illustration techniques, balanced composition, and layout We will explore lettering styles, and character creation. begin or create a fully finished poster by the end of the workshop to take home. Posters will be done in black ink using a variety of shading techniques.
All Materials Provided!
$45 per person
Next workshops:
Saturday September 19th 1-4 pm at Slough City Studios in Petaluma
Address: 409 Petaluma BLVD S Suite C
Questions: Contact us
Bodega Head Photography and Ecology Workshop and Hike
Sunday, October 11th 4-7pm
This workshop is a fun and easy hike through Kortum Trail in Bodega Bay near Jenner, where you'll be able to explore coastal grasslands, marshes, and tidepools with a certified California Naturalist and nature photographer. You'll learn some of the most fascinating details about our north coast that often go unnoticed, all while learning how to capture the beauty using your camera to its best abilities. This course is beginner-friendly and accessible for all hiking skill levels. Get pro tips and techniques on shooting water, plant photography, or wildlife photography.
This workshop requires that you own or have access to a camera that is not a phone camera. DSLRs and mirrorless SLRs are recommended, however bridge cameras and high-end point-and-shoots can also work well. This workshop is very beginner-friendly- don't worry if you have no idea how to use your camera yet! That's what I'm here for.
The hike will take place late afternoon, when we have a good chance of catching some golden hour lighting for landscapse toward the end.
Questions? Contact us
Nature Photography & Field Ecology
This unique 5-session course is taught by a certified California Naturalist and professional photographer, combining ecology and naturalist education with nature photography. During ths course, Vanessa will teach you how to use a DSLR camera, lenses and accessories. She will teach you how to get the most out of your gear, then guide you on hikes around Sonoma County where you'll put it all into practice. During the field trips, you will learn about what kinds of ecosystems you are photographing in, including what plants, insects and wildlife you come across. You'll learn some ways to look for signs of wildlife nearby and all kinds of amazing details about plants, fungi, trees, insects, rocks and more. You'll be able to open your eyes to the natural world in a new way, and gain a deeper appreciation for the features that fill your frames. Photography is one of the most important ways we can influence others to care about nature, and with this course you will be able to use your camera to create beautifully inspirational landscapes, plant portraits, and wildlife photography.
You will need to already own or be able to rent a DSLR for this course and at least one lens- preferably a standard range zoom if you only have one lens.
Next course October 25th- November 15th, 3-6pm
Initial online technical session TBA before OCT 25th
Classes are Sundays 3-6pm (we will be aiming to capture the best afternoon light on our field trips)
$250
*Private lessons available, contact me for inquiries
Locations: First session is online, then we have 4 field trips. Our hikes will be for ALL skill levels so don't worry if you don't feel you are a good hiker. We will be moving slowly and making a lot of stops to take photographs.
Questions? Contact us
Eco Explorers Photography
Grades 6th-8th
This unique course offers a chance for kids younger than high school to dive into photography and ecology all at once! Kids aged 11-13 often express an interest in photography, yet there are rarely photography courses available to this age group. We believe that because kids are naturally observant, photography should be an accessible art medium to them.
The camera is an excellent tool for bringing nature up close in a way that opens up curiosity. Curiosity about nature encourages greater compassion toward life that we desperately need more humans to possess.
During this course, students will attend guided ecology hikes led by Vanessa Westerfield, certified California Naturalist. Parents are welcome to attend the first field trip if desired. All field trips after the first one will be for the kids only!
Students will learn how to best use their cameras to capture a variety of landscapes, wildflowers, insects, trees, fungi and anything else we come across of field trips. They will learn what species they are photographing, and what their roles in the ecosystem are. They will learn some plant identification and be able to identify some signs of wildlife like scat, footprints and burrows. They will learn how photography can be a vital tool for conservation and will complete a project that focuses on the conservation of their favorite subject.
Students should own or have access to a camera that has some manual functions (NO phones). This can be a DSLR, a Mirrorless camera, a Bridge camera, or a high-end point-and-shoot that offers manual exposure options. Email me for a list of recommended models and resources for used cameras or rentals.
Materials:
Camera that is not a phone
One standard zoom lens (if you have a DLSR or mirrorless)
Macro lens optional
Telephoto lens optional
Tripod optional
Polarizing filter optional
*email with material questions and/or resources
Registration open for Spring
Classes are Tuesdays March 30th-May 11th (skips spring break)
$275 per 6-week course
Location: In-person at various outdoor locations around Sonoma County. Locations will be sent out via email after registration.
Questions? Contact us
Private Lessons
Private photography lessons and basic Adobe Lightroom editing lessons are available upon request. Please contact Vanessa Westerfield for inquiries.