9 Summer Art Classes with Metro Phoenix Creatives

No more excuses. Make that your summer motto when it comes to all those art classes you've always meant to sign up for. Some of the Valley's best-known artists are teaching classes for beginners over the next few months. Here's a list of nine options to help you start planning.

Creative Glazing with Danielle Wood
Create interesting textured forms while developing basic skills in hand-building, experimenting with various types of glaze, and learning more about ceramic vocabulary and firing techniques. Classes meet Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. between July 7 and August 11 at Shemer Art Center. The cost is $180 plus a $30 materials fee. Learn more or register on the Shemer Art Center website.

Jewelry-Making with Alex Ozers
Learn how to texture, stamp, and emboss brass and copper discs for earrings and necklaces, then finish off your pieces with a patina bath and steel wool. The one-session workshop runs from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, at Practical Art. The workshop costs $40. Find more information or register on the Practical Art website.

Painterly Monotype with Wendy Willis
Learn basic techniques for creating prints with ink on plexiglass. Classes will be held Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon, between July 15 and 29, at the Thunderbird Arts Center operated by Phoenix Center for the Arts. The class costs $111. Get details or register on the Phoenix Center for the Arts website.

Introduction to Mosaics with Debbie Wahl
Learn the basics of working with mosaic tiles, from technique to design. Classes take place Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon between July 15 and August 4 at Mesa Arts Center. Find more information or register on the Mesa Arts Center website.

Introduction to Life Drawing with Rachel Bess
Become familiar with terminology and techniques through weekly demonstrations and practice time with a live model. Classes meet Mondays from 6 to 9 p.m. between July 17 to August 7 at Scottsdale Artists' School. The cost is $200 plus a $35 model fee. Learn more or register on the Scottsdale Artists' School website.

Beautiful Photography with Pamela Parker
Gather tips and techniques for taking beautiful photographs with any camera. The single-session workshop takes place from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 29, at Mesa Arts Center. The workshop costs $40. Get more information or register on the Mesa Arts Center website.

Introduction to Watercolor with Koryn Woodward Wasson
Learn the basics of drawing and watercolor painting, including color theory, brushes, and pigment. Classes meet Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. between July 30 and August 27 at Phoenix Center for the Arts. The class costs $135. Get details or register on the Phoenix Center for the Arts website.

Ceramics with Constance McBride
Translate your ideas into figurative sculptures, while learning basic hand-building techniques, and ways to use various surface treatments before and after firing your work. Classes meet on Tuesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. from August 15 to September 5 at Shemer Art Center. The cost is $120 plus a $30 materials fee. Find more information or register on the Shemer Art Center website.

Fine Art Collage with Andy Burgess
Explore techniques for creating abstract and representational collages while learning to cut and tear various types of paper, and glue and paste onto different types of substrate. The single-day workshop runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 26 at Art Intersection. The workshop costs $85 ($100 after July 29). Learn more or register on the Art Intersection website.