I am currently taking a pastel class at 92nd Street Y [1]. It is a very friendly environment and open to beginners. The only downside is that a lot of the class

I am currently taking a pastel class at 92nd Street Y [1]. It is a very friendly environment and open to beginners. The only downside is that a lot of the classes are only available during the work day. You may also consider art classes at NYU's School of Continuing Education [2], though I haven't tried them myself yet. [1] www.92y.org [2] http://www.scps.nyu.edu/academics/noncredit-offerings.html http://www.scps.nyu.edu/academics/noncredit-offerings.html