Drawing  |  Watercolor  |  Acrylic Painting  |  Oil Painting  |  Additonal Courses

When you teach the visual arts you are really developing an individual's ability to see (perceive) relationships; in other words to measure accurately one thing to another.

The word art, from its Latin/French base literally means "to fit together." Examining this meaning, we can see that drawing and painting can be likened to cooking. Just as the culinary artist fits together ingredients (parts), so does the visual artist. In order to make a drawing of an object or thing, one needs to see its individual sections (how it is constructed). To draw, a person learns to examine and isolate each part back into a whole.

The basic introductory format is composed of three essential components of visual art:

1. Form (shape)
2. Size (mass, scale)
3. Placement (relationships)

Using a step-by-step method (the simple to the complex) the student understands what is needed in order to draw successfully. The techniques taught to the student, allows them to assist themselves to draw. These techniques are traditional and classical in approach.

To achieve quality results, proper materials play an important role in students' training. Students are taught not only what to use, but also how to use and care for their materials. To get students accustomed to working with correct supplies, the beginning drawing kit is composed of materials that have been chosen due to their quality.

The materials fee for the Drawing Course covers seven possible media along with all appropriate papers, pencils, erasers and pens. The choice of media used depends upon the age and skill level of the student.

Watercolors have been used throughout history, but have steadily gained popularity since the 1800's in England.

Watercolors are finely ground pigments mixed with a binder, allowing artists to achieve (among other techniques) luminous, sketch-like effects.

This introductory level course is designed to teach two distinct elementary activities. The first is conveying basic technology of painting with a brush. This activity includes teaching specific terminology, brush manipulation, brush utilization and care; color mixing, color application and clean-up.

The second separate activity taught is the use of watercolor as a particular medium. This activity consists of its own terms and skills to be learned. Words like "dry brush", "wash", and "glazing" are names of techniques students will become familiar with during this section of the course.

Painting is actually drawing with a brush. Therefore drawing skills are continuously stressed. Students progress from simple linear subject matter to the more three dimensional or complex subject matter. The better students draw, the better they will paint.

Depending upon students manipulative skills and dexterity, their program may include still-life, animals, landscape, and copying of the great watercolor masters.

To achieve quality results, proper materials play an important role in students' training. Students are taught not only what to use, but also how to use and care for their materials. To get students accustomed to working with correct supplies, the watercolor kit is comprised of materials that have been chosen for their quality.

The materials fee for the Watercolor Course supplies all special pencils, papers, brushes, and paints to allow students to explore this media successfully.

* All materials are for studio use only

The impetus for the invention of artistic media has been the search for permanency and durability. Generally, the solid pigment or coloring agent is the same in all paints. The variable, and that which gives each paint its distinct characteristics, is the liquid binder or vehicle. Materials such as water, oil, or egg yolk holds the color so that it can be spread along a surface.

The binder in acrylic paint is a plastic; a synthetic. Therefore, acrylics dry quickly and are water soluble. This allows clean-up free from the disadvantageous smell of other media.

Painting is to represent by application and manipulation of a material. To paint, one must have knowledge of the medium and develop the skills to use it. The learned sequences of method and procedure begin with brush and paint care, arrangement of colors on a palette, mixing specific hues, paint application, brush techniques and clean-up. Simple steps form a complex activity. Thus painting is quite an undertaking; teaching tenacity as well as technique.

Lessons learned in acrylics remain generally valid for all mediums. Glazing, wet into wet (alla Prima), underpainting (imprimatura) are just a few of the terms and skills students will become familiar with at this level. Depending upon students manipulative abilities, their program may include still-life, animals, landscape, and copying of the great masters.

To achieve quality results, proper materials play an important role in students' training. Thus an acrylic painting kit has been prepared and is comprised of materials chosen for their quality.

The materials fee for the Acrylic Painting Course covers all media necessary for successful exploration of this class. Paint, canvas, brushes, illustration board, palette, palette knife are supplied.

Oil paint is named for the binder in which the pigment is suspended. This liquid is made from the ground seed of the flax plant called linseed oil.  Its use began in the 15th century and was most assuredly heralded as a major event. Oil paint is extremely flexible and when thoroughly dry is rock hard (durable); two characteristics of paint desperately sought after, by generations of artists.  Further inventions such as canvas and tube color have little changed the basic innovations of oil painting. It became, and remains for many, the perfect medium.

Today artists rarely make their own paints by grinding raw pigments with small amounts of oil. Paints with a high degree of coloring ability (saturation) have less oil and fillers and more pigment. Cheaper paints possess less brilliant coloring matter.

The paint is scooped from palette (mixing surface) to canvas with chiseled shaped bristle brushes. They have a "desirable springy effect" for blending, pushing and spreading paint upon a surface. Details are later added by small sable brushes. A limited palette or number of colors to paint with is considered best to learn color mixing.

During this course students will explore the incredible flexibility of this medium. Oil paint can be applied very thinly, thus producing effects by the layering of transparent colors called glazing. It can also be applied thickly (impasto), overlaying with opaque colors to give a softening effect called "scumbling". Textural surfaces can be created by brush work or by a thin flexible blade called a palette knife. Special mediums are added to the paint to produce certain handling characteristics or surface effects.

As in all courses at KidsArt, information is always presented in a manner and in language students can comprehend and utilize at their level of ability.

To enable students to work with the proper materials, an oil painting kit has been prepared. It is comprised of materials chosen for their quality.

The materials fee for the Oil Painting Course covers all oil paints. canvas, boards, brushes, palette, palette knife, linseed oil, and glaze. All of these materials are necessary for success.