Painting Studio: Ages 10-13

In this course, students explore a variety of traditional painting techniques and contemporary approaches to cultivate their imaginative capacities as young artists. Projects include painting from observation and the imagination, using current artist practices and art historical examples. In addition, sculptural projects that stretch the boundaries of 'painting' may also be introduced. Each class begins with drawing exercises for students to organize their ideas; while this course focuses on painting, it relies on drawing as the foundation for a painting practice that combines shapes, forms, and colors to create illusions of depth on two-dimensional surfaces. Students learn the elements and principles of design while experimenting with scale by creating work that is larger-than-life, shrunken in scale, and many sizes in between. Students also explore a wide range of materials, such as pastels, acrylic and watercolor paint, charcoal, graphite, gouache, and colored pencils while developing skills in rendering with linear perspective, composition, various mark-making techniques, use of gradation shading, color blending, and layering processes. Weekly visits to the Art Institute of Chicago to observe and sketch from paintings and sculptures inspire studio work. This course is designed for beginning students with little painting/drawing experience, as well as for those students who want to continue developing their skills and confidence in painting.