Another student of mine came to class with a desire to learn to paint realistic-looking animals. She was 10, quite lovely, and already a talented drawer. Her subjects of choice: a flamingo, and a sloth. (We had lots of good laughs as we worked on these strange animals!) I decided that the best way to teach the process and techniques was to paint along side her. We both painted from the same photos, and I showed her how I applied the paint, and offered advice and pointers as she worked. We used acrylics, which I am not as familiar with as oils, so we learned about the quality of the paint together. Again, I was blown away with what she achieved in a short time.
After the intensive painting lessons, we lightened it up with “Artist Trading Cards”. If you haven’t heard of these, I suggest you Google it and check out the art form. I have a book called “Artist Trading Cards Workshop” which is a great book to have for inspiration. Using any medium you like, you can create a collection of unique and diverse cards measuring 2.5” x 3.5”, which you can keep for yourself and/or trade with other artists. So, I brought out my trays of paper crafts, water colours, glue, scissors, and we went to town. When the little girls from my other class saw them all pinned up on the bulletin board looking charming and attractive they too wanted to make some. I supplied them the same materials, and they had a great time making their own. Inevitably, (as 5 and 6 year olds do) they sourced out the stickers and decorated most of their cards with them. Can you tell which cards were made by the little girls, as opposed to the 10 year old and me?