Expressive Arts
The Art Story
An immensely dynamic and comprehensive course into the broad spectrum, all-encompassing realm of art.
The course delves into artistic expression, visual communication, and creativity, covering diverse mediums, techniques, art history, and theoretical concepts. It explores traditional and digital mediums, techniques in drawing, painting, and digital art, and delves into art history, movements, and influential artists.
Theoretical discussions include aesthetics, composition, and critique. Specialised areas like graphic design and ceramics receive focused training and explicit practical application.
Drawing:
Learning foundational drawing skills such as line, shape, form, perspective, shading, and composition. Exploring different drawing mediums like graphite, charcoal, ink, or pastels.
Painting:
Exploring painting techniques in mediums like watercolor, acrylics, oils, or gouache. Learning about color theory, mixing colors, brushwork, layering, and assorted styles of painting.
Sculpture and 3D Art:
Working with various materials like clay, wood, metal, or found objects to create sculptures. Learning techniques for modeling, carving, casting, and assembling three- dimensional art pieces.
Digital Art and Design:
Exploring digital tools and software for creating art, graphic design, illustration, or multimedia projects. Learning techniques for digital drawing, painting, and image manipulation.
Art Theory and Conceptual Development:
Understanding conceptual approaches to artmaking, exploring ideas, themes, and concepts behind artwork. Developing a personal artistic voice and style.
Art History:
Studying the history of art, including major art movements, influential artists, and significant artworks from different time periods and cultures.
Mixed Media and Experimental Art:
Exploring unconventional or mixed media approaches to create art, combining unconventional materials, techniques, and styles to express ideas creatively.
Printmaking:
Learning techniques like relief printing, intaglio, screen printing, or lithography to create prints. Understanding the process of transferring images onto paper or other surfaces.
Art Critique and Analysis:
Engaging in discussions about artwork, analyzing and critiquing both your own work and that of your peers. Learning to give and receive constructive feedback.
Drawing Club
Are you looking for a language approach that immerses little learners into a world full of imagination where anything can happen and often does? If so, then Drawing Club is definitely for you! The progress children can make through Drawing Club across all areas of child development is exceptional with the added bonus of confidence and joy.
A literacy initiative by Greg Bottrill, Drawing Club is a true adventure encompassing the magic of imagination, language and creativity. Based around the Golden Blend of picture books, tales and animations, it involves a short period of Time Together as a whole group followed by time with children exploring their ideas and creativity that can be adapted to how you believe is best.
- Immerse children in the world of story and show them the joy of who you are
- Share a treasure trove of vocabulary with children to open up the playground of language to them
- Give yourself the opportunity to create a library of progress that can be astonishing
- Develop children’s creativity and imagination to show them that they are extraordinary
- Give your children age-appropriate practice that is highly engaging and grounds children in the joy of book snuggling.
Oil Painting
This art opportunity allows the creativity of students to flow freely by being immersed into the majestic realm of colour, composition and creation.
Materials and Tools:
Understanding the distinct types of oil paints, brushes, canvases, and other supplies used in oil painting. Learning about mediums and solvents used to manipulate the paint.
Colour Theory:
Exploring the colour wheel, color mixing, and understanding how colours interact and complement each other. This includes learning about warm and cool colours, colour value, saturation, and harmony.
Painting Techniques:
Instruction on various painting techniques such as blending, glazing, impasto (thick application of paint), scumbling (dry-brush technique), underpainting, and layering.
Composition and Perspective:
Understanding the principles of composition, including focal points, balance, and creating depth and perspective in a painting.
Still life, Landscape, and Portraiture:
Working on different subjects to learn how to depict them realistically or stylistically. This includes understanding light and shadow, form, and texture.
Painting From Life and From Reference:
Practicing painting from observation and reference images, honing observational skills and translating what you see onto canvas.
Historical and Contemporary Approaches:
Studying the works of famous oil painters throughout history and exploring modern techniques and trends in oil painting.
Personal Style and Expression:
Encouraging individual creativity and finding one's unique artistic voice through experimentation and practice.
Wheel Pottery
The pottery course introduces basics like tools, materials, and safety. It focuses on wheel throwing techniques, emphasizing coordination and control for creating balanced forms. Students craft diverse pottery forms, receive studio time for practice, and benefit from guidance and feedback. This hands-on experience nurtures creativity and skill development, welcoming all levels of expertise in a supportive environment.
Clay Preparation:
Understanding several types of clay, their properties, and preparing clay for throwing on the wheel. This involves wedging (kneading) the clay to remove air bubbles and ensure consistency.
Wheel Throwing Techniques:
Learning the basic techniques of centering, opening, pulling, and shaping clay on the potter's wheel to create different forms such as bowls, cups, vases, and plates.
Form and Structure:
Understanding how to control the thickness and evenness of the walls, creating symmetry, altering shapes, and adding handles or decorative elements.
Trimming and Finishing:
Trimming excess clay from the base of the thrown object to refine its shape and create a foot or base. Exploring different surface textures, designs, and decorative techniques like carving, slip decoration, or glazing.
Glazing:
Learning about types of glazes, their application techniques, and how they interact with distinct types of clay and firing temperatures. Understanding glaze formulation and experimenting with glaze combinations.
Problem-solving and Refinement:
Identifying common issues like cracks, warping, or uneven shapes and learning techniques to troubleshoot and improve these aspects.
Creativity and Expression:
Encouraging individual artistic expression and creativity through clay manipulation, form, and surface decoration. Exploring personal style and experimenting with different forms and techniques.
Dance
and Movement
A dance program caters to diverse skill levels and interests and covers various styles like ballet, jazz, tap, and more. Focus areas include technique, choreography, conditioning, performance skills, cultural context, progression, practice, feedback, and showcases. Students also stretch a myriad of skills including confidence building, agility, gross motor skills, coordination and body awareness.
Calligraphy, Handwriting
and Creative Writing
The instructional program focuses on teaching elegant handwriting through calligraphy, exploring techniques, styles, history, and practical applications. It covers tools, styles (Italic, Gothic, etc.), stroke techniques, composition, practice sessions, historical context, personal projects, and critique sessions for skill refinement. Students can progress onto applying their elevated handwriting skills and participate in creative writing workshops towards the end of the course.