Why Parents Choose our Art Program  

Our fine art program recognizes the changing landscape with AI, which can alter the students learning environment  as well as students current artistic interests.  

As such there has been a resurgence of students interested in traditional skill based learning, specifically drawing  realistically from a reference. 

In always striving to provide a better opportunity of learning for our students, we have incorporated the following  into our classroom ergonomics and curriculum. 

Classroom 

Classes are capped at 7 students per class. 

Guided by the instructor each student receives one on one instruction on their own subject of interest. This fosters a  student’s ability to safely take risks and master complex techniques at their own pace, without comparing  themselves to other students. 

To support better concentration, students are seated individually at their own work station with access to most of  their own materials, along with comfortable seating, adjustable for each student. This minimizes distractions from  discomfort and maintains their attention on their lessons, leading to enhanced learning outcomes and academic  performance. 

Students are supported visually, with a table easel. The up right seated position prevents poor posture from leaning  over a table that can cause children to slouch, leading to fatigue and neck tension. The up right posture, improves  hand eye coordination and fine motor skills. 

Each student is provided their own reference, eliminating the loss of focus and eye strain from having to look up and  around the room for a distant reference from a teacher, board, or screen and then trying to resume their focus  looking down at a flat surface to draw. 

Reference and artwork placement at eye level improves focus and better hand eye coordination.  This bi lateral referencing has been shown to induce calm and maintain better focus for learning. 

Curriculum 

Drawing  

The lessons start with foundational building blocks through the following: 

We offer enhanced structured curriculum, for students to begin to easily understand how to break down a complex  reference into basic shapes .  

How to measure and place basic shapes within the dimensions of their drawing surface. 

How to build on the framework of basic shapes to add complex details 

How to achieve a 3 dimensional drawing by learning appropriate shading to understand light and shadow, along  with perspective. 

Color 

Colored Pencils First 

As students progress drawing with graphite , they are given a smoother transition into learning about color by using  high quality artist grade Prisma color pencils. Continuing in a pencil format maintains the development of fine motor  skills, before using paint brushes. It also provides an easier transition to learn about color, color mixing , layering etc.  without the added complexities of mixing paint, brush handling, and brush cleaning between colors.  

Painting  

Once students have acquired a confident grasp of understanding color, they can move on to start painting with  water-colours. Water-colour provides the student a slower pace, easier transition to learn about brush handling, less  muddy colors without complex color corrections etc. while allowing for easier corrections. With time and proficiency in water-color , students can move on to painting with gouache ( a more opaque water  based medium) 

Mixed Media  

Mixed media (a combination of several art mediums 

A combination of colored pencils, watercolor, gouache, ink, and/or acrylic markers will provide students the added confidence to add complex details to their artwork.

Why All This Matters 

If you provide achievable structure based lessons, the best quality materials, and an ergonomic environment for children to learn, you will give them the opportunity to grow at an accelerated rate thus giving them the confidence to achieve much more in a shorter time frame.