Homeschool Young Artists Studio

Homeschool | Squeegee Painting | Exploring Color, Movement and Personal Expression

Inspired by the current exhibition featuring the work of Washington Color School painter Paul Reed, students will explore color, shape, and movement. After viewing and discussing selected works from the exhibition, students will discover how artists can create dynamic compositions by layering and manipulating color.

Using acrylic paint and a squeegee, students will experiment with pulling, blending, and overlapping colors. They will learn how the pressure and direction of the squeegee can change the appearance of the paint, creating unexpected patterns, textures, and movement. As they create, students will consider how color, movement, and abstract shapes can communicate personal ideas, memories, and emotions.

Homeschool | Harvest Bobblehead | Hand-building with Clay | Part 1 of 2

Celebrate the harvest season with a playful clay sculpture inspired by the imaginative work of 16th-century Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who created portraits using fruits, vegetables, flowers, and other natural elements. Students will learn basic hand-building clay techniques while creating their own whimsical harvest-themed bobblehead character.

Students will explore pinching, coiling, shaping, attaching, and texturing clay as they build a character with an oversized, expressive head and a fun bobbling feature. They will use harvest fruits, vegetables, leaves, and other seasonal elements as inspiration for their character’s face, clothing, and personality.

Students will also consider how artists can combine familiar objects in unexpected ways to create imaginative characters and tell a visual story.

Homeschool | Harvest Bobblehead | Painting and Finishing | Part 2 of 2

Bring your harvest bobblehead character to life with color, texture, and creative painting techniques! Inspired by the imaginative fruit-and-vegetable portraits of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, students will explore how paint can transform the appearance and personality of their clay sculpture.

Students will experiment with a variety of painting techniques to create realistic and imaginative surface effects. They may create a waxy, glossy appearance like fresh fruit, a matte and earthy finish like dried vegetables, or an antiqued effect resembling aged bronze or an old garden sculpture. Techniques such as layering, dry brushing, highlighting, shading, and antiquing will help students add depth, dimension, and visual interest. Students will also give their harvest character a unique name and personality, considering how their color choices and painted details help communicate their character’s story.

Homeschool | Film Photography | Light, Shadow and Story | Part 1 of 2

In this hands-on class, students will step into the world of film photography using a disposable camera to capture creative and dramatic photographs. Students will explore how lighting, shadows, angles, composition, and perspective can transform an ordinary subject into an intriguing photograph. Using dramatic lighting, students will experiment with creating mystery, contrast, silhouettes, highlights, and deep shadows. They will plan and capture a series of photographs while learning to think like a photographer and make intentional choices about what they want their images to communicate.

After photographing, students will learn the process of developing film in a darkroom. They will experience the traditional photographic process of working with light-sensitive materials and watch their images emerge from the film.

Homeschool | Film Photography | Light, Shadow and Story | Part 1 of 2

In Part 2 of this hands-on experience, students will return to the darkroom to transform their developed 35mm film negatives into photographic prints. Students will learn how photographers use an enlarger to project a negative onto light-sensitive photographic paper and control the final image through exposure and timing.

Students will experiment with enlargement, cropping, exposure, contrast, and composition while creating a series of black-and-white prints. Through test strips and trial-and-error, they will discover how small adjustments can dramatically change the mood and appearance of a photograph.

The lesson will conclude with students selecting and presenting their strongest photographs, reflecting on how their creative choices with lighting, composition, and exposure influenced the final artwork.

Homeschool | LEGO Printmaking | Building a Printing Plate

Students will explore the creative possibilities of printmaking by using LEGO bricks as printing plates. They will arrange LEGO pieces to create patterns, textures, geometric designs, or imaginative images. Students will apply washable printing ink or paint to their LEGO plates and create prints on paper, experimenting with pressure, placement, repetition, and color.

Through this hands-on project, students will discover how everyday objects can become tools for creating art while learning about relief printmaking, positive and negative space, pattern, texture, and repetition. Students will create multiple prints, making adjustments to their LEGO designs and experimenting with different compositions.

Homeschool | Tote Bag Challenge | Hand Sewing and Applique

Students will learn the basics of hand sewing and appliqué while designing and creating a decorative front panel for a personalized tote bag. They will explore how fabric shapes, colors, and textures can be combined to create an original design.

Students will learn how to safely use a needle and thread, practice basic hand stitches, and discover how to attach fabric shapes to a background using appliqué techniques. They will plan their design, select fabrics, cut simple shapes, and begin stitching their appliqué pieces onto the tote bag.

Homeschool | Tote Bag Challenge | Machine Sewing the Finished Tote

Students will continue their textile art project by using a sewing machine to construct their personalized tote bag. Building on the appliqué design created in Part 1, students will learn the basic parts and functions of a sewing machine, practice controlling the fabric, and learn proper sewing techniques.

Students will sew the front appliqué panel to the tote bag, construct the bag by joining fabric pieces, create and attach handles, and learn how to finish seams for a neat and durable final product. Students will practice measuring, pinning, stitching, and pressing as they work through the construction process.