Little Art School

Sometimes a painting comes along from one of our students that literally stops you in your tracks. This is one of them! This watercolour portrait is by Macey McCartney who is in our Level 5 classes. Macey's use of watercolour here is so sophisticated. Her colour choices show both an intuitive creativity AND a real knowledge of colour theory. It is, quite simply, an extraordinarily fantastic piece of work. Macey, what a stunning painting; we are SO proud of you and so excited to be watching your progress, your work is going from strength to strength.

This painting of Jemima Puddleduck was painted by 7 year old Jacob Allardyce who attends Little Artist Club classes at our Ayr Studio. Jacob has drawn his character brilliantly, with such fantastic attention to detail. Jacob has painted with gouache paint, which is a wonderful chalky, opaque gouache. Gouache works so well on paintings like this but it ca be very tricky to control the flow of the paint. Jacob has handled the gouache so well; look how beautifully he has painted! Well done Jacob, we hope that you are really proud of your painting!

Easter Little Art School

We'll be back at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum this Easter!

Easter Little Art School The Little Art School will host Easter themed art lessons this April at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

This stunning acrylic painting is by one of our Online Art Students, Annette Gregory. This is the final challenge of Level 1 of our course and throughout the 30 lessons of Level 1 we lead you step by step, from starting drawing a line and finishing with this beautiful Monet. Annette has done brilliantly; we'd love to hear what you think!

When we asked Annette what drawing and painting meant to her she told us: "For me, drawing and painting is the best form of creative relaxation, and is very rewarding and nourishing". We are so proud of all our adult Online Course artists; their ability to keep challenging themselves inspires us so much. Well done Annette, you have done brilliantly right through Level 1☺️❤️

This beautiful tonal painting in gouache of Greenan Castle is by 12 year old Maisie Macleod-Rye. Maisie has painted this landscape with a wonderful attention to detail and a brilliant use of paint. The drawing of the castle is exquisite. Well done Maisie, what a wonderful start to your time at the Little Art School. We are so proud of your work and we're loving seeing you develop skills and learn new techniques; you're doing brilliantly!

Are you looking for a Mother's Day gift that will bring joy to someone very special? Our Introductory Course is just £60 and has everything you need to complete two beautiful watercolour paintings. All your materials come boxed and you have two online lessons, unique to this course, to get a complete beginner started.
Perfect for someone who has always wanted to learn to draw and paint but didn't know where to start!!
Order online at: https://littleartschool.co.uk/online-intro-course/
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Isn't this 'Cat in the Hat' in gouache magnificent?! Painted by Lillie Douglas who has just turned 7, Lillie has done a fantastic job with her drawing and has also managed really well with the tricky gouache paint; excellent brush control Lillie! Lillie is new to our Dundonald class and is doing brilliantly with her artwrk. Well done Lillie!

If your child would like to try out our self-esteem boosting art classes, just message or email Michelle [email protected] and we can organise a free taster class to try out the classes before you decide. We are really limited with spaces but we'll try our best! Classes are for children aged 5 to 18.

Are you looking for a Mother's Day gift that will bring joy to someone very special? Our Introductory Course is just £60 and has everything you need to complete two beautiful watercolour paintings. All your materials come boxed and you have two online lessons, unique to this course, to get a complete beginner started.

Perfect for someone who has always wanted to learn to draw and paint but didn't know where to start!!

Order online at: https://littleartschool.co.uk/online-intro-course/

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Classes start back today! We have a term packed with wonderful self-esteem boosting art, all waiting for our young artists. We can't wait to see you all!
If you have a child age 5 to 18 who would like to try a Free Taster Art Class at the Little Art School, just message us or email Michelle at [email protected]

One of the most important lessons our students learn as part of the Little Art School Drawing and Painting Course, is how to SEE like an artist. Our course is progressive and really structured. We focus at the start of Level 1 on really developing their artist's eye to search out tone or value. This is a game changer when you are learning to draw and paint. Instead of simply looking for just shape and colour, your eye begins to really differentiate between different tones, from the very dark to the very light and with all the variations between.
Anyone can learn to draw and paint, and it brings so much joy to people's lives, whether they are 5 or 95! For us, the Little Art School way of learning to draw and paint is all about learning firstly to see like an artist and then how to think like an artists. And all the time, whether in our studios or in our Online course, we are thinking about how we can build self-esteem.

Isn't this magnificent? 16 year old Millie Gordon who attends our Level 6 classes has just completed this original and vibrant interpretation of a Hopper painting. Millie has brought life, colour and vitality to her interpretation, with shades of Van Gogh coming to Hopper's 20th century Cape Cod.
This is a truly wonderful piece of work, Millie, we hope that you are so proud!

Isn't this watercolour painting so beautiful? This lovely Magnolia was painted by one of our Online Drawing and Painting Course students, Norma Cullen. Norma is working her way through our course and is now on Level 3. It has been an absolute joy to watch her skills develop and her confidence grow. You can read the story of Norma's journey so far with the Little Art School at: https://littleartschool.co.uk/a-newfound-confidence-for-norma/

If you have always wanted to learn to draw and paint but didn't know where to start, visit our website to find out more about our confidence building online art course for adults ❤️

This beautiful painting in gouache is painted by 10 year old Lucy Duncan. Lucy attends the Foundation Course classes in our Ayr Studio. Here Lucy has captured the complex shapes of the 'Angel of the North' and then worked the gouache really well in her painting. By using the gouache as a watercolour the tones have blended beautifully, then she has used the dry brush technique to get the impression of grass blowing in the breeze.
It's a lovely painting, Lucy, we hope that you are thrilled with it!

These magnificent paintings in watercolour were all created by children who attend classes run by our Little Art Stars charity at Forehill Primary School. These classes work with some wonderful children, building self-esteem by teaching children how to draw and paint. We can see children's self confidence rising one painting at a time as they see their skills improve and their amazing artwork praised.

In order to keep providing our free art classes through our charity we need YOUR help! We're looking for businesses to help raise funds, through sponsored events or by joining us to walk the Kiltwalk. If you know of a business which would like to support a small local charity which is making a huge difference in the lives of children here in Ayrshire please email Michelle at [email protected]; we would love your support to keep raising self-esteem one painting at a time.

This beautiful painting in gouache is by 12 year old Matthew Pieroni. Matthew has used gouache brilliantly to create a stunning tonal painting of Japan's Itsukushima Shrine. There is a beautiful peace to this painting and a real skill in the way that Matthew has handled the paint. Well done Matthew, we hope that you are really pleased with this painting, you've captured the calm tranquility perfectly.

Our youngest artists in our Little Artist Clubs are painting in gouache at the moment. Gouache is a tricky medium, needing lots of brush control and careful mixing of water and paint. Our little artists are listening hard and concentrating; producing some incredible paintings. These are some of the 'Cat in the Hat' paintings from our Dundonald studio, aren't they brilliant?

If you have a child who would like to try a free, self-esteem boosting art class message us or email Michelle at [email protected]. We only have a few spaces but we'll try our hardest to find the right class for your child.

This beautiful kitten in pastel was painted by one of our Online Course Adult Students, Christine Wood . Isn't it beautiful?! Christine has done a wonderful job here, creating a painting with real dynamism. I wonder if you look at it and think 'that kitten looks thoughtful/playful/planning mischief!?

Our Online Drawing and Painting Course is structured and progressive; we will guide you forward as you develop skills and navigate through learning to draw and paint. As Christine herself said "Learning to draw and paint has increased my appreciation of the world around me and the skills of other artists. It is completely absorbing - the BEST thing."

If you'd like to find out more about learning to draw and paint the Little Art School way visit our website at https://littleartschool.co.uk/online-art-course/ to find out more.

This beautiful painting 'To the Moon and Back' was painted in watercolour by 7 year old Chloe Mckenzie. Chloe is in our Dundonald Studio 'Little Artist Club' and this term is painting 'Storybook Characters. Her beautiful Nut Brown Hares have been drawn with real skill and Chloe has used the tricky medium of watercolour brilliantly here. Well done Chloe, we hope that you are so proud of your painting!

If you have a child who would enjoy learning to draw and paint in our self-esteem boosting classes, message or email us to book a free taster. We only have a very small number of spaces so please be patient as our lovely Michelle juggles to find the right class for your child.

15 year old Camron Leiper is on Level 3 of our Little Art School Course, this term his class is developing skills drawing and painting figures and working in watercolour. He is a brilliant young artist who follows the guides, learns the theory and then takes the initiative and adds his own flare. This little watercolour is a perfect example of Camron's work. His teacher Scarlett is really pleased with Camron's progress, as she told us "Camron has developed a fantastic personal style which reminds me of comic book illustrations. He enjoys using fine liners but this week really focused on creating details with the paint and done a great job"
We definitely agree Scarlett; we love your work Camron!

The Kiltwalk in Glasgow is taking place on 30th April this year. It's a fantastic event and we're looking to get teams walking for our wonderful children's charity, the Little Art Stars 🌟 Would your team, company or you as an individual like to join us? We'd love to welcome you and we'd be so grateful if you could continue to help us to keep using art to build self-esteem in vulnerable children in our community here in Ayrshire ❤️❤️❤️

We are looking for groups, companies and individuals to walk the Kiltwalk in Glasgow on 30th April in support of our lovely Little Art Stars Charity. Our Mission at the Little Art Stars is to provide Structured Art sessions, in a variety of settings in Ayrshire, to vulnerable primary and secondary school children between the ages of 6 and 18. We raise self-esteem and develop improved motor skills, ultimately leading to a growth in confidence and increased positivity – allowing the students to engage/reengage with family and their own school community.

Can you help us to keep reaching out to vulnerable children? Please email Michelle at [email protected] to find out more about joining the Little Art Stars Team for this year's Kiltwalk; we would LOVE to have you!

This beautiful painting of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland was painted by 11 year old Finlay Stevenson. Finlay has done a fantastic job here, his drawing is so skillful and his use of the watercolour paints is so sophisticated; wet in wet washes and lovely tonal contrast.
We'd love to know what you all think! I'm sure you'll agree that this is a stunning painting and that Finlay should be as proud of this painting as we are!

Our Foundation Classes have a handful of spaces (very few!!) in our Dundonald and Ayr Studios. To find out about booking a FREE taster art class for your child, message us or email Michelle at [email protected] or check out our website 🖌️❤️

Our Level 2 Students are learning all about Composition this term. They started by thinking about some simple composition rules and thinking about different ways to 'see like an artist'. They will also be really developing their skills working in wonderful, vibrant pastels this term; it might be a bit messy, but they are going to love the results!

This term our Foundation Course are going on a journey 'Around Britain in 9 Paintings'. The journey started, of course, in Scotland! This is 9 year old Casey Cree's beautiful watercolour painting of the Glenfinnan Monument. Isn't is wonderful? Casey has draw the scene perfectly and the used her watercolour washes to capture the Highland colours so beautifully. Well done Casey! We hope that you are so proud of your painting!

Our Level 3 students in the studio are moving on from the face to the body, developing skills in drawing and painting. This week they went over basic proportions and rediscovered watercolours which they haven’t used in a while. Teacher Scarlett led the classes through the start of the theory of figure drawing and was delighted when the students used the lesson to interpret their watercolour superheroes in individual ways. 13 year old Ava Brizell's figure is drawn brilliantly and the line work on her Batman created a wonderful dramatic effect. We hope you agree!!

If you have a teenager who loves art and would enjoy art classes where the focus is on developing skills and building self-esteem, message us or email [email protected] to book a free taster class 💕

Aren't these drawings of the face just incredible?! These are all by Norma Cullen who is now on Level 3 of our Online Drawing and Painting Course for adults. Before Christmas Norma was interviewed for a Blog Post (which you can find on our website). During the interview Norma told us that she heard about the Little Art School during the Pandemic, through a promotion online, and she thought it looked interesting. She did a little more investigation and the fact that the course was so structured, and she could go at her own pace was really appealing. Everything was explained through a step-by-step approach.

She began the Little Art School Online Course just before lockdown and found it an amazing solace throughout the pandemic. There was just so much doom and gloom around, and she couldn’t see her family as much as she would have liked, but she could lose herself for hours at her dining room table with her lessons, taking as long as she liked with each exercise, and with lots of support too.

Norma is full of praise for the Little Art School teaching style and approach, and after all these years she says she has finally had a ‘light bulb moment’ in terms of the skills that she’s learned and feeling the benefit of being immersed in art and creativity. She says, “I never ever believed I could do it, but with the clear, concise lessons and the support from Joanne and the other students, I’ve found that, actually, I can!”

Looking at these incredible drawings we think that you'll agree that Norma is doing brilliantly on our course. Watching her progress has been an absolute privilege; we're so proud of you Norma!

Find out more about our Online Drawing and Painting Course on our website ❤️