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the art room is a weekly, term time art class for creative young people aged 7 - 18, based in Linlithgow, Scotland


Each term we will explore a different theme through a range of art activities and projects, introducing new materials and techniques.

Week 7 seniors - landscape and light continuedThe senior class were also working hard to complete their two week project...
15/10/2026

Week 7 seniors - landscape and light continued

The senior class were also working hard to complete their two week project. We were building on the tonal under painting that we made last week, using it as a sort of visual map to help us understand how light or dark each area of paint needed to be in the final layer.

Everyone works at different rates, so some completed the tonal layer while other created a fully finished painting. The class frequently blow me away with what they are able to achieve and these paintings were no exception. Well done guys, super proud of you all ☺️

Week 7 juniors - make a pet from recycling part 2 This last week before October break, we finished building and then pa...
15/10/2026

Week 7 juniors - make a pet from recycling part 2

This last week before October break, we finished building and then painted our ‘junk’ pets. The kids had to be engineers as well as artists to get their creatures to stand and to make sure the whole sculpture was sound with no wobbly limbs etc.

It was so great to see how the initial plans made in our sketchbooks, turned into wonderful 3D creatures. We worked super hard but not everyone quite finished painting and the rest were still wet at the end of the class, so the pets will be living at the studio over the break. I know the kids are really excited about bringing them home once we start back after the break.

Week 6 seniors - landscape and lightThe seniors dug deeper into landscape this week, starting a two week project explori...
07/10/2026

Week 6 seniors - landscape and light

The seniors dug deeper into landscape this week, starting a two week project exploring how light and tone can be used to create drama in a painting.

We looked at several artists who use light in different ways before warming up, first sketching the reference with a pen in both hands. This was followed by a pencil study to explore shape and finally a charcoal sketch to really notice the areas of dark tone in the reference.

Then we moved onto painting. Working in acrylic, I asked everyone to use just three tones - a light, a mid and a dark. They could experiment with colour but the tone had to be consistent to the three tones. This really encourages bold decision making and creates drama in the piece. We will finish the tonal under painting next week before completing the painting in naturalist colours.

Week 6 juniors - make a pet from recycling The juniors began a two week project that followed on from our Andy Warhol d...
07/10/2026

Week 6 juniors - make a pet from recycling

The juniors began a two week project that followed on from our Andy Warhol dogs. I have been collecting various cardboard and paper over a few weeks and these were the materials we used to create our pets.

We began by looking at artists who have made animal sculptures, in particular Jane Ackroyd’s cat sculpture made from scrap metal.

Then we worked in sketchbooks drawing out our animals. The kids could choose their own pet, an animal or make an imaginary creature. Once they had drawn their pet, I asked them to look at the materials and create a design to help them when they began building.

Then we set to work. Lots of challenges from how to get your pet to stand to making sure your materials are well constructed and sturdy but everyone made good progress. We will finish building and then paint our pets next week.

Week 5 seniors - How can a line describe a landscape?We have moved on from looking at how different artists tackle still...
30/09/2026

Week 5 seniors - How can a line describe a landscape?

We have moved on from looking at how different artists tackle still life by bringing the same curiosity to landscape. This week the focus was how different artists use line and to keep the session fun and light, rather than asking the students to draw with pencils, I asked them to ‘draw’ with tape and string/wool. The point of this was to encourage them to notice line in their reference landscape photo and the different ways they might use it, from the large forms down to creating the texture of rocks, water etc.

We warmed up with a think piece that of wire which I asked them to shape into a tree. Then I gave them a piece of wool and asked them to try and ‘draw’ a landscape with it. We got some fun results!

Next, everyone chose two references and made a couple of thumbnail drawings in their sketchbooks in order to decide which one they planned to work from. Once they were ready, they began ‘drawing’. As well as tape and string, they were encouraged to use colour and pen to create line on the tape, the drawing itself or on paper that they could collage on.

As ever, there was a lot of concentrated work and we didn’t manage to finish but these are shaping up beautifully. Hopefully we will have a chance to circle back before the end of term. Great work.

Week 5 juniors - Andy Warhol and funky dogsThis session was an opportunity to look at a less well known Andy Warhol prin...
30/09/2026

Week 5 juniors - Andy Warhol and funky dogs

This session was an opportunity to look at a less well known Andy Warhol print called ‘Portrait of Maurice’ and to use it as our jumping off point for a session on colour and drawing dogs.

We began by discussing the artist and the print. I asked the children to think about why he might have chosen to use bright colours and whether it felt different from if the colour had been realistic.

Next we spent time in our sketchbooks. Firstly, working out how to draw a sausage dog by starting with a simple sausage shape. Once everyone was confident, we tried running and sitting dogs. Finally we worked step by step to draw a dachshund head, looking at the different shapes that made up the Warhol version.

Then it was time to move into blue paper to create the final pieces. We were working in soft pastel and I encouraged everyone to think about what personality their dog had and how they might choose colours to represent that.

We finished off by returning to our tree paintings from last week and everyone was able to complete their painting with wonderful, colourful results. Great job everyone 🙂

Week 4 seniors - Pattern and shapeThe seniors came back to their still lifes again, but from a completely different pers...
16/09/2026

Week 4 seniors - Pattern and shape

The seniors came back to their still lifes again, but from a completely different perspective. This week we were looking at the idea of allowing the objects we were drawing to become flat areas of pattern and shape. We looked at artists who work this way and talked about how they were not concerned with strict realism and were playful with colour, pattern and shape.

We began in sketchbooks, focusing on a single object and drawing multiple quick thumbnails to get a sense of how each student wanted to work. Next they used their viewfinder to think about the composition. I explained that we didn’t want to just repeat what we had painted last session.

These were primarily drawings and the kids had access to multiple thicknesses of pens, as well as drawing inks and liquid watercolours. I encouraged them to work boldly and to go back in with the pens over the ink where they wanted to add more pattern or focus. Several of the kids really enjoyed working this way and it was lovely to see the different approaches and styles.

Week 4 juniors - Friedensreich Hundertwasser and Magical TreesThis week we looked at the work of Austrian artist Frieden...
16/09/2026

Week 4 juniors - Friedensreich Hundertwasser and Magical Trees

This week we looked at the work of Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, known for his love of nature and colourful, playful paintings. We looked at examples of his work and discussed the repeated motifs like teardrops, spirals etc. I explained that Hundertwasser thought that trees had personalities and he wanted to capture them and we were going to try and do the same.

First we played with spirals, working on black paper with soft pastels, thinking about blending and pattern. Then we began our tree paintings. The kids could focus on a single large tree or draw several. Once they had sketched their trees, they added motifs like Hundertwasser before using black sharpies to make the drawing stand out. Next they used oil pastels to colour small areas before using liquid watercolours to paint them. We didn’t quite get finished, so these are still work in progress and we will come back to them next time.

Week 3 seniors - colour as expression We followed in from our charcoal still life drawings from last week with a session...
02/09/2026

Week 3 seniors - colour as expression

We followed in from our charcoal still life drawings from last week with a session exploring how different artists use colour for different purposes. Some want to express emotions, some enjoy bright colours etc. There is really no right or wrong, it’s the artist’s choice.

With this in mind, we returned to our still lifes, this time as a photo and I encouraged everyone to experiment with how they could build on what they had achieved in the last session by thinking about how they would add colour.

We spent some time working out the composition and then they dived into painting. It was lovely to see the different styles and colour choices. Really lovely work everyone.

Week 3 juniors - paint like a cavemanThis week was a fun session exploring the origins of art making. We looked at cave ...
02/09/2026

Week 3 juniors - paint like a caveman

This week was a fun session exploring the origins of art making. We looked at cave art and talked about how our ancestors would have used charred sticks to draw and would have mixed their own paint from berries, powdered rock etc.

We began our explorations with charcoal and simple marks and hand prints before mixing water into charcoal and chalk powder and using sticks and feathers to paint. I encouraged the children to try making simple animals and figures.

After the break we added colour by mixing water into powdered spices and worked on a rough cardboard surface. Everyone set about created their own cave scene.

The kids really enjoyed the idea of mixing their own paints and working without modern paint brushes and we ended the session with lots of beautiful, expressive cave style paintings.

Address

Maisie Gray, Unit 3 Braehead Business Units
Linlithgow
EH496EP

Opening Hours

Monday 3:30pm - 5:30pm
Tuesday 3:45pm - 5:45pm

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