The art room

The art room Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The art room, Art school, Maisie Gray, Unit 3 Braehead Business Units, Linlithgow.

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 2 seniors - simplify We began our investigations into how artists see the world by looking at how four different ar...
26/08/2026

Week 2 seniors - simplify

We began our investigations into how artists see the world by looking at how four different artists approached still life. We talked about how some artists choose to focus on single objects, or choose muted colours, or flat shapes but that they all find ways to simplify the objects to draw them. This is a really helpful tool for drawing.

I had asked everyone to bring an object that meant something to them to add to a still life and we began first with a warm up in sketchbooks before creating a longer sketch focused on the simple mass and shape of the objects. We used these to help us to create a longer more detailed drawing after the break. We ended the class with lots of lovely, well observed drawings.

Week 2 juniors - can a line become a whole city?This week we looked at the artwork of Lancelot Ribeiro to help us explor...
26/08/2026

Week 2 juniors - can a line become a whole city?

This week we looked at the artwork of Lancelot Ribeiro to help us explore simple perspective and how to create 3d drawings.

We warmed up with a fun exercise where the kids had to draw a street on a long strip of paper without taking the pen off the paper. Everyone had the chance to suggest buildings to add to our imaginary high street.

After that we had a look at Ribeiro’s paintings of cityscapes before learning how to draw a building using perspective. To do this we folded our paper in half to create a horizon and a vanishing point and used that the help us draw the side of the building.

After the break, we investigated the idea of turning simple lines into 3d buildings by using cardboard strips in order to create prints of a city. Once dry, the prints were finished with coloured pencil. Fantastic work everyone!

Week 1 seniors - sketchbook personalisation This term the seniors will be exploring how artists look at the world but we...
19/08/2026

Week 1 seniors - sketchbook personalisation

This term the seniors will be exploring how artists look at the world but we started off by taking time to make sure our sketchbooks began reflecting the individual young artists who will be using them right from the first class.

I spent a bit of time talking about how it’s easy to see a sketchbook as something to keep very neat and to feel pressure to only have perfect drawings in it but that actually it is better to think of it more like an extension of themselves - a space to play, experiment and collect ideas.

To start this process off, the kids spent time decorating the cover in a way that they felt said something about who they are.

I had also brought reference page of artworks, colour swatches, proportion guides etc and after the break, I encouraged the kids to choose the colours and images that they liked and to create a couple of pages using them. This starts them thinking about their own individual creativity and what influences it. We will explore this more as the term progresses.

Week 1 juniors - chicken geometry Our first week back after the summer holidays and we began our new theme of nature and...
19/08/2026

Week 1 juniors - chicken geometry

Our first week back after the summer holidays and we began our new theme of nature and the environment by looking at chickens.

I explained to the kids that artists often learn to draw things they see by turning them into simple shapes first. We all looked at a photocopy of a chicken and I encouraged the children to notice how it was made up of simple geometric shapes. I demonstrated how to draw over the image and the kids did the same.

Next we had a go at drawing the chicken first by drawing the shapes and then using that to help draw the actual chicken.

After that we looked at the cubist drawings and paintings of Picasso and I explained that some artists prefer using the shapes they see instead of creating a realistic and both can be interesting.

After the break, using Picasso as our inspiration, we created cubist style colourful chickens.

Week 9 seniors - Joseph Cornell boxes continued We spent the last class of the term, first finessing the inside of the b...
24/06/2026

Week 9 seniors - Joseph Cornell boxes continued

We spent the last class of the term, first finessing the inside of the boxes and then working on the outside.

As we began working, I asked the kids to think about editing and adjusting what they had done in the previous session. And suggested how they could use colour to add emphasis and focus.

Once everyone was happy with their interior, they moved onto the outside. There was the option to paint the box or to age it. The aging process began by using washes of brown acrylic paint to stain the pale wood before sanding it, to create a worn feel and finally applying clear show polish and buffing the surface the create a sheen.

The class especially enjoyed this project and it was lovely to see how proud they felt about the result. And they have every right to feel proud, as the results are stunning.

A brilliant way to end a successful term and a successful year. Enjoy the holidays everyone 😀

Week 9 juniors - term round upFor our last session of the term, I invited the children to create their own artwork inspi...
24/06/2026

Week 9 juniors - term round up

For our last session of the term, I invited the children to create their own artwork inspired by our theme of growth and by all the projects we had explored this term. I had brought images of all our various projects as a visual prompt and we chatted about the different ways we had explored growth.

I asked the kids to think about some ideas for their picture. I had laid out oil and soft pastels, collage materials and charcoal and the children were free to work with whichever materials they liked. We had great suggestions about things that grow, some conventional and some very imaginative! They set to work and everyone produced a unique creation.

After the break, we had a little art party. The children were free to paint whatever they wanted or they could choose from some projects I had brought along.

The class is taking a break now for the summer. It has been a great term and a great year for the class. So proud of you all 🙂
Wishing the children and their families a wonderful summer break.

Week 8 seniors - Joseph Cornell artist boxesFor our last project this term, I introduced the class to American artist, J...
17/06/2026

Week 8 seniors - Joseph Cornell artist boxes

For our last project this term, I introduced the class to American artist, Joseph Cornell, a former 20th century travelling salesman whose curated boxes of everyday objects have become valued artworks.

We began by talking a little about the artist and how he came to build these mini worlds and the thinking process behind them.

There was the option to begin with sketching or to dive right in and work out the design and the theme as they went along. I encouraged them to begin at the back of the box and work towards the front and to try to create different layers in order to add depth. These are already taking shape. We will add the final design elements next week and then focus on distressing and aging the outside of the box.

My apologies, I missed one of the boxes when I was taking the photos.

Week 8 juniors - Giuseppe Arcimboldo and fruit and vegetable portraits continued This week we brought together all the w...
17/06/2026

Week 8 juniors - Giuseppe Arcimboldo and fruit and vegetable portraits continued

This week we brought together all the wonderful fruit and veg drawings and paintings we made last week, along with some printed sheets I had brought from home and used them to create our portraits.

Before we began, we spent time in our sketchbooks, looking at where the features are on the face so that we were feeling confident about placement once we began our collages.

I got the kids to cut all the pieces and arrange them first before they began gluing them in place. The collages were completed by using oil pastels to add emphasis and detail. They look fab! Well done everyone 😀

Week 7 seniors - Paula Rego cont and mapping our worldIt was a quiet class with several members away at school camp but ...
10/06/2026

Week 7 seniors - Paula Rego cont and mapping our world

It was a quiet class with several members away at school camp but the rest of the class worked at completing their Paula Rego portraits. Not everyone managed to finished and it’s a real shame we won’t have the chance to revisit this before the end of term. This has been a really rewarding project and there has been real growth from all the artists.

Those who did finish began a personal ink map after looking at Grayson Perry’s maps. We will revisit these next term with the whole class.

Week 7 juniors - Giuseppe Arcimboldo and fruit and vegetable portraits We began a two week project taking our inspirati...
10/06/2026

Week 7 juniors - Giuseppe Arcimboldo and fruit and vegetable portraits

We began a two week project taking our inspiration from Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who is most remembered for his clever portraits using fruit and vegetables. We will be creating our own portraits in collage next week but this session was the chance to try out drawing and painting lots of different fruit and veg in multiple media.

I had brought a selection of fruit and veg with me plus some reference photos and we spent the session exploring soft pastel, oil pastel and finally paint. As usually when drawing from life, I encouraged everyone to really look closely and try and capture the details of the fruit/veg they were working from.

We ended up with multiple collage sheets that we will use next week to create our portraits.

Address

Maisie Gray, Unit 3 Braehead Business Units
Linlithgow
EH496EP

Opening Hours

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

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The art room posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category