Karen Symons Art

🐠 We dove into an underwater adventure at kids’ art classes this week. The children created colourful octopuses, turtles, seahorses and tropical fish, each filled with wonderful personality and imagination. I absolutely love how every young artist made their underwater world uniquely their own. Aren’t they fantastic? 🐙🐢🎨

Ethan Tapley is one of my teen students who loves drawing. He completed this last night Libby Tapley

This week our young artists explored tonal drawing, learning how different pencils can create a wonderful range of lights and darks 🖼️✏️✍️🌓💡

They experimented with blending sticks (tortillon), studied where the light was coming from, and learned how highlights and shadows help make simple shapes and everyday objects look three-dimensional.

Completed art by some of my teen students

I recently wrote that “Everybody is a better artist than you.”
What I meant was that every artist knows something you don’t. But I’ve been thinking about the other side of that…
You know something they don’t, too.

It’s so easy to look at another artist and think, I wish I could paint like that. I do it too. But while you’re admiring their work, someone else may be looking at yours and wondering how you did that brushstroke, mixed that colour, or had the courage to paint over something that wasn’t working.
We sometimes forget how much we’ve learned along the way.
So share it.
Tell someone what worked for you. Share your mistakes too. Encourage another artist when they’re struggling. And when someone creates something beautiful, celebrate them.

There really is room for all of us.
Some days I’m the student. Some days I’m the teacher. And most days, I think I’m probably a bit of both. That’s what I love about being part of a creative community.
We don’t become better artists by trying to be better than each other. We become better artists because of each other.

Purr-fection in progress👩‍🎨
These gorgeous feline masterpieces were painted by my talented young artists this week. Every cat has its own personality, and every painting tells a story. I couldn’t be prouder of these creative kids

Mylie painted this adorable donkey, and I just love it 👏
She has such a natural gift for painting animals and they seem to come so effortlessly to her. Every brushstroke captures their personality and charm.
Sonya Burkhead