Dragon, Monster and Magical Creature Drawing Club

In this ongoing class we create a new imaginary creature each week. The class is ideal for children who love to draw and use their imagination. Each class provides a creative framework for your child to explore the world around them - and to develop graphic ways of representing imaginary concepts. 

Note: this is NOT a "draw along with the teacher" or step-by-step - class! This class is best suited for imaginative children who love to develop their own concepts and like to draw their own creations.

Through the activity of studying a variety of geographical habitats, your child learns to solve problems through their drawing and to present solutions thoughtfully. For instance we will think about how a dragon living in the frosty mountains would be adapted to this cold environment and how it would be different to a creature living in the desert. We will practice ways to draw imagined concepts and learn how to deepen our thinking process based on ecosystems and biomes. 

Learners get to share their ideas with others who also love fantasy, myths, magic and history. Everyone has the opportunity to invent stories about their creatures, either through sketching or writing. The class is an ideal character-development place for story-writers or game developers as well as for those who simply love drawing monsters. 

Class Structure
At the beginning I introduce a geographical or topical theme and we will talk as a group about the impact this environment or concept would have on a fantasy creature. This is a great way for students to draw on what they know about the world, and think about practical implications of habitats. Then I show slides of example creature concepts to further stimulate the imagination. Everyone will design their own monster and how it lives. Many will develop fascinating characters and backstories. While everyone is drawing, I provide individual suggestions on how to best represent an idea visually and conceptually, for example through scale or colour.  At the end of the class everyone will get a chance to present their finished sketch, if they want to.

There are 25 classes and then we will will loop back to 1 again so that no matter where you start you have an opportunity to complete all environments - or come back to your favourite ones again and again! 
The Monsters we draw are based on these geographical habitats:
1. Volcano
2.  Oceans
3. Temperate Forest
4. Desert
5. Alien Planet
6. Ice and Tundra
7. Swamp
8. Underground Caves
9. Robotics Lab
10. Rainforest

Learners are encouraged to develop the life cycle of their creature, describe its nest and what it eats, as well as explain its natural strengths and weaknesses. Some children note down interesting storylines they come up with during the process of drawing and end up writing wonderful stories for each of the creatures they draw!