Courses are taught in English with a CEFR level of A2. ESL Friendly

Studio CIA (Niki McNeil) provides Creativity, Imagination and Art Classes for School Aged Kids. We have a passion for keeping kids creative, happy and healthy through the arts. You will not find any paint this color here or make your picture look like this in our classes. Instead, we encourage and empower kids to use their own unique style and imagination to create their masterpiece. Kids thrive in this type of environment as all other school subjects and much of life is about doing things in just such a way, leaving little opportunity for self-connection or self-expression. At Studio CIA Kids embrace their inner artist through imaginative exploration. 


 Please note: Because children develop at different rates and a one size fits all approach is not always ideal, I offer this class in a variety of age ranges with overlap (ex. ages 6-10 and 8-12) allowing you to choose the ideal classroom environment for your student. 

Part social, part project based, and all fun! Drawing growth/ability comes from repetition. By breaking complex art into simple shapes any student can find joy in art.  A safe space to make friends while exploring creativity. In my classes we create art, we do not recreate my art. Students are encouraged to take creative liberties, make each project their own and celebrated for their imagination!

This class is offered in multiple age ranges as well as ongoing or a 10 week session for students who have anxiety over meeting new classmates, please check out my class listings to find the age range most comfortable for your student.
          
This class is for students 6-10 years old. Each week we will gather for a fun drawing or art journaling project. We are our own worst critics. My goal is to help us take our own art less seriously while also taking art in general more seriously. Students will learn that growth in a subject matter such as art comes from repetition and breaking larger more complex drawings into simple shapes. My goal is always to increase student’s confidence levels, help them see mistakes happen and can actually be good sometimes, and that art is a great relaxation activity. After just a few short weeks parents often notice a surprising increase in their student’s art confidence level. 

I recently had a 9 year old student say, "That is cool but looks hard! I wouldn't be surprised to find it easy though! All the art we have made so far has looked hard, but it was actually not hard and fun!" This is 100% my goal. I want to teach my students techniques and drawings that appear hard but are easy enough for them to find success.

My passion and excitement about art comes out in my teaching. And I love seeing and hearing the kids get excited about their art. My classes are set up in a way that there are natural social interactions as we trace over our finished piece in black marker or as we work on coloring our masterpiece. I have found even shy or quiet students share in this no pressure environment. 

It is my hope that students will relate to each other through their art and realize that even though we are each unique, being different is ok, in fact being different is awesome! Students will learn to encourage each other through the struggles of the daily life while growing as individuals. They will learn to express their feelings through line and color as well as other art techniques depending on the week attended.

For examples of the types of drawings we will be doing in this class please see the teacher profile where a link to my student’s art portfolio is provided. If you have a student who typically feels they “can’t draw” this is the perfect class for them. I have been working with students who do not see themselves as artists for the last 7 years and have had these same students who were forced to attend the class the first session, beg to continue on, many I’ve had in class for 4+ years. This is not a draw this in this exact way, which is what helps these students be successful. The goal for me is to have no students works of art be identical, I encourage them to change things up and follow their gut.




Please Note:
I recommend using the biggest screen you have possible as I teach using a combination of slides and live directed drawing so kids can see both the end goal and the process of getting there.

To get an idea of the types of projects we'll be doing in this  and my other classes check out my student portfolio: https://www.eclecticallymeniki.com/student-art-journaling-examples