ArtZone Presents: The Basics of Sketching for Kids Workshop

Ages: 8-12

Cost: $80 for 4 x sessions ($20 each session)

Dates and Times: 4:00 to 4:45pm, Mondays (Feb. 24, March 3, 10, 17)

Location: Sun Peaks Centre Boardroom

Materials Needed:
- an HB pencil

- a shading pencil (6B or 8B) is great.

- an eraser

- a sketchbook. (9x12 inches or slightly bigger preferred)

Instructor: ArtZone member Peggy Leduc

Course overview:

This is a 4 session workshop that teaches kids the basics of sketching as a fun activity, a way to

help us look at the world around us, and a hobby for life. In the sessions we will discuss the

whys and the hows of sketching and increase our skill and confidence as we learn the

cornerstones of sketching: line, shape, shading and perspective. In the final session we will be

able to bring it all together to work on a still life composition. Participants will be encouraged to

sketch what they love in our “homesketch” at-home assignments and share their sketches, and

experiences, with the group.

Session 1: Introduction to sketching

● Introductions and Introductory discussion on what the workshop is for, the materials we

will use and what we will be doing

● Topic 1: The magic of lines - exploring different types of lines that will help us to get

vibrant, lively sketches (including demonstration)

● Topic 2: Shapes that help - exploring how the things we draw can be broken down into

shapes to make sketching easier

● Exercise - using the lessons learned to do our first sketch as a class

● “Homesketches” - kids will be invited to use the lessons from this session to do a little

sketch at home and to bring it to share for the next session

Session 2: “Shading - filling it out and making it real”

● Share our “homesketches” (optional)

● Topic 1: Shading - using shading to help express texture, light and dark, shape, volume

● Exercise - using the lesson above, we will sketch a choice of objects using shading

● “Homesketches” - kids will be invited to use the lessons from this session to do a little

sketch at home and to bring it to share for the next session

Session 3: Exploring Perspective

● Share our “homesketches (optional)

● Discussion and demonstration: what is perspective?

● Exercise - use some of the methods we have learned, and items brought by participants

and the instructor to sketch a composition that expresses distance, direction, viewpoint

Session 4: Sketching what you see

● Share our “homesketches (optional)

● Tips for “drawing what you see”

● Exercise - Participants get their choice of still life single objects or groups to build a

composition and do a more in-depth sketch

● Workshop wrap up