Among summer camp team building activities in the Bay Area for young artists, this five session sketching and painting camp in a Castro Valley studio stands out for its focus on real fundamentals. Kids ages 7 to 17 learn still life, landscape and painting technique step by step with a professional artist, in a small group of up to four students.
The camp is priced at $375 per student for five sessions of three hours each, 15 hours in total, for groups of 2 to 4 students. All art supplies for every project are included. After the first session, the remaining sessions can be arranged with the teacher at times that suit your family.
What's Included
- Five three hour sessions with a professional artist
- All art supplies
Among summer camp team building activities in the Bay Area for young artists, this five session sketching and painting camp in a Castro Valley studio stands out for its focus on real fundamentals. Kids ages 7 to 17 learn still life, landscape and painting technique step by step with a professional artist, in a small group of up to four students.
The camp is priced at $375 per student for five sessions of three hours each, 15 hours in total, for groups of 2 to 4 students. All art supplies for every project are included. After the first session, the remaining sessions can be arranged with the teacher at times that suit your family.
What's Included
- Five three hour sessions with a professional artist
- All art supplies for all projects
- Still life, landscape and painting instruction
- Painting on canvas boards, wood and ceramics
- Finished drawings and paintings to take home
How the Drawing Lessons Work
As early as 7 years of age, students can start learning how to construct simple shapes, and from there they can draw anything they choose: stick figures, animals, scenery and much more. Lessons begin with quick sketches, which help students think quickly and focus on simple shapes, long lines and construction. Once that habit is in place, the rendering of form follows.
What Students Will Learn
- Still life: dimensional shapes from reference, simplified values, composition and layout, core shadows, cast shadows and line quality
- Landscape: small compositional studies called comps, gradations, tones and perspective
- Painting: organizing the color wheel on the palette and mixing a tint and a shade of each color
- Technique: a step-by-step approach to the classic masters technique, guided by a professional artist
Why the Small Group Matters
With no more than four students, every camper gets close attention at the easel, which makes the camp a strong choice among summer team building activities for siblings or a few friends who want to learn together. It fits team building activities for small groups of students, and as team building activities for youth camp go, it is one of the more creative team building activities because students build skills side by side and share their progress at each session.
Landscape lessons begin with reference and small renderings, so students learn to plan before they paint, and painting lessons begin with values, color theory and composition. The aim is a step-by-step technique that makes the finished artwork look like it was done by a pro.
About Your Instructor
The women-owned studio was founded in 2007 by a professional artist who has owned and operated two art schools in California and has been introducing children and adults to art for more than 25 years. She is a fine artist, commercial artist, illustrator, instructor and graphic designer whose industry experience includes major film and entertainment studios, along with work in apparel, book publishing, toy design, advertising and marketing. She teaches students of all ages the industry-standard fundamentals of drawing and painting, and her studio also hosts art parties, art socials and corporate team building events.
Her training includes studies in illustration, fashion design and fine art, as well as layout design in animation and graphic design. She developed a graphic arts department at a California trade college, has taught for a regional art league, currently teaches art in a local school district and offers homeschool art programs in groups or private sessions.
Flexible Scheduling and Extra Time
After the first session, families arrange the remaining sessions with the teacher at a time that suits them, which makes it easy to fit the camp around summer plans. Extra time can be added at $20 per hour. Free parking is available behind the building.
Good to Know
- Suitable for kids 7 and up, and for adults; adult accompaniment is not required
- No prior experience needed
- Students should wear clothes they can paint in
- Groups range from 2 to 4 students
Plan Your Sketching and Painting Camp
Share your preferred start date and the number of students to check availability. At $375 per student for 15 hours of instruction with all supplies included, it is a focused way for young artists to build real drawing and painting skills. The exact studio address is shared once your dates are confirmed.
