The Blue Dog

"The Blue Dog"

E had his first real art class yesterday at The Drawing Room in Midland Park. Yes, he did a trial class last winter but he wasn't enrolled. He left that day asking when he can come back but I just couldn't add another activity then. I made the mental note then that I had to find time and money for it come September. I moved some stuff around and we took the Monday "Art Experience" class by storm. We were both really excited for him to begin. He loves drawing and can do it for hours. I'm just not that into painting in the house because I'm just not that into the clean up. So best it be done in the proper workspace.

This class is no joke. It's two hours. If you're under seven years old, there is an hour and a half option within the "Art Experience" umbrella. There is also a "Budding Artists" class which is for 4-6 year olds which is also an hour and a half. An hour long Mommy & Me class goes on in another room during the Art Experience class too, so there are many options. I saw one mom drop her son off in the Art Experience while she went next door with his little sister to do a Mommy & Me. It's obviously very convenient in that way if you have more than one child. I know that sometimes it's hard to coordinate extra-curricular activities because you can't be all places with all kids at one time. But this way, there is the possibility you can all take the age appropriate class at the same time.

In this time slot, it's a big class. Big in a good way. It's really nice to see so many kids really interested and engaged in making beautiful art. There are approximately fourteen kids in this time slot. Ages range from five to eleven years old. I sat and watched for an hour and it seemed like most of the kids were around age seven or eight. I think E was the youngest and there were three girls that seemed like they might be nine to eleven years old. They were of all abilities, yet it all seemed to work. It was interesting- in this particular time slot it was mostly girls in the class. The last time I came with E, it was almost all boys and only one girl. I think it's probably a good mix overall.

Ms. Nancy was teaching the class. She gave them a lesson, showing them how to draw a blue dog. There were pictures of this blue dog in different scenes pinned up around the room for inspiration. Ms. Nancy showed them how she drew her blue dog. She talked about how to use the whole paper and how to come up with an activity or scenario for the dog to be in. Then started to paint it. They all watched patiently, interested and quietly. The kids got to see her draw and then were sent back to their seats to draw their own. I didn't know how E would do. He was given loose direction then had to interpret that direction into his own dog and scenario.

Ms. Christine went around to help any of the kids who needed help. For instance, E wasn't using the whole paper at first. She showed him how to utilize the whole paper to make his dog and whatever his dog was going to be doing. So in "artist terms" they learned composition and used tempera paint to create their dog and it's story. It was very interesting and E did great. The best part is he loved doing it. He was super absorbed into what he was doing and he said the two hours flew by. You might not think a five and a half year old boy could sit for a two hour art class. But if it's the right class, doing something really cool that they enjoy, it's worth a shot! We both thought he did a really great job.

Check out The Drawing Room for classes, schedules, and fun events! Also, like their Facebook page!
http://drawingroomllc.com
www.facebook.com/drawingroomllc

Finished product!