Summer Camps

This course offers an introduction to drawing as an exciting means of expression through writing, discussion, sketchbooks, and individual and group projects. Students explore a variety of drawing techniques and approaches, including essential elements of 2D design and art, as they develop an understanding of line, shape, shading, and light. Visit the Art Institute of Chicago to gain inspiration from a wide variety of paintings, sculptures, and objects. This course is designed for beginning students as well as those who want to continue developing their skills and confidence in drawing, and can be repeated for continued skill and idea building.

This course is designed for students who wish to use both digital and traditional/analog media to create moving images. Students learn animation principles while discovering many different techniques, including stop-motion, frame-by-frame, and more. Digital tools may be used in conjunction with sketchbook work and traditional processes to reflect contemporary artistic hybrid methods. This course can be repeated for continued skill building.

This course offers an introduction to drawing as an exciting means of expression through writing, discussion, sketchbooks, and individual and group projects. Students explore a variety of drawing techniques and approaches, including essential elements of 2D design and art, as they develop an understanding of line, shape, shading, and light. Visit the Art Institute of Chicago to gain inspiration from a wide variety of paintings, sculptures, and objects. This course is designed for beginning students as well as those who want to continue developing their skills and confidence in drawing, and can be repeated for continued skill and idea building.

This advanced course is for students who have taken the Middle School Program Drawing Studio class or have previous drawing experience and want to explore a wide range of materials and processes to expand their work in new directions. While continuing to build on technical skills, students will focus on drawing as a tool for organizing thoughts, feelings, and sharing their ideas. Students will work with a wide range of materials including pencil, charcoal, pastel, ink, and mixed media. Digital drawing using Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator and tablets may also be used. Students visit the Art Institute of Chicago to observe and sketch from a vast collection of paintings, sculptures, and objects that are used as inspiration for studio work.

This course introduces young designers to fashion with an emphasis on discovering their own style while learning the technical skills that allow them to take their designs from concept to reality. Activities guide students through the process of developing original ideas, finding inspiration for fashion in the world around them, and responding to the work of other artists and designers. Students also explore sculptural draping by using paper to create exciting experimental garments on the dress form. As their designs develop, technical skills are introduced, including printing, embroidery, draping, and machine sewing. Visits to the Art Institute of Chicago and the Flaxman Library provide inspiration and supplement the studio experience. Each student creates a complete garment by the end of the course. Lessons/projects change each semester so students may enroll in this course multiple times.

This course guides students through the process of bringing illustrations to the next level by creating unique comics and graphic novels. Emphasis is placed on storytelling, introducing students to character development, plot structure, scripting, and storyboarding. Skills in pencilling, inking, coloring, space, and perspective are introduced through the use of a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional media, which may include colored pencils, oil pastels, watercolors, digitally edited drawings, and/or handmade zines. Artist presentations, trips to the Art Institute of Chicago, and visits to downtown Chicago's vast array of public art provide inspiration and drawing practice as an entry into the basics of comic narrative and stylization. *Basic drawing skills are helpful, but not required.

This course guides students through the process of bringing illustrations to the next level by creating unique comics and graphic novels. Emphasis is placed on storytelling, introducing students to character development, plot structure, scripting, and storyboarding. Skills in pencilling, inking, coloring, space, and perspective are introduced through the use of a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional media, which may include colored pencils, oil pastels, watercolors, digitally edited drawings, and/or handmade zines. Artist presentations, trips to the Art Institute of Chicago, and visits to downtown Chicago's vast array of public art provide inspiration and drawing practice as an entry into the basics of comic narrative and stylization. *Basic drawing skills are helpful, but not required.