Young Artists Summer Holiday // Drawing Nature’s Kingdoms (10 - 14 years)

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Drawing Nature’s Kingdoms

In this course, we will be exploring the natural world and all things great and small. The studio room will be transformed into the kingdoms of animal, vegetable and mineral where, through drawing, we will investigate, interpret and reinvent these categories into our personal understanding and vision of the natural world. We will explore myths, magic, science and storytelling to create a beautiful book.

We will work both directly from observation and well as imaginatively as we explore how present-day contemporary artists construct worlds in painting and drawing from Toyin Ojih Odutola's uncannily familiar yet fantastical worlds to RDS alumna Mary Herbert’s evocative pastel drawings of landscapes rich in natural symbolism.

We will start our week in the animal world - looking at living creatures. We will make our own creature from clay, inventing scales, fur and skin. Drawing a menagerie of animals from each other’s creations, we will then move around the room, and create a comic strip.

Moving onto the vegetable category we will look at growth and the magical potential of plant life, from gillyweed to mandrake and mugwort. We will create collages and observational drawings of local Flora and Fauna in gardens nearby.

Becoming geologists for the day you will explore minerals using touch and feel to explore a diverse stone collection translating our tangible findings onto paper. From bubbling icelandic lava, sparkling gems to thousands of years old spiraling fossils we will draw the language of minerals. Students will construct a landscape in the studio using mixed media, charcoal, ink and paint.

Students will:

  • Use observational drawing connect science and art.
  • Develop tools to bring real-life context to an imagined idea.
  • Build critical skills for learning about heritage through investigative drawing.
  • Enjoy the freedom to make mess and play with materials in a fully equipped art studio.
  • Experiment with materials at a student's own learning pace.
  • Be ambitious in scale and size of outcomes.
  • Experience one-to-one tuition and demonstrations.
  • Develop a visual vocabulary to connect to nature and to describe the living world.
  • Meet like-minded creatives, make friends and collaborate.

Join this course if you are interested in:

  • The natural world, animals and plant life.
  • Imaginative drawing.
  • Creating worlds.
  • Myths, folklore and storytelling.
  • Figurative drawing.

Please note this course may include an out of house trip at a London museum, gallery, alternative venue or outside space.

All locations will be in zones 1 and 2 and a full schedule will be issued in advance.

Schedule subject to change.