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Wed Nov 04 2026 at 04:00 pm to 06:00 pm UTC-05:00

Afterschool Art Class (Nov and Dec): Painting (Middle Grades)

  • Hickory Museum of Art · Hickory
Hickory Museum of Art Publisher / Host Hickory Museum of Art
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Afterschool Art Class (Nov and Dec): Painting (Middle Grades)
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November 4th, 11th, 18th, and December 2nd, 9th, and 16th - 4-6pm
$150 | $125 Members
Paint, Play & Create: A 6-Week Painting Adventure
Over the course of six weeks, students will jump into a colorful painting adventure where they can experiment, discover, and build confidence as young artists. Through watercolor, tempera, and acrylic painting, students will explore color mixing, brush techniques, texture, layering, pattern, and composition while creating their own unique works of art. Each week introduces new materials and techniques, encouraging students to try something new, make creative choices, and discover that there is more than one way to make a great painting.
Most importantly, this class is about giving children the freedom to explore their imagination and express their ideas through art. Students will learn to trust their creative instincts, solve artistic problems, and take pride in their individual choices. By the end of the six weeks, each student will have created a collection of original paintings while developing new skills, greater confidence, and an understanding that mistakes and experimentation are an important part of the creative process.
Week 1 – Watercolor Wonderlands
Introduce watercolor basics: loading the brush, water-to-paint ratios, wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, and color mixing. Students create an imaginative landscape—perhaps a magical forest, outer space, underwater world, or fantasy place.
Week 2 – Underwater Worlds
Explore transparent layers and blending. Students create colorful underwater scenes with fish, coral, sea plants, bubbles, and other creatures. This gives them a chance to experiment with watercolor without worrying about making things "realistic."
Week 3 – Colorful Creatures
Move into tempera paint. Introduce primary/secondary colors and mixing. Students invent an animal by combining different shapes and features, then paint it with bold colors.
Week 4 – Painted Garden
Explore texture and mark-making. Students experiment with different brushes and unconventional tools—sponges, cotton swabs, cardboard, fingers, etc.—to create flowers and plants. They can build an entire imaginary garden.
Week 5 – Mini Masterpieces
Introduce acrylic paint and the idea of working in layers. Students paint a simple still life or landscape. This is a good week to talk about foreground, middle ground, and background in an age-appropriate way.
Week 6 – Self Portrait
In this class, students will explore the art of self-portraiture while discovering how artists can use color, expression, and visual details to tell a story about themselves. Students will learn basic portrait proportions and techniques for observing facial features, shapes, light, and shadow. They will create a self-portrait that captures not only what they look like, but also something about who they are.
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Hickory Museum of Art, 243 3rd Ave NE, Hickory, NC 28601-5151, United States

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