All About Painting Art Camp (Ages 12-16)

This camp is dedicated to exploring the full range of painting possibilities using the most popular and versatile artistic media available: acrylics or oils (students may choose based on their preference), along with a dedicated watercolor introduction to round out the experience.

By the conclusion of this week-long camp, students will have developed the ability to assess and achieve desired colors through mixing, accurately represent lighting conditions, surface textures, and the proportions of objects, deepen their understanding of color theory and the fundamentals of human anatomy, and take home a substantial finished work. Morning students will complete a detailed still life; noon students will create a creative self-portrait; and full-day students will tackle both.

What this camp will teach you:

• Similarities and differences between acrylic and oil painting methods, and when each is most effective
• Color mixing strategies and expressive brushwork techniques
• Core principles of color theory, including temperature, tints, shades, and complementary relationships
• Perspective drawing, including both linear and aerial perspective
• Compositional strategies for stronger, more intentional paintings
• How to work effectively from a reference and translate it into a personal artistic vision

Detailed Daily Schedule

Day 1

• 9:00 am to 12:00 pm: Introduction to color theory covering primary and secondary colors, complementary color relationships, color temperature, tints, and shades. Students practice mixing to achieve specific target colors, then begin compositional sketches for a large still life and start the underdrawing on canvas.
• 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm: Introduction to human anatomy with proportion studies. Students joining at noon receive the color theory intro. Compositional sketches for a creative self-portrait, then begin underdrawing on a large canvas.

Day 2

• 9:00 am to 12:00 pm: Survey of pre-Impressionist and post-Impressionist approaches to still life painting. Students finalize underdrawings and begin applying paint to their still life canvas.
• 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm: Survey of pre-Impressionist and post-Impressionist portrait painting traditions. Students finalize underdrawings and begin painting their self-portrait.

Day 3

• 9:00 am to 12:00 pm: Detailed rendering of individual objects within the still life, including shading techniques. Loose, expressive painting of background elements and fabric folds.
• 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm: Detailed attention to facial features, nuanced shading across the portrait, and loose treatment of hair and background.

Day 4

• 9:00 am to 12:00 pm: Final refinements to the still life painting. Introduction to watercolor technique and materials. Students begin a final self-directed project.
• 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm: Completion of the portrait painting. Watercolor introduction for noon students. Final independent project begins.

Day 5

• 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm: Full day dedicated to completing the final self-chosen project and putting the finishing touches on all work completed during the week.