Kids kept cool and creative over summer at the Belgrave Library with the help of a locally based artist and educator in some fun holiday art workshops.
From comic book heroes to pets and more, kids popped into the library for some free classes with graphic artist Tony Midson held a number of times over the January school holidays.
Tony said that teaching is a passion for him.
“The more I teach, the more I continue to learn and grow as an artist myself,” he said.
The popular classes are held over the holidays and Tony said they are quite popular with the seven to 12 year old cohort, but teens were sometimes a bit harder to crack.
“I tapped into the teens by addressing parents directly on local Facebook,” he said.
The workshops can go well beyond casual drawing, and Tony said that they can give them a head start if they are heading into tertiary-level arts.
“It can be just a taste of what the industry’s like and what’s expected,” he said.
Helping develop confidence, creativity and real-world artistic skills through the workshops, some of the kids come back every summer for them.
“The kids’ classes fill up very quickly,” he said. “They’re curious, experimental and willing to give anything a go – and they’re endlessly entertaining.”
Beyond technical skills, Tony said, particularly for teens, young artists can be highly self-critical.
“Creative kids are often very hard on themselves,” he said.
“So a big part of my role is helping them understand that feeling stuck is normal – and teaching them how to step back, problem-solve and keep going.”
“I love teaching the young kids, because they just crack me up – they’re so funny.”
Tony’s own artistic background is rooted in comic book-style illustration, with a strong focus on character design and storytelling.
Some of the less shy kids stayed back to show Star Mail some of their drawings, and they said they had a great time at the drawing workshop.
