Looking for creative ways to draw your child’s attention away from screen time? Dubai-based arts centre Tashkeel has you covered with ocean-themed summer workshops that teach kids how to use different mediums while learning about sustainability.
The classes are grouped by age into ‘Week 1’ and ‘Week 2’ modules, which are aimed at the ages 8 to 11 and 12 to 16 respectively. Week 1 shall run from July 17 to 21 and Week 2 between July 24 and 28. All classes shall be held between 10am and 1pm. Kids can opt for all the classes in a week or curate their own experience.
Here’s what you need to know about the Summer Camp timetable, according to a press release from the centre:
Week 1:
July 17: Coastal Fiesta! With Eeze Doodles: During this workshop, children will doodle on a map board and brainstorm about what behaviours damage the environment. They will work on their own versions of the solutions to these problems.
July 18: Portraits of Nature with artist-in-residence Alonsa Guevera: During this module, children will learn about the basics of acrylic paint and how to create a realistic portrait of a natural object. They will work from observation to create a realistic portrait of the chosen natural object. Materials and subjects will be provided.
July 19: Submarine Collage with artist James Razko: In this mixed media painting class, young artists will create underwater-themed artworks. They will use collage and painting for their creations. Using images, tape, and painting materials to learn fundamental composition, design, and colour theory, they will use their creativity to imagine a beautiful underwater space.
July 20: Underwater City with Sharabassy Building Studio: Young artists are sure to appreciate this amalgamation of camera skills and design. They will explore different modelling techniques to create a diorama of an underwater city. They will also learn phone photography tricks to create underwater visual effects and capture photographs of their imaginary scene.
July 21: Clay Sea Creatures with ceramicist and illustrator Maryam El Attar: What’s more fun that creating a 3D creature out of clay? Kids during this session will use air-dry clay to create a functional ocean-themed piece. They will be learning about characteristics of clay as they experiment with various hand-building techniques.
Week 2:
July 24: Dyeing to go to the beach! with graphic designer Khalid Mezaina: Participants will use textiles as a medium for storytelling and will learn the process of batik to bring their stories to life. Moving away from the traditional technique of dyeing with hot wax, this workshop will teach participants how to resist dye – which leaves blank spaces on the textile being dyed, creating unusual designs - using accessible and safe materials that are easy to acquire.
July 25: Mythical Riso Illustrations with Diego Mendoza, graphic artist and education and outreach coordinator at Tashkeel: Storytelling and art meld together in this module. Participants of the course will take inspiration from mythological characters that have been significant to the cultures in the Gulf and the Middle East to produce an edition of two-colour Riso (digital screen) prints.
July 26: Eye Selfie with James Razko: This workshop takes the selfie game to a new level. Participants will learn the fundamentals of drawing while creating a charcoal drawing of their eye. The kids will familiarise themselves with line, value and gesture while developing the ability to see and understand visual information more clearly. This class will introduce students to traditional skills and ideas that are considered the foundation of drawing and painting realistically.
July 27: Deep Sea Patterns with Sharabassy Building Studio: This workshop imparts a skill that’s sure to come in handy. Kids will lean how to transfer images onto a seamless pattern for a sketchbook cover. Using their drawings as a starting point, the young designers will experiment with shape, line and scale. They will digitise their drawn patterns and manipulate their files to get them ready for cutting their vinyl stickers.
July 28: A Sea of Memories with Maryam El Attar: Inspired by their emotions and memories of the ocean, participants will have the opportunity to model a functional and sculptural piece out of air-dry clay. They will acquire an understanding of the characteristics of clay as they experiment with various hand-building techniques. They will also be prompted and encouraged to experiment with texture, form and scale to express their feelings, recollections and imagination.
