Art and Design for 16 to 18 Year Olds Online Short Course help young art students strengthen their portfolios, gain confidence in their abilities and engage with experimentation and generation of ideas. We spoke with tutor, Ilga Leimanis, to find out how the course could benefit you.
Who should take the course?
Any 16 to 18 year old who is curious about art and design, and who is interested in exploring and working with practicing artists and tutors who usually teach at university-level.
Don't worry if you are a beginner - all levels are welcome! Typically you might have had some experience in one area and none in another. Complete beginners will learn new skills and processes quickly as well as get a good basis for further development.
What projects do students work on whilst upon the course?
This is an intense week-long introduction to art and design thinking and development. Part of the course will help you build skills such as drawing, painting and colour mixing. The other part of the course will be about experimentation and embracing process, letting go of working towards an outcome and enjoying the journey.
Throughout the week, you will learn how to develop an understanding of research in contemporary art and context, begin to question how you fit into the world and find what it is you want to say. The course uses simple, basic materials which everyone can easily find at home.
How is the course delivered?
My teaching style is friendly and informal. Students are encouraged not to feel precious about their work, encouraged to play, move things about and test out variations; not settling with their first attempt. The focus on the course is not to make one final piece, but rather, hopefully, you will leave the week with many new directions to pursue, and a few new bodies of work to explore.
From experience of teaching courses for teenagers for nearly a decade, this week-long intensive session enables students to explore their creativity and sets them thinking about their work in a fresh, exciting way. They also get to meet other like-minded students from around the world and make new friends.
