8~12 year olds - Contemporary Art Summer Camp

Learner hours: 25

This five-day course offers students the opportunity to develop core creative skills through a structured programme of engaging, hands-on activities. Working with a wide range of materials and techniques, students will explore drawing, painting, sculpture, and printmaking, gaining experience in diverse approaches to art-making.

Each day, students will complete two to three guided projects designed to encourage experimentation, build technical confidence, and support the development of individual creative expression. Alongside these activities, students will contribute to a large collaborative artwork over the duration of the course, fostering teamwork and shared creative experience.

The course is inclusive and suitable for all ability levels. It is led by an experienced teacher who provides supportive guidance tailored to individual needs. Students should be prepared for a highly practical, studio-based environment where creativity is encouraged and getting messy is part of the process.

Day 1 – Drawing and Mark-Making
We’ll begin our course by diving into drawing and mark-making. Children will explore contemporary drawing methods and experiment with a wide range of materials—from pencils and charcoal to inks and mixed media. The focus will be on creative expression, observation, and playful experimentation with line, texture, and form.

Key Activities:
*Introduction to materials and techniques
*Drawing exercises inspired by movement, nature, and imagination
*Collaborative mark-making project

Day 2 – Working with Clay
This day is all about sculpture and tactile creativity. Children will learn how to work effectively with clay—building, shaping, and decorating. We’ll create faces, heads, and decorative relief slabs.

Key Activities:
*Introduction to clay tools and techniques
*Sculpting portrait heads and expressive faces
*Designing and decorating clay slabs

Day 3 – Printing: Nature and Imagination
Students will explore both mono-printing and block-printing techniques. The day will focus on images inspired by animals, flowers, and plants. Children will combine drawing, painting, and printing to produce layered, colourful compositions.

Key Activities:
*Sketching natural forms
*Learning mono-print and block-print methods
*Creating prints using templates and overlays

Day 4 – Collaboration, Colour, and Contemporary Art
We’ll connect our individual projects through collaborative artmaking. Children will refine their clay pieces, experiment with collage, and explore bold, large-scale action painting inspired by contemporary artists.

Key Activities:
*Finishing and glazing clay work
*Collaborative collage and mixed media project
*Group “action painting” session exploring rhythm and colour

Day 5 – Exhibition and Celebration
On our final day, we’ll prepare for our class exhibition. Children will complete and display their clay, prints, and drawings, curating their work for a group presentation. The day will celebrate creativity, progress, and collaboration.

Mode of delivery: Face to face

Our address is The School of Creative Arts, College Lane Campus, Hatfield, Herts AL10 9AB.

For Maps and Directions please visit our helpful  ‘Where to Find Us’  page. Further details are sent by email when you have booked.

Booking deadlines

Bookings for all Creative Arts Short Courses will be reviewed two weeks before the start date of each course. This will allow the Short Course team to determine whether a course has met the minimum number of students needed for the class to run. If a class has failed to recruit, the class will be re-scheduled and you will be informed. Where relevant you will be offered an alternative class. If the course has met minimum numbers, bookings will stay open to the course start date or until it has met maximum numbers.

We encourage you to book early before the deadline to avoid disappointment.

Bookings for all short courses need to be made online through our online booking system, before a course commences. You cannot enroll or attend a class on the day the course starts.

Cancellations

If for any reason you change your mind about joining us after you have accepted the offer, you have a legal right to cancel your contract to study with us within 14 days. This cancellation period therefore ends at the end of 14 days after the day on which you accepted our offer. Find further details of our cancellation terms here.