Other places to look for classes
for children:
Participate With Your Child's Art Interest
Be encouraging by watching your child work. Try to stay interested by asking questions about what your child is creating. You can even sneak-in some criticism: For instance, on a drawing project, if your young child is not utilizing the whole sheet of paper, have them expand their composition by asking questions about what might complete the scene. “Is Mommy standing inside or outside?” “How can you draw Mommy inside?” And if they want help, then draw a quick sketch (even if it's bad) on a separate piece of paper. Since your child learns visually, this will probably more effectively communicate your idea than a verbal description.
Show your child some techniques you remember from growing up. In drawing, using the technique of overlapping objects to show depth is very important. The sooner children can learn to draw overlapping shapes, the easier more sophisticated forms of drawing will be for them.
Example: "Maybe you can draw the sofa behind Mommy and have a picture hanging on a wall or a window?"
No matter what the subject, just encourage your child to complete what might be missing. It won’t discourage him/her if you show that you’re interested in what he or she is portraying by requesting to see more!
Keep Art Samples Readily Available
Have large samples of good art for your child’s room. If you’re not sure what art is good, you can never go wrong with art history. Posters reproducing artists such as Monet, VanGogh, Homer, and Rockwell are everywhere! Look for painted images of things your child likes—maybe paintings with people and animals in a landscape or children playing. Most successful artists remember the intriguing images they grew up seeing on a daily basis. Keeping such childhood memories is very important for the artist.
Keep Working Materials Readily Available
Have lots of paper available on which to draw. A regular #2 pencil is used by many professional artists today. You may, however, need to have plenty of erasers available, since the one on the end of that new #2 pencil probably will not last but about an hour! A good pencil sharpener, high-quality markers, crayons, colored pencils, and watercolor trays all work just fine on that scrap paper you might bring home from work.
Young Sculptors and Architects
If your child doesn't like to draw or paint, that doesn't mean he or she doesn't have artistic talent. They may be creative in three-dimensional media. Have air-matured clay (or even play-dough) around for forming wonderful creatures. Allow the child to play with erector sets, "Lincoln Logs", "Egos" or simple blocks of wood to create structures. If you're concerned about pickup for these often-messy play construction toys, try dedicating a small table or a hard-surfaced corner of the room to be used just for sculpture. Take pictures of your child's constructions-especially if they're made with these toys or wood blocks. This action not only will show them that you're interested in what they're doing, but the record of past projects will allow them to expand upon what they already achieved for the next time.
You can also apply the above techniques to your 6-11 year-old child. Remember, asking specific questions about the artwork shows that you're interested and that art is a valid way to spend time!