Art Classes: Chelsea Fine Arts – It’s All In The Method

Art Classes: Chelsea Fine Arts – It’s All In The Method

Summer holiday drawing and painting classes that encourage young people of all abilities to develop their artistic skills

Artist Stephanie Villalba founded Chelsea Fine Arts in 2009 with the vision of teaching any child, whether naturally gifted or an absolute beginner, to draw and paint realistically. One glance at the completed and ‘in-progress’ paintings around the two light, airy studios (opposite Ravenscourt Park and in Chelsea Wharf) proves that her approach does work.

Over the summer holidays (11 July-26 August), Stephanie and her experienced team will be running classes for young people aged 8-18. The teaching method, which is followed by all the tutors, is founded on the belief that confidence and artistic talent is best developed once basic techniques have been learned.

‘Without mastering core drawing skills, the ability to create will always be limited,’ explains Stephanie. ‘Our method is based on showing students how to work from observation. By focusing on tone and line, we encourage them to break down the way they view objects; from these building blocks, they can then develop an original vision.’

The classes include a mix of ages with each student taught on an individual basis and materials are provided. The children work from beautiful and inspiring still-life set-ups that are composed to focus on key skills, such as perspective, composition and the use of complementary colours.

‘We teach in a variety of media because each is relevant to a particular technique or skill,’ adds Stephanie. ‘For example, charcoal is excellent for encouraging students to depict tonal shapes (dark, medium, light), paint and pastels are used to learn colour mixing from primaries, while ink and pencil help identify textures and line work.’

Stephanie recommends taking a minimum of three to five sessions to make the most of the classes. ‘No previous knowledge is needed. Often students who come with no experience progress the fastest. It’s wonderful to see their self-confidence grow and their pride when they leave with their own framed work of art.’

Chelsea Fine Arts
Stephanie Villalba

Chelsea Fine Arts studios:

Ravenscourt Park Studio
275 King Street
Ravenscourt Park W6 9QF

Chelsea Wharf Studio
15 Lots Road
Chelsea SW10 OQJ

info@chelseafinearts.co.uk
http://www.chelseafinearts.co.uk