Be still... very still.

Nothing beats a still life. 

You can always find something lying around to paint. 

We chose fruits and veggies for this lesson. 

I am a BIG fan of a square canvas and gray as a background color immediately gives it a modern feel. 

We used acrylic paints and did this lesson over a few days to build up the layers. 

Try one of your own. 

I am trying to convince my daughter to do 4 more. 

Her lemon is so lonely on our kitchen wall. 

I guess that I should speak with her smallSHOP Art Teacher and put in the request. 

"More still lifes, please!"

Make something today!

Always, 

Sage

A few good men and one little lady

smallSHOP artists like to do different styles of self portraits. 

Here we used oil pastels and acrylic paints. 

We talked about different angles: profile, 3/4 and frontal. 

We discussed proportion and blending colors. 

And as always we encouraged the young artists to express themselves. 

I love self portraits. 

They truly are a treasure. 

Enjoy.

Animals on Parade...

 

Summer Inspiration

smallSHOP summer lessons are in full swing. 

Paul Klee is inspiring us with his color palette.

We think he is RAD.

Plush to Paint

Pink Printing Please

Thanks to BLOGSHOP for the blog knowledge. Thanks to Bonnie Tsang  for the pics. 

Thanks to the smallSHOP kids for the creativity. 

HIP TO BE SQUARE

What could be better than a perfect colored square?

100's of perfectly colored squares, of course. 

For this lesson we discussed transparency, overlapping colors to make new ones and texture. Using a wood block and a canvas as the surface to build on, the young artists experimented with colors and shapes. In addition to them having a wonderful time, the finished pieces have a modern controlled feel. Here at smallSHOP we say, "yes, please" to squares in all colors. 

It is hard to speak about squares without giving a "what's up" to the king of art geometry Piet Mondrian. While thinking of smallSHOP and our talented little artists, I remembered back to a fun "one day" project that incorporated patterns inspired by Piet Mondiran. We combined his technique with imaginative characters. After drawing, painting and choosing a solid background we came up with these fun images created by 2nd Grade students. 

A perfect afternoon - smallSHOP Style

A perfect afternoon.

Fresh flowers, a linen canvas, acrylic paints, brushes in every size, a smallSHOP artist standing beside you and the afternoon of painting begins. We believe in creating an inspiring environment for our students, for this lesson we brought fresh flowers for our "one day" still life project. After demonstrating techniques with the acrylic paints, the young artist experimented with line quality, size and texture. Spending just an hour to create their still life the finished artwork has a sense of energy and emotion. Thank you to Bonnie Tsang for capturing this lesson on film. 

WILDFLOWERS: Delicate, Shadowed and Colored

Happy Spring and Almost Summer from SmallSHOP Artists. (Ages 10 & 11)

In this lesson we encouraged our students to take a walk and really look at their environment. Each student chose flowers that they like and held them their hand. We looked at each one and talked about the contour, cross contour and detailing lines. We first sketched with pencils the basic shapes. We then talked about shadowing. Lastly added watercolors. Enjoy these little masterpieces by smallSHOP Artists ages 10 and 11.

SmallSHOP Artists 50/50

smallSHOP Artist, Age 8 (work in progress)

50/50 collage is one of the ways that smallSHOP teaches a collage and a drawing lesson. We encourage using found printed materials and adding at least 50% of your own sketching. Within this lesson there is an opportunity to teach perspective, Surrealism, contrast, arbitrary color and really everything. It is a more comfortable way to start for some artists, as they have a beginning point with the printed material.

SmallSHOP kids face it.

 Native American portraits by Smallshop girls . 

Pencil and watercolor renderings. 

Artists (9 years old). 

a whole LOTTA pattern

Never disappoints.

Patterns are fundamental in art making. Finding inspiration is essential. I have thumbed through her books, used her stencils and been inspired to create my own interpretations. There are printing projects for all ages and levels. Like a potato print, watch the tutorial here, to block printing and silkscreening.

Artists of all ages enjoy printmaking. These are techniques we use in our smallShop classes. 

Get to Know Us!

Who are we?

smallSHOP is a luxury in home studio art experience, owned and operated by artist Sage Raval.

Who is Sage Raval?

Sage has been a private art teacher for more than 12 years and smallSHOP is her expansion of creative tailored lessons for all young artists.

What is her experience?

She has been a guest artist teacher at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, an Elementary School Art Teacher, a collaborator with galleries and artists for children workshops and a director of a successful private art business. She has a Masters in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. And has actively been working with children and some of the same families for over 12 years. 

What do we do?

Fine Artists create a pop up art studio in your home including all supplies and instruction. Our instructors lead lessons using a wide variety of materials and themes. We teach everything from painting to drawing from ceramics to film and everything in between.

How do we teach?

We teach with patience, encouragement, tricks of the trade and lead the young artists through a process. We believe that introducing children to materials and ideas in a nurturing environment and encouraging them to try something new is an important step to creating artwork that the children are proud of. Our finished product includes a happy artist and a beautiful work of art.

Who comes to your house?

A sweet, patient and talented artist who was handpicked and trained personally by Sage Raval will come to your home for either a one hour, one and a half hour and sometimes a two hour lesson. Our lessons are weekly and ongoing.

Why do we teach art?

Because we love kids, we love art and we love the art kids create. We want to foster the whole child with well-rounded development. We believe it is an important practice that helps kids with their creativity, their self-esteem, their fine motor skills, and their knowledge of art history. As many schools are depleting their art classes, it is becoming essential that art is offered to more kids of all ages and we are here to meet those requests with a thoughtful, researched, and fun environment for kids of all ages.