Art has a powerful impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. Widely regarded as a form of therapy, it can boost mood and creativity. If you want to be the fittest and healthiest version of yourself, consider these art classes in the GTA to fill your spare time with joy.
Ceramics at the Gardiner Museum
Get hands-on with a creative ceramic sculpture class at the Gardiner Museum. The museum has several clay classes for adults and children, taught by renowned ceramic artists. With a plethora of classes, you can come to the museum with a friend or a date to experiment with clay under the guidance of a professional educator.
Activities include creating your own class masterpiece while enjoying snacks. The Wheel Throwing Works workshop allows students to create functional and sculptural pieces with earthenware clay and glazes. Other courses like Simply Bowls teach students to make stoneware clay, serving bowls, wobbly and soup bowls, and many different varieties. The instructor will demonstrate how to design and construct a bowl by wheel throwing and hand-building, and illustrate practical steps to apply various glazing techniques to finished pieces.
If you want to improve your art and drawing skills, the Artbarn school has several classes to suit your needs. The Drawing for the Terrified Beginner class covers all the necessary skills and basic principles you will need to learn to create your first masterpiece. The course teaches proportional measurement, perspective, and shading techniques. Students will use graphite, charcoal, conte, and pen. The goal is to improve the students’ overall perceptive, skills, and hand-eye coordination.
Other advanced courses include painting with watercolours, Beyond Picasso, oil primer, and explorations in acrylic. The classes are created for all levels of experience, from beginners to seasoned artists, and offer a supportive learning environment.
Photography at The Art Gallery of Ontario
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has several art classes. Its introduction to photography course is among the most popular. The course teaches students valuable skills in using a Digital SLR camera. The class is designed for beginners and teaches correct exposure, shooting under challenging lighting situations, and how to make strong compositions.
Each student must bring their Digital SLR camera for class. Once you complete the course, you will become more creative and adept at using a digital camera to shoot professional photos. Students must also bring their camera’s instructional manual for every class in case they run into technical hurdles.
Glass Blowing at the Harbourfront Centre
The Harbourfront Centre offers a variety of creative courses and workshops. The glass-blowing workshop course teaches hands-on hot and cold glass-blowing techniques to make solid and blown objects. You will learn to make paperweights, cups, bowls, and plates.
Advanced teaching sessions will show students how to apply colours and use professional studio equipment. Students will learn other fantastic techniques, like turning hot glass into a pumpkin or a decorative ornament.
Soap Making at the Big Beer Soap Company
The soap making workshop covers the chemistry behind making soap by simplifying the process. The workshop unlocks the secret of making soap, allowing each student to customize their batch of soap with special scents and dried botanicals. The workshop uses environmentally friendly and cruelty-free products.
Perfect for anyone who wants to try something new, the classes are small, with only four to six participants to foster a productive learning environment. Once the course is completed, each student will receive six bars of soap, a recipe booklet, and an instruction manual with useful links.
David Messiha | Staff Writer
