ABOUT US
What we do:
Urban Illustration provides each child the opportunity to learn and grow in their own style, pun totally intended. This class teaches fine arts techniques while focusing on street art and graffiti styles. Your child will learn to do step-by-step illustration and coloring skills with professional supplies as well as practice longevity in a project. Our students work through learning the project, to ideation and conceptualization through sketches and then finally work on their final drafts, where they will learn color techniques, pen techniques as well as occasional airbrush, watercolor, foil paper designs and other additional material uses. We aim to teach not just the importance of arts, but how social movements are influenced by the arts and bring necessary change. We also teach with a lens on our impact on the earth, and how we can continue to make better choices in our practices as artists. All of these values are taught based on age and with the hopes that children learn and practice problem solving skills, not just in their art, but in their lives. We teach everything with an urban edge ranging from illustration and painting, to quilling, felting, skateboard design, toy development and spray painting. All of the materials purchased for projects are as earth conscious as possible, having made the change from using vinyl toys to wooden ones for example. We have been working towards a goal of Zero Waste by reducing amount of small purchased materials, reducing the use of plastics and creating projects with upcylced materials, as well as utilizing TerraCycle boxes in each class room.
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The school year program runs for 8 week sessions at a time, one day per week. The class is offered 5 days a week, 6 times a week. Monday through Thursday 3-5pm is offered to 2nd-7th grades. Fridays are reserved for 5th grade and up. Thursday evenings are reserved for 7th grade and up.
Our Thursday evening program is open to middle and high schoolers looking to take their illustration to apparel like hats and sneakers and other objects, such as skateboards and refurbished furniture. The projects vary per session.
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Our Summer Program operates from June -August by the week and the projects and themes vary per week.
Who we are:
This class has hosted over 1200 students from a few different countries and states. Katie Reidy, the creator and head instructor developed this class in 2009 with 5 students and it has since grown into teaching 6 classes per week. Katie Reidy is a graffiti artist, muralist, illustrator and designer as well as the developer of all projects that come through our doors. She has painted in multiple states, and internationally, taught workshops internationally and has worked with companies like Pepsi and Peter Alexander of AU. She brings her experience as a working artist into class and cuts no corners when developing new and exciting projects for her students.