Imagine you're floating in space, right in front of the Moon, with Earth far, far away.

How can we make our artwork look like we're right in front of the Moon, while the Earth is really far away?

That was one of the ideas we explored during our World Space Week workshop, as the children were introduced to some of the ways artists can create the illusion of depth.

Big, Small and Far Away

We started with something a little more familiar than outer space.

I asked the children to imagine standing near a tree, with another tree much further away.

Which tree looks bigger?

“The one that's close!”

And what about the tree that's really far away?

“It's smaller!”

Then we applied exactly the same idea to our artwork.

Our Moon was deliberately very large, making it feel close to us, while our little Earth was much smaller, making it appear much further away.

A simple change in size helped us create the illusion of a huge distance between the two.

Where Is the Light Coming From?

Next, we explored value, the range from light to dark within an artwork.

I stood beside our artwork and asked the children to imagine that I was the Sun.

If the light is coming from here, which part of the Moon would be light? Where would it begin to get darker?

The children practised shading, gradually moving from lighter through to darker tones to create the effect of light falling across the Moon.

But the Moon isn't a perfectly smooth ball. Its surface is rocky, uneven and covered in craters, so we looked at how that would affect the light too.

The children had already created their own Moon surfaces, using different tools to press, shape and add texture. No two moons were quite the same.

Some of the deepest craters were painted very dark because very little light would reach inside them. Larger craters had areas of light and shadow depending on where our imagined sunlight was hitting their uneven surfaces.

By combining texture, value and shading, the children could make their moons feel much more three-dimensional.

Bringing Space to Life

There was plenty more creating along the way.

The children collaged their backgrounds using different blue shades of recycled magazine papers, created their Milky Way with paint and colour, sculpted and textured their moons, and added stars, planets and other details to complete their space scenes.

Through collage, painting, sculpture and mixed media, a flat surface gradually became a scene where the Moon seemed close enough to touch and our tiny Earth appeared far away in the distance.

In a three-hour workshop, there isn't time to explore every art concept in depth. Instead, we can introduce ideas, experiment with them and put them into practice as we create.

For this workshop, size, value, shading and texture gave us a little window into how artists can create depth and form.

We didn't need millions of kilometres between our Moon and Earth.

We just needed a few artistic techniques to make it feel like there were.

Continue the Creative Journey

If your child would like to explore art further, our weekly Term 1 Creative Classes in 2027 will offer a more personalised and in-depth exploration of art concepts through traditional art techniques, material exploration, construction and, of course, lots of fun in our small group setting.

Find out more about our Children’s Term Classes in the Services section.

At first, you may simply see a big white heart against a colourful background. But, as with any artwork, there is more to discover when you look a little closer.

Our workshop happened to fall on World Heart Day, so we began with a simple question:

What makes your heart happy?

That started a wonderful conversation around the table. Family, dogs, cats, art, soccer, favourite foods and all sorts of little things that bring us joy.

With those thoughts in mind, the children explored a collection of purposely selected black and white papers from dictionaries, children's books, music pages and other printed materials. They searched through them for things that connected with their own story. It might have been the first letter of their name, a funny picture, some music, a word they liked or an image that represented something important to them.

Bringing It All Together

We collaged those pieces to create our background, then introduced colour with light acrylic washes and acrylic inks, experimenting with how colour could be added while still allowing parts of the papers underneath to show through.

This gave us the perfect opportunity to talk about composition, the way the different elements of an artwork are arranged and work together.

With so many papers, colours and details, we thought about balance. Did one area feel too heavy? Did another need something? Where was our eye going?

And amongst all that wonderful chaos, we needed somewhere for the eye to rest.

The Star of the Artwork

Our large white heart became the focal point, or the star of our composition.

The children sculpted and textured their hearts from air-dry clay, while yarn travelling across the artwork represented a heartbeat. Against the busy, colourful background, the simple white heart gave our eyes somewhere to land.

From there, the children continued adding their own layers. Meaningful words, stamping, marks and little details created things to discover as you looked more closely.

Finally, they selected an image representing themselves and something that makes their heart happy. In my artwork, that's me with my dog. Their choices, of course, told their own stories.

What began as black and white pieces of paper became a colourful and very personal artwork.

Along the way, we explored collage, acrylic washes, acrylic inks, sculpture, texture, layering and composition.

But perhaps the most important part was something much simpler.

We stopped for a moment and thought about what makes our hearts happy.

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There’s often much more happening in an artwork than you can see in the finished piece.

In this winter workshop, we explored colour, perspective and depth, while working with painting, stamping, natural and recycled materials, and mixed media.

We began with colour blending, creating a winter sunset by gradually moving from one colour into another. As our landscapes developed, we talked about foreground, middle ground and background, and what happens when we look towards a point in the distance.

Things closer to us appear larger, clearer and more detailed. As they move further away, they appear smaller and we begin to lose some of that detail and intensity.

But how do you make a concept like perspective understandable, and fun, for children aged 5 to 12?

We made it hands-on.

I created tree stamps in different sizes so the children could use larger trees towards the front of their landscapes and smaller ones towards the horizon. They could also continue stamping without constantly reloading the paint, allowing some of the trees to naturally become lighter and less defined in the distance.

We explored the same idea using real twigs. The children selected larger twigs for the foreground and smaller ones further back, helping to build another layer of depth while showing how natural and everyday materials can become part of an artwork.

We then brought everything together in layers, adding texture, details and mixed-media elements to create the finished winter scene.

Of course, learning a technique doesn't mean everyone has to use it in exactly the same way.

Some children carefully followed each step. Some wanted to go back and perfect every tree. Others experimented with placement, colour or composition and had their own ideas about where things should go.

That's something I encourage at GreenCraft.

I demonstrate techniques, introduce art concepts and guide the children through the process, but ultimately their artwork belongs to them. A five-year-old's interpretation may look very different from a twelve-year-old's, and even two children of the same age will approach the same project differently.

The aim isn't a room filled with identical artworks.

It's giving children opportunities to learn, explore materials, experiment, make creative decisions and discover what they can do, while creating something they're proud to take home.

Because the finished artwork is only part of the story.

Want to see how the children went? Head over to our Instagram feed to see their finished artworks, workshop moments and all the different ways they made the project their own. Follow along to see what we create next. 🎨

School holiday workshops have been part of GreenCraft from the beginning, and creating each one starts long before the children arrive.

I could choose one artwork and repeat it throughout the holidays. It would certainly be easier, quicker and more affordable to prepare. But many of our children come to both weeks, and I want each workshop to give them something new to explore.

My head is constantly full of ideas. Inspiration can come from anywhere, but having an idea is usually the easy part.

The challenge is turning that vision into something children aged 5 to 12 can actually create, enjoy and complete in three hours.

Making an idea work

Before deciding that an artwork is ready for a workshop, there are lots of questions I have to answer.

What will the children learn? Which techniques and materials can we explore? Can a five-year-old participate while a twelve-year-old is still challenged and interested? Will everything dry in time? What needs to be made first? Can the children safely cut the pieces themselves, or does something need to be prepared beforehand? Which glue will hold quickly enough and still be easy for little hands to use?

Sometimes I change a material, simplify a technique, pre-cut certain pieces or completely rethink part of the artwork.

And sometimes an idea simply doesn't work the way I imagined it would!

That's all part of the process.

One project, many different abilities

One of the biggest considerations is our 5 to 12 age range.

I don't want to give the younger children a simplified "little kids" version while the older children get to make the exciting artwork. Younger children often want to do exactly what the bigger kids are doing, and they can surprise us with what they're capable of.

Instead, I look for techniques that can grow with the child.

I can demonstrate the same process to the whole group, and each child can approach it at their own level. A five-year-old's finished work may look very different from a twelve-year-old's. We give more help where it's needed, but everyone is part of the same creative experience.

Because children don't need to be amazing at every part of art to love making it.

One child may love drawing. Another might discover that they love painting, sculpting, construction, collage or experimenting with colour and texture. Giving them opportunities to try different materials and techniques helps them discover what they enjoy and what they're capable of.

Finding the balance

I also think carefully about the pace.

I don't want children rushing because they're worried they can't keep up. But I don't want an activity so simple that they're finished quickly and waiting to go home either.

Our workshops move from one process to another. We might paint, sculpt, stamp, collage, cut, construct and assemble, depending on the project. There's enough happening to keep them engaged, while still giving them time to explore and enjoy what they're doing.

Three hours sounds like a long time.

During a GreenCraft workshop, it disappears surprisingly quickly!

Sometimes a child isn't completely confident when they begin. Then the pieces start coming together, they see their artwork taking shape, and something changes.

And one of my favourite moments comes at the end, when parents arrive and children rush out holding their artwork:

"Mum! Dad! Look what I made!"

That's what all the planning, testing and preparation is ultimately for.

I want children to leave GreenCraft feeling that they created something, they learned something and they're proud of what they achieved.

And perhaps most importantly, I want them to want to create again.

And if this is what we can explore in three hours, imagine what we can do in six weeks. Our Children’s Term Classes give us more time to explore techniques and materials, develop ideas and give each child more space to discover their own creative direction. Find out more about our Children’s Term Classes in the Services section.