Magpie Art Center

Plants and Bugs Art Camp
2025-07-07 09:00 - 2025-07-11 12:00 (America/Denver) | Magpie Art Center, 4138 Rio Grande Ave, Sedalia, CO, 80135, United States
Young artists will explore the fascinating world of plants and bugs through drawing, observation, and creativity! Campers will learn to draw from life using pencil, markers, and colored pencils while developing their observation skills and artistic voice. Each day includes guided drawing lessons, creative exploration, and outdoor observation walks around the garden and nearby pollinator plants. We’ll sketch real leaves, flowers, and (friendly!) bugs, and create imaginative compositions based on nature.
No experience necessary—just curiosity and creativity! All materials provided.
Day 1: Intro to Nature Drawing

Theme: What is nature drawing?
Warm-up: Observation exercise — draw a simple leaf using pencil only
Activity: Leaf drawing with pencil and contour lines
Creative Challenge: Create a “plant creature” using leaf shapes
Nature Walk: Collect textures and shapes to use all week

Day 2: Bug Exploration

Theme: What makes bugs so cool?
Warm-up: Sketch a bug from imagination
Activity: Draw insects from reference photos with pencil, then color with markers
Creative Challenge: Design your own bug and give it a habitat
Discussion: How insects help our environment

Day 3: Color & Pattern in Nature

Theme: Colors in the garden
Warm-up: Color mixing with markers and colored pencils
Activity: Draw a flower using pencil outline, then add vibrant colors
Creative Challenge: Combine real bugs and plants into a fantasy garden drawing
Mini-Lesson: Using contrast and layering color

Day 4: Garden Composition

Theme: Telling stories with pictures
Warm-up: Drawing bugs in motion (quick sketches)
Activity: Create a full garden scene using real and imaginary elements
Creative Challenge: Add a “hero bug” to the scene with a backstory
Outdoor Time: Sketch plants and bugs from life

Day 5: Final Projects

Theme: Celebrate your art!
Warm-up: Free draw or collaborative mural on butcher paper
Activity: Finish any ongoing projects
Final Project: One large-scale nature drawing or mixed collage

Summer Camp - Underwater Wonders with Water Media
2025-07-14 09:00 - 2025-07-18 12:00 | A Sanctuary Center, 3720 West Wolfensberger Road, Sedalia, CO, 80135, United States
Dive into creativity! In this underwater-themed art camp, kids will explore watercolor techniques while learning about ocean creatures, coral reefs, and mysterious sea life. Campers will paint jellyfish, seahorses, dolphins, octopuses, and even imagined sea monsters as they learn about color blending, texture, and brushwork.
Each day combines playful instruction with lots of room for imagination. We’ll experiment with watercolor washes, salt effects, wax resist, and layering to create ocean scenes both realistic and fantastical.
This is perfect for kids who love to paint, love the sea—or both! No experience is needed, and all materials are provided.
Day 1: Meet the Ocean

Theme: Intro to watercolor + ocean inspiration
Warm-up: Paint a blue ocean wash using wet-on-wet technique
Lesson: Basic watercolor techniques: wash, blend, drip
Activity: Create an abstract underwater background
Creative Challenge: Paint bubbles using salt for texture

Day 2: Coral Reefs & Colorful Fish

Theme: Life in the reef
Warm-up: Color mixing exercise – making vibrant sea colors
Lesson: Wax resist and detail with fine brushes
Activity: Paint a coral reef filled with colorful fish
Creative Challenge: Invent a new reef creature and add it to your scene

Day 3: Jellyfish, Octopus & Texture

Theme: Flowing forms & underwater movement
Warm-up: Quick brushstroke shapes (tentacles, waves, curves)
Lesson: Using brush control and water to show movement
Activity: Paint a jellyfish or octopus using wet-on-wet and salt effects
Creative Challenge: Draw a glowing sea creature with light or bioluminescence

Day 4: Deep Sea Exploration

Theme: What’s in the deep sea?
Warm-up: Value scale using one color
Lesson: Layering watercolor for depth and darkness
Activity: Paint a mysterious deep-sea scene
Creative Challenge: Add a submarine, treasure chest, or strange creature

Day 5: Final Ocean Masterpieces

Theme: Create your own underwater world
Warm-up: Sketch ideas for the final painting
Activity: Large final painting combining techniques learned all week
Bonus: Write a short description or story to go with the artwork
