Adults and children who have a little cabin fever – as well as a creative streak - may want to register for an upcoming “Let’s Paint the Town” session.

 

Instructor Brenda Smith has unveiled a series of new designs to be featured during January and February classes.

 

Open to children in second grade and older, and accompanied by a parent or other adult, “Let’s Paint Kid” classes will be held 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 13 and 27 and March 12 and 26 at the Benedum Civic Center. The class series is sponsored by Bridgeport Parks and Recreation. Although suitable for children, these classes are also open to adults, Smith said.

 

The Feb. 13 class will feature a Valentine’s Day theme and specifically, a Charlie Brown design, followed by the Feb. 27 painting featuring Thing 1 and Thing 2 from the works of Dr. Seuss.

 

“I think Charlie Brown is a big thing right now because the new movie came out in November and kids recognize who he is,” Smith said. “And since Dr. Seuss’s birthday is coming up, I wanted to incorporate that theme too.”

 

The March 12 class will be feature a St. Patrick’s Day theme and the March 26 class will actually be the make-up session for a Jan. 23 class which was canceled due to weather. That painting will feature Olaf, the popular snowman from the Disney blockbuster movie, “Frozen.”

 

For kids’ classes, Smith draws designs on the provided canvas, then instructs the students in a step-by-step manner how to paint the design. Depending upon the level of difficulty of the design, Smith sometimes sketches designs for adults, too. Her classes for both adults and children incorporate a variety of painting techniques.

The Olaf painting provides opportunity to teach shading, shadowing and movement, Smith said.

 

“I really like teaching kids basic shading techniques - to know which direction the light is coming from,” she said. “

 

One of the highlights of the Charlie Brown Valentine’s Day design is the doily that is incorporated into the design.

 

“That’s really cool and fun to do,” Smith said.

 

Slated for Feb. 12, an adults’ class will feature another brand new design; a heart and key design which encompasses even more techniques, Smith said.

 

“In this design, we utilize Mod Podge and tissue paper to give the canvas texture,” she said. “There is lots of blending colors and shading, too.”

 

Each painting class costs $15 plus $10 for materials, including a 16x20 acrylic canvas.

“You don’t need to bring anything. It’s all included,” Smith said.

She asks that prospective students register and prepay for a class at least one day in advance so that she will be prepared. Register at the Benedum Civic Center or by calling 304-842-8240.