In this four-week drawing series, young artists will build foundational skills and begin to hone their artistic eye and personal style. Using graphite and ink, students will explore core elements of drawing—like line, shape, texture, and value—while developing techniques such as composition planning and perspective. 

Each session encourages close observation, imaginative thinking, and intentional mark-making through guided sketchbook practice. Students will strengthen their ability to express ideas visually, drawing both from real life and their own creative vision. 

Sketchbooks will serve as a space for experimentation and reflection, supporting personal growth and artistic exploration. Throughout the series, young artists will take inspiration from contemporary artworks, including pieces featured at The New Children’s Museum, connecting their own practice to a larger world of visual storytelling and creative expression. 

This series is led by Artopia’s Art + Creative Learning Manager, Danielle Rives (she/her) and Studios Coordinator + Preparator Karlee Mariel (she/her). Danielle’s practice is rooted in painting, drawing, textiles, and mixed-media processes, and explores the intimate and everyday. Her favorite drawing tools are inexpensive ballpoint pens for quick line sketches of everyday sights, and graphite sticks for creating rubbings of interesting textures on the go.  

Karlee loves working in both 2D and 3D mediums—from murals, classical oil painting, and playful illustration to abstract and figurative sculpture and ceramics. Guided by curiosity, discovery, and experimentation, she believes exploring different materials helps artists find their voice. Karlee has carried a sketchbook all her life to record people, places, and moments—from rose gardens in Balboa Park to train stations in Europe. Revisiting them feels like meeting a part of herself frozen in time and memory. 

Questions about parking, accessibility, or our cancellation policy? 
Visit our Artopia: NCM Creative Studios FAQs page for all the details you need to plan your visit: https://thinkplaycreate.org/artopia-faqs/