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“I am not a painter, I am not creative enough!” Unfortunately, students, as well as adults, often talk (and think!) like this, inside and outside of school contexts. But why is this the case? Is such a view well founded? As a matter of fact, art is often associated with talent. Consequently, many people think they are not entitled to engage in artistic work, and leave aside the many (re)creative skills (e.g., manual skills, observation skills, interpersonal skills, handwriting) often associated with artistic practice. Art performance however promotes a healthy psychological state of flow, is a perfect anti-stress tool, and facilitates self-expression. Moreover, it can serve as a vehicle for team building and for creating a positive learning environment. When one considers its benefits, it is easy to conclude that art-making should not be reserved for a minority of “geniuses” or “experts!” Participants will practice basic drawing techniques to learn how to sketch the human figure, nature landscape, and other elements from personal visual research. They will also learn to address the perception of edges, spaces, light, shadow, and the overall perception of the drawing, stimulating a proper "Way of Seeing". Moreover, participants will discover traditional and intuitive (not academic!) painting techniques inspired by artistic masterworks in Barcelona as well as its architecture and art. This course allows teachers to work with different tools and materials such as pencils, charcoals, soft pastels, watercolors, acrylics, and mixed media - and also includes a session dedicated to “Trencadís” the typical Ant...read more.