Are your kids always making new things? Do they constantly ask for more tape, more glue, and more paper? Are they bringing home cool rocks, sticks, pet bugs, & more animal facts than you ever learned when you were their age?

They might just be a crafty creature.

registration open now

Spring Session: til May 30

Thursdays, 3-5pm

Summer Session: June 27 to August 8

Thursdays, 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm (see below)

Crafty Creatures Play & Craft, Ages 5-8

10am-12pm

In this class, where we hope to share in our love for creatures and have fun, we will make animal crafts out of many different types of materials, both natural and human-made. We’ll meet at Paper & Clay, 837 Main St. Melrose, and then we will walk to one of the green spaces within a few blocks of the store. There, the kids will play games, get time for open play, and/or forage for art supplies for that day’s craft. Afterwards, we will walk back, chat about the animal(s) we’re going to be making that day, and get to crafting! Projects are tailored to be easy enough to be put together by kids on the younger side, but can be customized more by the older kids if they want. You can sign up for all classes as a discounted bundle ($210), or a la carte ($40/ea).

Crafty Creatures Animal Illustration, Ages 9-12

1-3pm

This class is for kids who love creatures and especially love to draw them! We will look at references from videos, images, figurines and plushies, as well as draw from our imaginations, using colored pencils, pens, markers, and paints. We might even draw an animal comic! We’ll meet at Paper & Clay, 837 Main St. Melrose. Some days, we will walk to one of the green spaces within a few blocks of the store to practice drawing outdoors. Projects are tailored to kids who enjoy sitting down and letting their pencils/pens/crayons fill the page. You can sign up for all classes as a discounted bundle ($210), or a la carte ($40/ea).

classtime summary

We’ll meet at the studio space at Paper & Clay, 837 Main St., Melrose. During class, I’ll show the students ways to construct their creatures while giving them freedom to explore different methods and materials. Either at the beginning or in the middle of art time, in pleasant weather, we’ll take a walk down to Ell Pond and get some inspiration from nature. All supplies will be provided or foraged from nature.

details for grown-ups

Classes can be purchased at a discount as a 6-week bundle ($210) or individually ($40/ea).
Most projects are tailored to the younger kids in each age range so everyone can participate. Age ranges listed are not concrete. If you have a kid outside of the range listed and have questions, please let us know!
Space is limited; please register at the links at the top of the page.

about Kate

Kate Estrop is an artist, graphic designer, cat parent, science communicator, and creature teacher. They love making art and exploring the outdoors, and love even more to combine those things and share them with others. In addition to teaching classes at Paper & Clay, Kate makes stationery, gifts, and comics; volunteers with a nature nonprofit, and spends as much time outside as possible. You can find out more about them at kestropstudio.com.

questions?

For questions about the class, contact Kate at kateestrop@gmail.com.

For questions about Paper & Clay, contact Lesley at paperandclaymelrose@gmail.com.