TERM 1 2026 DATES NOW READY TO BOOK! - Learn to Draw Humans! Draw figures, faces, and features with professional art teachers in Melbourne's best kid's art activity!

After School Weekly Kids Drawing Classes, Ages 8–14 @ Paint With Me Art School, Northcote Melbourne

Give your creative kid a real head start with structured, skill-building drawing classes for kids at Paint With Me, a Northcote based Melbourne art school known for more than just a paint and sip near you. Alongside our popular weekly painting for fun  sessions, we're locally known for our educational weekly after school program designed to teach young artists advanced techniques in a fun, supportive, and social learning environment that's backed by real educational tools, art teachers with advanced knowledge and experience, and supported through diverse age/skill groups so that kids learn from each other. We want to help your kids in art classes at school, but more importantly we want each of our students to discover their OWN unique interests through learning the fundamentals of art in theory and practice. 

This term is all about learning to draw people properly: building diverse bodies, faces, hair, bone structure, movement, posing, and portrait construction in both realistic AND styled ways. Students learn how to accurately observe and draw what they see, then build basic body drawing technique into expressive, confident drawings that convey emotion, expression, movement, and diversity. 

Activity for kids aged 8–14 recommended. All materials provided.

Term 1 (2026) focus: Drawing the Human Figure

In our first 2026 term, our drawing students will develop realistic figure drawing skills through age appropriate techniques and art theory, including:

• Drawing bodies with structure (proportions, form, gesture, and posing)

• Facial features and expressions (eyes, noses, mouths, and movement to show speech, emotion, age, and character)

• Hair that looks real (texture, flow, shine, and volume)

• Bone structure and simplified anatomy (for bodies that emote and become believable, not stiff, flat, or alway front facing!)

• Perspective and form (so figures sit in space with depth and dimension)

• Building portraits from life and reference (a clear process students can repeat)

IMPORTANT: Multiple weeks will also cover anime and stylised figure drawing skills so students can learn how realism translates into stylised art (and why the best anime artists understand structure first).

Paint With Me isn’t an afterschool care free-drawing scribbling spot. We're proud of our education focused approach, with fun classes that aren't a “bring a pencil, sit here, do whatever you want for an hour" play group. We’ve spent 5 years developing our curriculum so our art classes in Northcote meet professional standards while still being welcoming for beginners. We meet each student where they are, which makes the class ideal for beginners, intermediate kids, and advanced young artists who want a real challenge.

What the weekly class looks like (the process)

Each 1-hour session follows a clear, confidence-building structure:

• A short warm-up to build control and observation

• A focused skill of the week (for example: gesture, proportions, features, or shading)

• Step-by-step demonstration, then guided practice

• Individual feedback and coaching for every student

• Extension exercises for advanced students (so no one gets bored)

• A quick reflection moment to build critique skills and artistic confidence

Students learn to trust the process, improve faster, and feel proud of what they can do.

Why parents choose Paint With Me

• Beginner-friendly teaching with extensions for advanced students

• Social, encouraging classes that build confidence and communication

• Small class sizes so every child gets real guidance

• Students receive a sketchbook and professional-quality tools to keep

• Led by Eloise (owner of Paint With Me), a dedicated teacher focused on individual progress

• A welcoming Northcote studio that feels like a real art school, not just a drop-in activity

What students learn by the end of term

By the end of the program, kids will be able to:

• Create realistic drawings in pencil using shape, structure, and observation

• Use shading, depth, and dimension to make drawings look “3D”

• Understand perspective and apply it to figures and scenes

• Capture texture (hair, fabric, skin, reflections, fur) in an achievable way

• Build resilience through feedback, practice, and visible progress

Class details

• Weekly classes for kids aged 8 to 14 (recommended)

• 1 hour per week

• Runs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

• All materials provided

Didn’t get a spot last term? Join us for Term 1, 2026. You can also come in for a trial class and see why families across Melbourne’s inner north love our kids’ art classes.