Julia Dennis
Artist. Illustrator. Educator.
Workshops and Classes
Book a guest artist to lead your group! Choose from one of the following workshops, or contact Julia Dennis to discuss an idea.
Working with a variety of materials as a mixed media artist, Julia Dennis has a wide range of artistic knowledge that she brings to the classroom. She has worked as an art teacher with high school and elementary students for more than 5 years in the school system, after-school, and community programs. Julia Dennis can be hired to facilitate a half-day, full-day, or an ongoing art project that could include anything from creating a mural, paper mache props, fabric dying, painting lessons or many other projects. Some of the following workshops are popular for summer programming at daycares. All participants learn new skills and get the chance to create their own items. All materials are supplied by the instructor. Please email to inquire about availability and fees.
Bookmaking Workshop
Ages 5-adult
Students will have the chance to learn traditional book making methods by sewing pages together and creating a fabric-covered hard cover book. The books can be used as journals, sketchbooks, photo albums, notebooks, or other creative uses.
This project makes use of some recycled materials including cardboard and upcycled fabric.
Typically booked as a 2-3 hour session.
Marker Painting Workshop
Adaptable for ages 5-Adult
With a combination of marker, water and brushes, beautiful effects can be made that rival watercolours. Participants will learn how to use markers as a painting tool. This method is accessible, and allows for more control and more intense colour than painting with watercolours or watercolour pencil crayons. Students will learn how to refine, enhance, and complete their images using ink pens and linework.
Can be as short as 1.5 hours, or longer with more instruction.
If a longer session or several sessions are wanted, there will be a stronger focus on painting either animals, faces, or landscape scenes.
Packing-Tape Sculpture Workshop
Ages 8-18
Students will work in groups of 3-5 to collaboratively create a life-size sculpture out of packing tape and saran wrap. Students learn about form, shape, molds, function, and spatial reasoning through hands-on creativity and teamwork. Student have the chance to use their own bodies or found objects as molds.
Can be booked as a full day or two half-day sessions.
Batik Fabric Painting Workshop for Children
Ages 5-12
Students will work on a collaborative mural sized piece and create their own individual batik painting. Participants will learn about batik traditions by applying a resist onto fabric that creates a barrier for the fabric dye. Fabric dye is painted onto the fabric, the resist washed away, and the results are an original hand painted work of art.
The instructor will come prepared with a custom mural piece ready to be dyed that students will work on while waiting for elements of their own paintings to dry.
Depending on the age group, different batik methods will be used; either a flour paste or using freezer paper as the resist instead of the traditional wax resist method.
Best as a full day Session.
Batik Fabric Painting Class for Youth-Adults
Participants will create their own batik painting using fabric dye and wax. Students will learn how to set up the fabric, plan an image, and then apply a hot wax resist. Students will get the chance to apply colour, and go back and forth between adding wax and colour to create an original image. The tools and materials needed to practice batiking at home will be taught and also how to apply the 'trademark' marbling effect that batiks are known to have.
The length of the course and the number of sessions will determine the number layers of wax that can be applied. This class could be taught as a full day session or over a number of days with shorter sessions.