Summer Art Camp at Raminfard School of Arts: Real Fine Art, Not Crafts
If you’ve signed your child up for a “summer art camp” before and they came home with a paper plate covered in macaroni, this post is for you.
Most summer programs use the word “art” loosely. At The Raminfard School of Arts, we mean it the way the Old Masters meant it.
What “Real Art” Means at Our Camp
Summer camp at RSA is built on the same classical fine art foundation we’ve used to train students since 2000. Your child will not be gluing pasta, painting rocks, or splattering acrylics on canvas as a stand-in for technique. They will be learning the skills artists have been taught for 500 years — observation, drawing from life, value, proportion, and color.
We teach the way the Dutch Masters, the French Academy, and figure-drawing instructors like John Vanderpoel taught: fundamentals first, skill earned through guided repetition and direct feedback.
What Your Child Will Actually Do
Depending on age and skill level, campers work through:
Drawing fundamentals — measuring, proportion, line quality, and learning to see accurately
Value studies — rendering light and shadow in graphite and charcoal
Color theory and mixing — understanding how paint actually works, not just picking tube colors
Painting from observation — working from still-life setups arranged in studio
Classical techniques — including grisaille underpainting and the layered methods used by Rembrandt and Vermeer
Composition and design — how to make a picture work, not just fill it
Mediums include graphite, charcoal, gouache, acrylic, colored pencil, and (for older students) oil painting.
Why It Matters
Children are capable of far more than craft kits suggest. When you teach a young student how to actually look at a still life and translate what they see, two things happen:
They produce work they are genuinely proud of — not refrigerator filler, but real drawings and paintings.
They build transferable habits: focused observation, patience, problem-solving, and the ability to see a long project through to a finish.
These are the habits classical art training has always built. We’ve watched them carry over into school, sports, and the way kids approach challenges generally.
Who It’s For
Our summer camp serves students from complete beginner through advanced. Every camper gets direct instruction from teachers trained in classical methodology.
Reserve Your Child’s Spot
Spots are limited because we keep our instructor-to-student ratio low and the quality of instruction high. To enroll or ask questions, visit raminfardart.com or contact us directly.