Painting on Canvas

Applying paint to canvas is a hugely enjoyable (and even educational) way for your child to spend some time, as hundreds of children have learned in our gallery.

Why not leave your little one with us for anything from thirty minutes to two hours and let them try it out?

We can set them on their way with a template of a favourite cartoon character or help them create their own original design.

An eight inch by eight inch canvas will only take about half an hour to complete and only costs £5 for studio time, supervision, and all materials.

A ten inch canvas costs £7.50, and a twelve inch painting is £10.

At the top of the scale a 16"x16" canvas will take your boy or girl about two hours to finish and can be yours to take home for only £15.

Parties

FANCY A SPECIAL PARTY?

Come in and ask about our one or two hour creative parties. You can drop the children off and we artists help them create a canvas, T-shirt or canvas bag. Cakes and squash are also included. There are no party bags but you do get to take your masterpiece home

Read this press report of a fun party. 2 hour parties are £15.00 per attendee with a minimum of 5 guests.

Any age from 5 to 95 is welcome. Why not book as grown ups and complete a canvas over a glass of wine rather than squash?

After School Club

The ARTTess Arts and Crafts School is now running an After School Club from 4pm until 5pm daily, Tuesday to Friday in term time.

The cost is £7.50 per session or £30.00 for 4 weeks including materials.

Creative Toddler Workshop

Give your little ones the chance to paint on a real canvas like real artists and create special masterpieces to hang on their bedroom walls.

There are loads of things to do, come and have a chat. What will you and your toddler be inspired to create?

Toddler timetable - aged 3-5 years old

Monday 11:00-12:00
Tuesday 11:00- 12:00
Wednesday 11:00-12:00

Cost £10 per hour inclusive materials.

Special Halloween Kids Party

On the weekend of 27th and 28th of October Arttes 4 kids will be running make and create classes in the Halloween theme. Each child will have their own pumpkin which they will design and be helped to sculpture, they will also have the choice of Painting a T- Shirt in Ultra Violet paint, Paint a Canvas or design and paint a mask (the class will last for up to 2 hours)

Then on Halloween, Wednesday 31st October from 5pm – 8pm there will be a fun packed scary atmospheric disco party in the Colour House Theatre which will include special effects, face painting, best costume, painting and dancing competitions and a Vampire buffet with drinks.

Age Range 6 - 12
5 hours of Fun! Fun! Fun!
Inclusive ticket price £20

To book you child a place just call 020 8542 5511 or 020 8543 6616

Book early to avoid disappointment!

Kids Days

The second Sunday of every month is Kids Day at Merton Abbey Mills.

Come along to the next one for a fun packed day of of Art & Crafts, Pottery, and Music on October 7th, from 11am to 5pm.

Contact Tess for more details or to make a booking.

KIDS ARTS WORKSHOPS at ABBEYFEST

Abbeyfest the summer festival of Music, Comedy and Theatre in South London is now in its 10th year.

This year. the Arttes 4 Kids the Arts and Craft School at Merton Abbey Mills will be running Friday night art workshops for children during the free open air jazz concerts that are such a highlight of the festival.

Abbeyfest 2007 runs from 6th July until 27th August 2007.

Why not drop the kids off with us on a Friday night to design and paint a canvas, T-shirt, or bag; to try tie-dyeing or even have their faces painted while you enjoy the music?

Arttess is situated yards from the bandstand.

Prices from £2.50
Time 7pm – 10pm
Book early to avoid disappointment.

Summer Vacation

The ARTTes Gallery and workshop will be closed from Monday July 30, until 2pm on August 3, 2007.

Rainbow Trust Painting Marathon 2007

After the success of last year's event, ARTTes 4 Kids ran a Painting Marathon in aid of the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity at the Bandstand on Sunday 29 July 2007.

Children, whole families and friends joined us to paint pictures and raise money for a worthy cause.

Click on the image below for the full poster.

Murals, trompe l'oeil, hand painted glass and furniture.

In a service that complements our Interior Design Practice we paint murals, trompe l'oeil murals, glass and furniture.

From a landscape for that sets off a unique dining room design to an extravagant child's fantast bedrom, the only limit is your imagination.

Contact Tess to talk about your ideas, see example of our work, and get a quotation for your dream room.

Fathers' Day

ARTtes 4 Kids held a special Fathers' Day workshop on Sunday June 10, 2007 in which children got the chance to create and unique and special presents to give to their Dads on the the following Sunday.

They made Fathers Day cards and badges, and painted their own designs on to a T-shirt or silk ties that their fathers could wear with pride.

The workshop ran from eleven in the morning to four in the afternoon, and prices started from only £2.50.

Contact Tess to talk about other special events.

My Merton

My Merton, a bi-monthly magazine published by the Council, gives a thumbs up for fun to ARTes4Kids' Creative Birthday Parties in an article on Merton Abbey Mills its June-July 2007.

Georgia Chisnall celebrated her ninth birthday with painting and facepaint at Arttes4Kids. Her father, Paul Chisnall said: “We come to Abbey Mills quite often and we just think it’s a great idea for children’s birthday parties. It’s creative, it’s fun and they’re having a good time.”

Why not book a party or course this summer? We would love to hear from you.

Diary Dates

The ARTTes roadshow will be one of the attractions featured in A Country Affair at Morden Hall Park on 5, 6, and 7 May 2007; and the follow up family show at Clapham Common on 26, 27, 28 May 2007.

Prints, cards and original artworks

In addition to passing on her skills to the next generation, Tess Verheij has produced a range of affordable paintings and prints for your home or office. Click on any image that interests you from the slideshow for more information, and then contact us at 020 8543 6616 or info@arttes.co.uk to see how easy it is to buy or commission an original work of art.


(Refresh the page if the slideshow doesn't work.)

Face Painting Workshops

More than eighty children enjoyed having their faces painted during our Easter Bank Holiday celebrations.





Why not sign up to for a fun course, and learn how to do it yourself?

You'll learn a variety of techniques, including:

• using a sponge



• using a brush



• colour blending and tones



• colour mixing

We'll take you step by step through everything you have to learn to paint exciting designs.

Times for Adults
Friday 18:00:17:30
Sunday 14:00-15:30

Times for Children
Thursday 16:00-17:30
Saturday 12:00-13:30
Sunday 12:00-13:30

Duration 4 weeks of 1.5 hours
Cost £50.00

Easter Bank Holiday Invitation

Come along and paint your Easter Eggs with us!
Daily 10:00 until 17:00

.... or have a go at a canvas and get your face painted as well, while Abbey Mills rocks to the Replay Music Festival.

Tie-Dye and Batik

"Tie-Dye and Batik" is a new course for April 2007.

Create your own t-shirt and picture in cotton.

The four week course costs £50 including materials and runs from 16:15 to 17:15 on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Student Exhibtion Launch: January 27, 2007

To celebrate our first full year of operation, the Arttes 4 Kids School and Gallery will be launching an exhibition of students' work on the evening of Saturday 27th January 2007, with a buffet at 6pm and an official opening at 8pm.

Email arttesgallery@yahoo.co.uk for an invitation.

Learn to Draw with Pastels

In these lessons, you will be introduced to a large of different techniques and subjects. From still life, landscapes and portraits you will learn how to use the pastels, developing your drawing skills according to proportion and composition. You will also be are also encouraged to work on your own own projects as your confidence increases.

Duration 4 weeks of 1.5 hours
Costs: £40 inclusive materials

About Us

Tess Verheij lived for 31 years in Holland before arriving in London and founding the ARTTES 4 KIDS workshop and gallery as a venue where she could help children (and adults) to develop and extend their creativity.

As well as a qualified and experienced art teacher working with acrylics, oils, pastels, murals, furniture, signs, and portraits, she is a successful artist in her own right, with a permanent exhibition in Holland.

Prints, cards and original artworks from Tess's portfolio are available from the gallery.

She has recently been engaged by Office Estates Ltd to work on an 110 foot mural that will illustrate how the rich cultural and historical heritage of Merton Abbey Mills informs its exciting present and future. Tess is always interested in discussing new commissions.

Click on the photo below, of Tess with a student, to be taken to a slideshow of her work that will open in a new window.

ARTTES 4 KIDS
Unit 9
The Apprentice Shop
Watermill Way
Merton Abbey Mills
London SW19 2RD

telephone 020 8543 6616
mobile 07981 712306

info@arttes.co.uk

Improve Your Drawing Skills

Learn all techniques of drawing, this includes perspective, light and shade. You will be handed out different grades of pencils.

After this course you will walk out with better drawing qualities.

Times: Saturday 3.00-4.00 pm
Sunday 3.00 - 4.00 pm

Other weekdays negotiable.

Minimum 2 students costs £12.50 (or £15.00 including personal sketch book and set of pencils).

Special Events

For special occasions we organise specific workshops. You can create a present for your beloved for Valentines Day, Mothers Day, Easter, Fathers Day, Birthdays or Christmas. Lastly in the spring and summer we will also be organising outdoor activities by the reiver Wandle, so come along to create and have a picnic with us.

Hourly rates £12.50

Historical Arts and Crafts Workshops

1. Glass Painting - Create your own design on paper and learn how to transfer this to Glass and experience the prism of colours. See the effect that your artwork has on your environment. Light bulbs and mirrors as extra.

2. Marbling on Canvas - Create your own 'fantasy spiral' after a couple of experimental proofs on real canvas and create the best surpise picture in the world. Leanr the technique of stretching your canvas linen on framework. YOu can use your cavas as a final piece or use it as a backdrop to create a piece.

3. Dream Catchers - An ancient native American protector of the sleeper. Hang up by the window; the web will catch the bad dreams while the centre lets the good ones through. Come and join the workshop to make your own protector. Use silks, feathers, beads, shells, and crystals to create your own personalised Dream Catcher.

4. Encaustic Artwork - Try and discover the technique of this very interesting medium that will leave you hungy for more. You can create your own postcards or make a fantasy landscape.

5. Special Paint Workshop - Crawl into the skin of your favourite artist; such as Monet, Renoir, Picasso, van Gogh, Keith Haring. We'll teach you how to use the techniques of the artist you have chosen. At the end of the workshop you leave with a good copy of the original painting.

6. System 3D Ultra Thick Paint - A new acrylic medium where you will lean how to create plenty of texture. The high surface drag has an 'oil like' feel, so much so that knife and brush marks are retained. Discover 3 dimensional paint.

TIMETABLE SAME AS SHORT TRACK
Costs: £15.00 per session of 1.5 hours.

Illustration Course

Learn to create your own children's book. Work with a Published Illustrator working in the industry for over 15 years.
Useful hints techniques and advice on how to get your ideas onto paper and published working from concept through to finished product.

Times: Sunday 1:30-3 pm
Friday 11:00 - 12:30
Other weekday snegotiable.
Min 4 students, costs £12.50
One to one available.

Children's Graffiti Course

Learn how to draw and paint a cool piece of Graffiti work. Covered in this course is colour blending, lettering, colour understanding and create your own personal tag.

Duration 4 weeks of 1.5 hours.
Costs £5 inclusive materials.
Time Sunday 11:30-13:00

Special Studio Hours

Come in and work on your own cavas for a full hour.

Book in advance.

Costs: £5.00

Short Track Course

After we gain a couple of techniques you create a beautiful picture on canvas in A monochrome Colours scheme.

Duration 4 weeks of 1.5 hours.
Cost £50.00 inclusive materials.

Timetables

Adults Acrylics Saturday 16:00 - 17:30
Sunday 16:00 - 17:30
Tuesday 18:00 - 19:30

Childrens Acrylics Saturday 10:30 - 12:00
Sunday 10:30 - 12:00
Tuesday 16:15 - 17:45
Wednesday 16:00 - 17:30
Wednesday 16:00 - 17:30

Art Workshops

Learn to paint with acrylics: You will be introduced to this medium while learning a variety of differerent techniques. Over the duration of the course the following subjects will be dealt with:

• Proportion and composition.
• Colour blending and tones.
• Blow up.
• The effects of light and shade.

But above all we are working on canvas and when the course is finished you will walk out with a nice portfolio of sketches and 2 differerent size canvasses.

Duration: 10 weeks of 1.5 hours.
Costs: £125.00 inclusive materials.
Same Timetable as Short Track Course.

Other Local Kids' Activities

Deen City Farm and Riding School
Deen City Farm is a unique, educational resource, open free of charge, six days a week (it is closed on Mondays) from 10am to 4.30pm. The Farm is on Windsor Avenue, a short walk along the river from s are Merton Abbey Mills. The best way to learn about the Farm is to pay a visit. There is something on every day - click to see what is On Today.

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The Colour House
Situated, like ARTTes in Merton Abbey Mills, and home to the critically acclaimed Colour House Children's Theatre which has produced over 50 musical shows for children which run every weekend throughout the year. The theare also hosts children's parties. Your group will be given the front seatswith a perfect view of the show. At the end of the show the cast will sing happy birthday to your child., who will also recieve a special gift.
BOX OFFICE & INFORMATION LINE: 020 8542 5511(Open 7 Days a Week)

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Abbey Music School
The Abbey Music School (which is adjacent to ARTTES) offers a friendly environment that aims to teach its pupils at the pace and level that suits them, from complete beginners to intermediate. Lessons are available for both children and adults, 7 days a week.
tel 020 8542 2277

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Junior Thai Boxing.
Learn the ancient martial art of Thailand from Kru Johnny Boon at the Jackapong Gym.
JACKAPONG TIGER KIDS MUAY THAI: Mondays and Thursdays 6pm - 7pm; Saturdays 1pm - 2pm.
The Tower, Ground Floor, 125 High Street, Colliers Wood, London SW19 2JR. tel 07919673831.

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Other Artists and Galleries

http://www.arttes.co.uk/ is always happy to link to others' work. If you're an artist and you wish to showcase your work here, then please drop us a line:

• www.tamsharcollections.com/ is an online art gallery where you find a selection of pieces of abstract art and commissioned paintings produced by resident artist Shar.
• www.agallery.co.uk - a mere mile and a half from ARTTes in SW19 - has been open for over nine years showing new works by rising stars in contemporary art.

Rainbow Trust Painting Marathon