Summer Camps Open for Registration
Alberta University of the Arts
Ages: Summer Teens ages 12 – 15, Summer Kids ages 9 – 12
Dates: Weekly from July 6 to August 7, 2026
AUArts’ teen courses and kids camps provide an open and supportive environment for you to try new creative activities, explore your unique ideas and learn through hands-on techniques on our campus in Calgary.
Spark your imagination with one of AUArts’ studio-based summer art and design courses. You will work with talented creators who enjoy helping young people master new skills and express themselves through a variety of media. Along with making art and learning new skills you’ll hang out and meet other like-minded, creative people.
Supplies are included in fees unless otherwise noted.
Teen Art & Design Camps
Animation Studio
Discover the fun world of non-digital animation using more experimental techniques like cutouts, stop motion, and pixelation. You will produce your own short animation project individually or in a small group. Watch short video clips for inspiration and get your creative juices flowing.
Note: This is not a digital animation course but you will use digital technologies to record and edit your animation in 2D or 3D.
Ceramics Studio
Get your hands dirty in the ceramics studio! Focus will be on hand building and learning good practices and techniques to create functional and sculptural pieces.
You will also get introduced to different surface treatments, including decoration with slip and underglazes, and firing. Work through projects designed to give you a foundational skill-building practice.
Drawing Studio
Focus on improving your drawing skills while you experiment with different types of drawing media including: graphite, charcoal and conte crayons.
You will continue to improve your understanding of the art elements and principles as you focus on composition and a variety of drawing techniques.
Think about what you are communicating with your drawings and develop your ability to speak about your work during critique session each class.
Faces + Figures Studio
Learn how to draw the human face and figure from direct observation.
You will study proper proportions of both the face and the figure as you test out a variety of drawing techniques.
Start each class with quick gesture drawings to get warmed up and then move into longer, sustained poses for a complete, detailed rendering. Participate in daily critique sessions at the end of each class.
RE: Fashion Studio
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to look great! Your instructor will take you thrift shopping* and help you pick out interesting clothes to take back to the studio, where you will learn how to deconstruct and then reconstruct them into styles that are fresh, fun and fashionable!
*Bring something from home to work on Monday, thrifting trip is on Tuesday, and you will need to bring your own money.
Manga Studio
Learn the basics for hand drawing manga and anime comics, including manga proportioning and stylization of figures, with a focus character’s head, hair and eyes.
Work on developing characters, their poses and expressions, as you create environments and layouts to tell your story.
You will work with a variety of media including pen and ink, marker, pencil and water-based colour.
Painting Studio
Get serious about painting! Spend time in the studio developing your painting skills as you work at your easel.
Take your skills to the next level as you improve your understanding of composition, colour mixing and a variety of painting techniques.
Work on your own ideas and begin to consider what you are communicating with your paintings. You will develop your ability to speak about your work during critique sessions throughout the week.
Photo Studio
Taking interesting pictures is more than just pressing a button on your camera. Learn about composition, how to control light and depth of field, good editing, and using Photoshop to process your images.
Work with your digital camera and get some experience with alternative techniques.
Students must have their own digital camera and transfer cable to use for the week.
For more information please contact the Continuing Education office by email.
For a full list of courses and to register visit Summer camps | Alberta University of the Arts.
