Food Glorious Food

Get creative in our 8 week programme focusing on food

  • 1

    Course Introduction

  • 2

    Course Resources

  • 3

    Week 1

    • Learn about our first focus artist Wayne Thiebaud and see some of his artworks.

    • Learn clever ways to draw 3D cakes and cakes with slices cut out (cylinders and triangular prisms).

  • 4

    Week 2

    • Learn and experiment with awesome oil pastel techniques

    • Learn techniques for creating shadows and light to cakes and experiment with drawing and colour.

    • Create your oil pastel masterpiece (of a whole cake or with a slice cut out) on a plate of your own design
  • 5

    Week 3

    • Experiment with drawing artworks with more than 1 cake or food, designed and arranged in different ways. Make an artwork with a focus on composition of food related objects.
  • 6

    Week 4

    • Learn about and experiment with colour making techniques with primary colours and white. Paint your composition.
  • 7

    Week 5

    • Meet artist Peter Anton and take a look at his AMAZING huge food sculptures!

    • Learn cardboard and paper construction techniques and build a magical cake (with a piece cut out if you want)

  • 8

    Week 6

    • Continue practising your cardboard construction techniques and design and build a cool cake stand or plate for your cake.
  • 9

    Week 7

    • Learn paper maché techniques and paper maché your cake and plate
  • 10

    Week 8

    • Check out these cool cake designs!

    • Paint and decorate your cake. And a big thank you from Mandy.

Educator

CEO Creative Matters

Mandy Jakich

Mandy is the founder and CEO of Creative Matters. She has more than 30 years experience in teaching and art education and is a practising artist.

As parents, caregivers, grandparents and/or teachers we want the very best for our kids. Creative Matters is here to provide creative, educational opportunities to enrich the lives of our children. ​I founded Creative Matters in response to an increasing need and demand for rich, creative opportunities for children - both in and out of school - with a genuine belief in the value of creative experiences and the creative process.

I have taught in various capacities, at primary and intermediate schools across Auckland. I also worked for 4 years as an art educator at the Auckland Art Gallery - New Zealand's largest and finest gallery - where I designed and delivered visual arts programmes to primary, secondary and special needs children, as well as Professional Development courses for teachers.

To date we've taught more than 200 creative workshops, worked with more than 2000 children, teens and adults and over 200 teachers. We deliver our programmes in Auckland in schools, community venues, at Kohia Centre, University of Auckland and at Studio One Toi Tu.

Testimonials

...allowed my daughter to really engage with her creative mindset

Nicky Osmond

Creative Matters has allowed my daughter to really engage with her creative mindset. She can explore her personal creativity within a guided setting, resulting in amazing work but also learning about artistic techniques and mediums, art history, problem-solving and how to complete a longer project whilst maintaining her ultimate vision. She also has a lot of fun. Creative Matters really brings an element to my child’s learning that she does not get anywhere else and we highly value all it has to offer.

I see them looking at all sorts of day to day objects through different artistic lenses

Jo Mellor

Both my girls have attended creative matters classes from Year 1 through to year 6 and have absolutely loved their learning, creations and teachers. Now I see them looking at all sorts of day to day objects through different artistic lenses. They are always beaming after class and have done some really incredible work in all shapes and forms over the years. I find their class environment safe, caring, positive and a diverse creative outlet for them which I can not recommend highly enough.

FAQs

  • What ages & skill levels is this course suitable for?

    The course is suitable for children 6 to 14 years and all skill levels. The instruction videos can be followed by children independently and the work is designed for children to follow at their own level. Younger or less confident children may need adult or older sibling guidance or assistance at times.

  • What will my child learn?

    Your child will develop the following skills in:
    • 3D drawing
    • oil pastel
    • paper maché
    • colour making and shading with paint and/or oil pastel
    • painting
    • cardboard construction
    • design

  • What else should I consider in choosing an online creative course for my child?

    A big consideration is the expertise that went into planning and creating the course as this will have a big impact on your child’s learning and love of art. Food Glorious Food has been created by a specialist art educator with over 30 years’ experience, which means your child’s creative learning is in the hands of an expert. This programme has been adapted and optimised for online learning after being taught face to face to hundreds of children for over 5 years.

    Another consideration is how easy the learning platform is to use. We chose Thinkific because it has a proven track record having delivered over 53 million courses. Its built-in progress tracking makes it easy for your child to know what to do next and they receive a personalised Completion Certificate to recognise their efforts. Thinkific also has a really useful ‘Discussion’ feature where your child can ask Mandy for help at any time or share their ideas/work, as many times as they need.

  • How is this creative course different from others?

    Some online art courses aim to have each child produce a piece of artwork that is as close to the instructor’s example as their skill level enables. We don’t. The learning is fun, interactive and encourages individuality rather than repetition and conformity. We feel it is much more important for a child to explore and develop their unique creative ideas, and in doing so building their creative confidence and curiosity. We encourage children to value and spend time in every step of the creative process – exploring, experimenting, creating, reflecting and sharing. Our creative workshops teach and encourage a way of thinking, a way of working, a creative approach that can be taken and applied into every aspect of a child life.

  • What happens if my child is struggling with something? Will they be able to get help?

    At any time, and as many times as needed, your child can contact Mandy online through Thinkific’s Discussion feature. Here they can post questions and attach images of what they are working on. Mandy will also be available live on Zoom on Friday’s from 3pm to 3.30pm.

  • Will my child need my help to access and complete the course?

    Depending on your child’s online savvy they may need some help logging in and navigating to their next lesson. Younger ones may also need some help setting up their creative space. Some children may need some adult or older sibling help with some activities, such as the cardboard construction. The creative aspect of the course is designed to be completed independently by the children with Mandy’s online help where needed.

  • Do you have trial lessons?

    We have made a lesson available by clicking on the pink ‘Free Preview’ button near the top of this page. This way you can see Mandy’s style of teaching and see if it is a good fit for your family.

  • What art materials do I need for this course? How do I get hold of them?

    Some of the materials you may have already and some you may need to buy. A full materials list is supplied with online ordering codes for Warehouse Stationary. You won’t use up the materials on this course so your child will have the chance to take what they have learnt and continue to create with them or use them on future courses. To see this list before you buy the course click on the pink ‘Free Preview’ button near the top of this page.

  • Will the lessons be delivered live at a set time or by pre-recorded videos?

    The lessons are made up of pre-recorded videos, images and links so your child can go through them at their own pace and pause and replay them as often as they wish.

  • How long will my child need to complete the lessons each week?

    We expect it will take around 2 hours per week. We hope your child would feel motivated to create for longer than this as the programme encourages them to explore what interests them rather than just reproduce the examples from the lesson.

  • Does my child have to follow the weekly structure, or can they do it at their own pace?

    All lessons are available as soon as you sign up. You may choose to set aside some time each week or take a whole day to move through the lessons one after the other. We recommend completing the lessons in order. We do include cardboard construction, paper maché and painting sessions so some drying time will be required.

  • How much space does my child need to participate? Is it going to be messy?

    After 30 years in art education Mandy has a few tips and tricks up her sleeve for making creative learning as fun and mess-free as possible. Food Glorious Food only needs a small desk or the corner of the kitchen table. We include a video that explains how to set up a creative space that minimises mess and clean-up.