THE RECORD STORY                Download Our Registration Form
		The following article appeared in Art With Class in Midland Park                                                     Monday, September 3, 2007 By Abigail Leichman STAFF WRITER Seven years ago, medical and commercial illustrator Sue Stoll started giving art lessons on drafting tables squeezed into her one-car garage. When winter hit, the garage got too cold, but her young students wanted to continue. In time, she found a space to rent and put her life savings into remodeling it as Art With Class. "I've tried to create a wonderful environment," says Stoll. "Everything is organized and planned. I insist on using professional-quality Winsor & Newton paints that I squeeze out myself, so the children get professional results." Students choose from thousands of stock pictures that they then pencil-sketch onto translucent paper, using a grid system to guide them. Stoll prints the sketch onto professional-grade paper and sticks it to a Masonite art board so the kids can fill in the color without wrinkling or tearing the paper. This also allows them to turn the picture as they work. Acrylics and oils are reserved mostly for teens and adults. All students use pastels, colored pencils and gouache, an opaque watercolor that's easily corrected. For filling in wide swaths of background, many kids love brushing on the pastel powder that Stoll makes with the help of a big mallet. She and her staff of seasoned artists teach the kids how to use the materials but let them come up with their own innovations. "One child was putting pastels over colored pencil, and I told her I didn't think it would work. But by the time she was done it looked like fabric," Stoll says. "That's what it's all about; thinking outside the box. Maybe in the real world you can't change the rules, but in here it's art." Classes cost $415 for a 12-week session. Stoll takes students ages 6 and up. Gift certificates are available. For those who would rather work at home, Stoll has put together kits for $16.95 and up, containing pre-sketched boards. She also sells assorted art supplies and frames for finished work. All kit designs. Copyright ©2007 Glendale Gallery, LLC. All Rights Reserved.