Woodhaven High School Painting students partnered with young artists at Yake Elementary on Oct. 8 for a creative collaboration that brought imagination, mentorship and art together.
During their visit, WHS students paired up with students in Mrs. Hool’s Young 5s class and Mrs. Bigenho’s kindergarten class. After reading a story about silly monsters, the Yake students drew their own imaginary monsters while their high school buddies talked with them about their ideas and artistic creations.
Back in the WHS classroom, the painting students transferred the original drawings onto larger paper, adding details and meaningful background settings while preserving each young artist’s original sketch. Using acrylic paints, students demonstrated their understanding of shading, highlights, contrast and texture through their color and brush choices.
For senior Audrina Ezell, one of the highlights was the opportunity to create artwork inspired by someone else’s imagination.
“My favorite part about this project is being able to work with something that wasn’t ‘ours’ and doing artwork that was more creative,” Ezell said. “It was really fun working with someone who is younger and doesn’t have the same skills as a senior.”
Junior Charley McKay also enjoyed the personal connections the project created.
“I liked it a lot. We got to meet the little kids, and it was personal because we got to know them and what they’re like,” McKay said.
The individuality of each piece was another highlight. Because every young artist had a different vision for their monster, the high school students had to think creatively about how to bring each drawing to life while meeting the project’s artistic requirements.
“Every one of the artworks is different, and none are the same,” McKay said.
Woodhaven High School Art teacher Cheryl McEmeel said her students really enjoyed the experience, from sharing stories about their visit to seeing the many unique ways their young buddies’ ideas came to life.
The completed artwork is on display at Woodhaven High School. The display celebrates not only the creativity of the young artists but also the high school students’ ability to build on those ideas while preserving the imagination behind each original drawing.