mINI mATISSE
Mini Matisse was founded by Aimee Coker, a homeschooling mother of four with over 20 years of artistic experience, four years of teaching art to children, and a degree in psychology. With kids now ranging from elementary age to adulthood, Ms. Aimee understands how to nurture creativity at every stage of development and believes art education should be fun, enriching and approachable.
Drawing from both her background as an artist and her years homeschooling her own children, Mini Matisse was created to provide engaging, educational, and confidence-building art instruction for kids in an encouraging online environment. In addition to teaching, Aimee has published five art books, including three educational workbooks designed specifically for children.
Mini Matisse currently offers engaging online art education for children through live Zoom private one-on-one instruction.
CURRENT OFFERINGS:
private art instruction: Zoom
Private lessons provide individualized instruction tailored to each child’s interests, skill level, and creative goals. Students begin by building strong artistic foundations through the Elements of Art and Principles of Design, then gradually move into more advanced techniques such as shading, composition, linework, form, color theory, and observational drawing.
Each private lesson includes:
A 10–15 minute creative warm-up activity
A focused 40-minute guided lesson
A 5–10 minute reflection and encouragement period designed to build confidence, creative thinking, and artistic self-awareness
Recommended age: 7+
Basic materials required: white paper, pencils, markers, colored pencils, scissors, glue sticks, construction paper, pens, ruler, oil pastels, chalk
*Please note other materials will be required for private lessons. This list will be made available to you two weeks in advance and will include low-cost, easily procurable items. Past items have included things like popsicle sticks, muffin liners, string, etc. Access to a printer is highly encouraged but not required.
JOIN THE MAILING LIST TO BE NOTIFIED about other events and classes!
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
private art lessons
Private art lessons begin with a gentle observational assessment informed by Viktor Lowenfeld’s stages of artistic development and perceptual training exercises commonly used in atelier-style drawing programs. This assessment helps identify where each child is in their artistic development and observational drawing skills. As children grow, they naturally transition from symbolic drawing (“what they think something looks like”) into representational drawing (“what they actually observe”). Understanding where a student is in that transition allows lessons to be tailored to their individual developmental and creative needs.
From there, students build a strong artistic foundation through the Seven Elements of Art and the Seven Principles of Design before moving into more individualized instruction based on their interests, strengths, and artistic goals. As students progress, lessons may explore areas such as shading, composition, realism, color theory, linework, form, mixed media, and creative expression.
This structured but personalized approach gives students both the technical framework and creative confidence needed to better understand, analyze, and create art in meaningful and lasting ways.
CONTACT FOR AVAILABLE TIMES
Private lessons are billed in monthly cycles at a rate of $250 per month. Students who enroll mid-month will receive prorated tuition based on their start date, with regular monthly billing beginning the following month.
Where?: Zoom classroom
Who?: 4-99
Register below!