Students worked in Newtown Parks and Recreation's Drawing and Mixed Media camp for local children on Wednesday, July 15.

The classes are taught by Chuck Fulkerson and his assistant Sophie Pizzo. The first class, which ran for a week, was a small group, but a good and talented group, according to Mr Fulkerson.

 “We try to keep them interested and intrigued,” said Mr Fulkerson.

The children in the class engaged in a variety of projects through the week, which, true to the class name, covered many different types of media.

According to Mr Fulkerson, the children worked on 3D sculptures, papier mâché creations, masks, and a lot of drawing.

“They keep notebooks which we make for them,” said Mr Fulkerson.

Mr Fulkerson himself said he keeps a notebook similar to the children’s, with sketches of the students from observation, his dog, cityscapes, and more.

“I feel as an artist that drawing is the foundation of representation,” said Mr Fulkerson. This year is both his and Ms Pizzo’s second year instructing the camp for Newtown Parks and Recreation.

The children were busy drawing on Wednesday. A couple boys drew dragons from a how-to drawing book, and several girls collaborated with markers on the white board. One student sat on a stool, motionless, as his friend drew him from observation in his notebook.

Still more students crafted papier mâché giraffes, wrapping wet newspaper around molds.

By the third day of the camp, the classroom was full of the students' project already. Masks, clay sculptures, and half-completed papier mâché giraffes filled the shelves. The white boards and the paper spread on the tables were covered in the students' doodles.

According to Mr Fulkerson, the class is not only focused on projects, but “teaching moments.” He had taught the students how to draw the human head the day before.

“You have to be taught that,” said Mr Fulkerson. “Very few people, even if they’re artistic, know the proportions of the head.”

The children in the week’s class ranged in age from 7 to 12, and many of them were friends.

“It’s not school,” said Mr Fulkerson. “All the kids that are here are interested in art, and that makes it great.”

At the end of the week, according to MsPizzo, the parents were invited to an art showcase that displayed the art the children created during the weeklong camp.

More information about Newtown Parks and Recreation summer camp offerings is available at its website.