Term Topic
Each term, we develop a set of lesson plans based on a new topic to keep your child engaged. The term topic supports learning of techniques and artistic styles, and introducing a fresh topic each term keeps students interested and speeds up their learning.
Term 4 2026 topic: Young Archies
Young Archies is the Term 4 topic in all four of our kids classes, for ages 5 to 18. Over nine weeks your child learns how to draw and paint a real person, someone who matters to them, and finishes the term with a portrait ready to enter in the Art Gallery of NSW Young Archie competition.
Enrol now for Term 4. Classes start on Tuesday 13 October 2026 and run for nine weeks. See our term dates for the full calendar.
Why Term 4?
Young Archie entries usually open in late January and close in early March, so Term 4 gives your child time to prepare:
- No rush. A full term to choose a subject, try ideas and make a finished portrait.
- Summer to finish. Students take their portrait home in December and have the holidays for final touches.
- Ready when entries open. When the Gallery opens the entry form, the hard work is done.
Why choose Sydney Art School for Young Archies?
- Tutors who are practising portrait artists. Our tutors include Archibald Prize finalists Michael Simms and Callum Worsfold, Doug Moran Portrait Prize semi-finalists Jackson Davies and Christina Rogers, and classically trained artists such as Matthew Weatherstone. They teach, demonstrate and give feedback throughout the term.
- Structured lesson plans. Each week builds on the last, from choosing a subject and learning the proportions of the face to capturing a likeness, planning a composition and finishing a portrait that meets the competition rules.
- Classes for every age. Young Archies runs in all four kids classes, from Mini Monet (5–7) to Senior Transition (13+), so lessons match your child’s age and skill level, just like the Young Archie age groups.
- Your child’s own work. We guide and teach, but every portrait is the student’s own, which is also a Young Archie entry rule.
41 times in the Young Archie
Since 2014, Sydney Art School students past and present have been selected 41 times as category winners, finalists and honourable mentions, including seven category winners. Most recently, Logan Zhang won the 5–8 years category in 2025 with My dad.
Find out more about our Young Archies classes and see our students’ results
Term Topic
Each term, we develop a set of lesson plans based on a new topic to keep your child engaged. The term topic supports learning of techniques and artistic styles, and introducing a fresh topic each term keeps students interested and speeds up their learning.
Term 4 2026 topic: Young Archies
Young Archies is the Term 4 topic in all four of our kids classes, for ages 5 to 18. Over nine weeks your child learns how to draw and paint a real person, someone who matters to them, and finishes the term with a portrait ready to enter in the Art Gallery of NSW Young Archie competition.
Enrol now for Term 4. Classes start on Tuesday 13 October 2026 and run for nine weeks. See our term dates for the full calendar.
Why Term 4?
Young Archie entries usually open in late January and close in early March, so Term 4 gives your child time to prepare:
- No rush. A full term to choose a subject, try ideas and make a finished portrait.
- Summer to finish. Students take their portrait home in December and have the holidays for final touches.
- Ready when entries open. When the Gallery opens the entry form, the hard work is done.
Why choose Sydney Art School for Young Archies?
- Tutors who are practising portrait artists. Our tutors include Archibald Prize finalists Michael Simms and Callum Worsfold, Doug Moran Portrait Prize semi-finalists Jackson Davies and Christina Rogers, and classically trained artists such as Matthew Weatherstone. They teach, demonstrate and give feedback throughout the term.
- Structured lesson plans. Each week builds on the last, from choosing a subject and learning the proportions of the face to capturing a likeness, planning a composition and finishing a portrait that meets the competition rules.
- Classes for every age. Young Archies runs in all four kids classes, from Mini Monet (5–7) to Senior Transition (13+), so lessons match your child’s age and skill level, just like the Young Archie age groups.
- Your child’s own work. We guide and teach, but every portrait is the student’s own, which is also a Young Archie entry rule.
41 times in the Young Archie
Since 2014, Sydney Art School students past and present have been selected 41 times as category winners, finalists and honourable mentions, including seven category winners. Most recently, Logan Zhang won the 5–8 years category in 2025 with My dad.
Find out more about our Young Archies classes and see our students’ results
What Will Students Do & Learn
This term, students prepare a portrait for the Art Gallery of New South Wales Young Archie competition, which invites young artists aged 5 to 18 to make a portrait of someone special in their life. By the end of the term, each student will have a finished portrait ready to enter.
What your child will do
- Choose their subject. A person who knows them and plays a real part in their life, such as a parent, grandparent, sibling, friend or teacher.
- Work from life and from reference. The Gallery prefers portraits made from a live sitting. Students practise drawing from life in class and bring their own photos of their subject to work from.
- Learn the building blocks of a portrait. Proportions of the face, capturing a likeness, expression and gesture, and how light and shadow give form.
- Plan a composition that tells a story. Pose, setting, objects and colour that say something about the person and their relationship with the artist.
- Explore materials. Pencil, pastel, paint and mixed media on paper, matched to age and skill level.
- Finish and get it ready to enter. A completed 2D work on paper between A4 and A3, unmounted and unframed, with tips on labelling and posting it safely.
Students do all of their own work. Our tutors teach, demonstrate and give feedback, but the portrait is your child’s, which is also a Young Archie entry rule.
Preparation for the term
We strongly encourage students to choose the subject of their portrait and bring a photo to their first class this term.
The portrait must be of a person who is special to the artist: someone who knows them and plays a significant role in their life. A portrait of a best friend painted as a superhero is eligible, but a portrait of a superhero is not. A portrait of someone they knew who has since died is eligible too, and so is a self-portrait.
Older students
Term 4 Senior Transition classes are taught by tutors including Archibald Prize finalist Michael Simms. Students aged 15 to 18 preparing for the 16–18 category may also be able to join one of our adult portrait classes at the kids class price, so talk to us or call 1300 278 252.
Entering the Young Archie
Entries usually open in late January and close in early March, and there is no entry fee. The Gallery hasn’t announced the 2027 dates yet, so check the official Young Archie entry page for current dates and rules.
Read more about our Young Archies classes, tutors and past finalists
Materials
We recommend students purchase the Sydney Art School Student Resource Kit
OR
You may purchase your own materials separately
The paints in the SAS resource kit are high quality and will typically last a student 3 terms. Contents of the SAS resource kit can be found at … https://sydneyartschool.com.au/sas-art-shop/art-resource-kits/resource-kit-acrylics-artist-quality-starter-set-detail
If you purchase your own materials please ensure they include; Paints: good quality and the same colour set and sizes as the SAS resource kit. 2 tubes of white paint recommended. Brushes: (variety of small, medium and large). Visual Art Diary (A3).
Other items to bring to each class include; Tea towel, washer, paper towel, or cloth: for drying brushes and cleaning spills. Pencil and eraser. Apron, or paint smock Water bottle: please note if coming after school and you bring a snack you may not bring foods containing nuts.
Tutors may ask students to bring in additional items from home such as photographs.
Each term the school will provide; Additional material for major work (canvas, high quality paper). Palettes and water jars are provided in the classroom.
Studios Dates Times
Art classes for kids are available in studios in Hornsby, Baulkham Hills & Epping.
Each term the classes start on the same starting week as NSW Public School Term dates
Classes run for 9 consecutive weeks.
(For classes that fall on a NSW public holidays an additional week will be added to ensure that students receive a total of 9 classes)
| Recommended Age Group Suitability | |||
| Mini Monet | Intermediate | Senior | Senior Transition |
| 5-7 | 8-10 | 11-13 | 13+ |
| Term 3 – 2025 | Level | Baulkham Hills |
Epping | Hornsby |
| Mondays
|
Mini Monet | 4:30 – 6:00pm 6:00 – 7:30pm |
4.00 – 5.30pm | 4.30 – 6pm |
| Intermediate | 4:30 – 6:00pm | 4.00 – 5.30pm | 4.30 – 6pm | |
| Senior | 4.00 – 5.30pm | |||
| Senior Transition | ||||
| Tuesdays
|
Mini Monet | 4.30 – 6pm | 4.30 – 6pm | |
| Intermediate | 4.30 – 6pm | |||
| Senior | 5.00 – 6.30pm | 4.30 – 6pm | ||
| Senior Transition | 5.00 – 6.30pm 6.30 – 8.00pm |
5.00 – 6.30pm | ||
| Wednesdays | Mini Monet | 5.30 – 7.00pm | 4.00 – 5.30pm | 4.30 – 6pm |
| Intermediate | 4.00 – 5.30pm | 4.30 – 6pm | ||
| Senior | 4.00 – 5.30pm | 4.30 – 6pm | ||
| Senior Transition | 5:00 – 6:30pm | |||
| Senior & Senior Transition |
5.00pm – 6.30pm (Anime & Manga Skills) |
|||
| Thursdays | Mini Monet | 4.00 – 5:30pm | 4.30 – 6pm | |
| Intermediate | 4:00 – 5:30pm | 4.30 – 6pm | ||
| Senior | 5:30 – 7:00pm | 4.30 – 6pm | ||
| Senior Transition | 5.30 – 7:00pm | 6.30 – 8pm | ||
| Fridays | Mini Monet | 4.00 – 5.30pm
5.30 – 7:00pm |
5.30 – 7pm | |
| Intermediate | 4.00 – 5.30pm
5.30 – 7:00pm |
|||
| Senior | ||||
| Saturdays | Mini Monet |
9.00 – 10.30am
|
9.00am – 10.30am
11am – 12.30pm
|
|
| Intermediate | 11.00 – 12.30pm | 11.00am – 12.30pm | ||
| Senior | 1.00 – 2.30pm | 9.00am – 10.30am 1.00 – 2.30pm |
||
| Senior Transition | 2.45 – 4.15pm | 2.45 – 4.15pm | ||
| Senior & Senior Transition |
9.00am – 10.30am (Anime & Manga Skills) |
|||
| Sundays | Senior & Senior Transition |
11.00am – 12.30pm
(Anime & Manga Skills) |
Why Sydney Art School?
- Qualified & Professional Tutors
- Structured and Varied Syllabus
- Broad Cognitive Skills Development
- Affordable Value for Money
- A Safe and Secure Environment
Sydney Art School has developed a range of kids art classes that meet those expectations.
Your Children Get The Best Qualified and Professional Art Tutors in Sydney
All senior tutors in children’s art classes are tertiary qualified, and professional artists. They combine full time art tutoring with their personal exhibition schedules.
Students in senior art classes who show high skill levels are invited to attend occasional adult classes and workshops when space permits.
Our extension art students are also given the opportunity to learn from some of Sydney’s best award winning artists including finalists and prizewinners in the Archibald, Sulman, Moran and Dobell art prizes.
An Art Class Syllabus that Combines Structure and Variety Enables Faster Development
To get the most benefit from art classes your child needs to be engaged across a wide area of styles techniques and subject matter.
Subject matter needs to be continually refreshed. If children lose interest the benefits drop away.
Every term a new artistic topic is chosen and lesson plans are created. The artistic topic focuses on a subject type e.g. portraiture, landscape, still life or an art movement such as impressionism, surrealism, cubism.
Variety gives breadth to learning experiences and is an important factors in keeping the students engaged.
Structured lesson plans are developed by our team of artists and teachers with degrees in fine arts and education.
Cognitive Skills Development
Each term topic is supplemented with cognitive skills training exercises specifically designed to strengthen areas such as:
- Visual memory,
- Observation and concentration, and
- Visual processing skills.
Value for Money
We pride ourselves on providing value for money.
An investment in art classes is an investment in the development of your child’s cognitive skills. So it is important that you choose quality and reliability.
Although you can find some classes that cost a little less than Sydney Art School – you will find that this usually means a compromise tutor quality, syllabus breadth and variety, facilities and materials.
Also when you consider the cost of art classes you will find that they are affordable and compare favourably to other activities. A good choice when investing in your child’s development.
Safety Security and Compliance
As a professional organisation the safety and security of your children is of paramount importance to us. We make sure we comply with all government regulations including:
- Working with Children checks: All tutors have certificates provided by NSW Police and and are authorised to work with children.
- First Aid Officers: Each studio has a designated First Aid Officer and most tutors are First Aid trained.
- Public Liability Insurance. Certificate of currency
- Drop Off – Pick Up Policy: All students are required to be escorted to the tutor, the tutor will supervise untill pick up by the parents.
- Visitor Policy: Visitors to studios are only permitted if prior arrangement is made with Sydney Art School. Tutors will be notified via email to expect the visitor – otherwise they will not be allowed to enter the premises.
General Information
Please review our Terms of Service at https://sydneyartschool.com.au/about-us/terms-and-conditions We understand many families are interested in trial classes for our kids art classes and children’s art programs before enrolling. However, due to the high demand for our art classes for kids in Sydney, we are not able to offer trial classes. This is not about the cost but simply about the limited space available. Many parents choose to secure their child’s spot by paying for the full year of children’s art lessons in advance. Along with returning students who continue with their art studies term after term, our classes often fill quickly—well before each term begins. To help you plan ahead, we usually advertise a reminder that enrolments for the next term of kids art classes are open around two weeks before the term starts. We strongly recommend enrolling early to avoid missing out, as places are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have any questions about our art courses for children, enrolment options, or how our creative kids art classes work, please feel free to contact us. We’re here to help you find the right art program for your child. We understand that sometimes children may need to miss a class in our kids art programs due to illness or other commitments. While we always do our best to help, please note that due to high demand and limited studio capacity, our policy is that we do not guarantee a make-up class will be available. Space in our children’s art classes is very limited, as many families enrol for the full year to secure their place, and our classes often fill completely before the term begins. For this reason, make-up classes can only be offered if another student is absent and a space becomes available on another day or time. If your child needs to miss a class and you would like to request a make-up session, please: Email us with the subject line: Make-Up Class Request [Student’s Name] Include: We will review your request and let you know if a suitable make-up option becomes available. Thank you for your understanding and for helping us keep our art classes for kids running smoothly for everyone.Terms of Service – Art Classes
Trial Classes and Enrolment for Kids Art Classes
Make-Up Class Policy for Kids Art Classes
