Da Vinci's Toolbox (DVT)

Course Description

Da Vinci’s Toolbox (DVT) is a premier, online art studio program offering classical training for youngsters ages 7-12. Through this program, a young studio practitioner learns, develops and refines skills and sensibilities as an artist/designer/maker/builder. 

Working with time-honored, Western approaches to art as a form of inquiry, the DVT learning experience lets the youngster develop creativity through exploratory yet disciplined practice, as opposed to a chance activity for a rainy day. Our students begin with inspiration, then move on to observation, interpretation, and construction. They learn to utilize specialized tools and instrumentation, and come to understand construction as a process.

DVT is directed by Aaron Scott Balavram. Mr. Balavram also serves as the program’s Chief Instructor, working alongside a highly trained and dedicated team of Online Safety Moderators (OSM’s), who help guide and ensure our young practitioners’ online safety and comfort, and support their love of learning. 

At DVT, the young practitioner works through three progressive levels of advancement, where one level lets the student acquire further skills and sensibilities to those already acquired through earlier levels of exploration and construction. Each level introduces new media, tooling, instrumentation, formats and increasingly sophisticated aims, with the ultimate goal being age-appropriate and growing command of one’s knowledge and tools as a creative.

Advancement Level 1: This level features eight challenges completed, on average, over the course of eight months of continued practice.

We focus on basic pictorial devices that equip the practitioner to render a dynamic three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface.

The young practitioner learns to observe things, spaces and movement, to interpret these encounters in unique ways, and to then create works that can be meaningful both to the self and to others.

Advancement Level 2: This level features eight challenges completed, on average, over the course of eight months of continued practice.

We focus on composition and compositional devices that will equip the practitioner to portray dynamism and movement on a static surface.

The young practitioner enters into yet closer observation of the logic of the light, and its effects on things and spaces. The youngster also expands their craft knowledge by exploring new media and techniques and the imaginative power to invent new images and artifacts.

Advancement Level 3: This level features eight challenges completed, on average, over the course of eight months of continued practice.

We focus on craft devices that equip the practitioner to portray both infinitely shallow and infinitely deep pictorial spaces. 

The young practitioner uses their increasing understanding of observation, interpretation and process to enter higher levels of problem-solving and critical thinking. 

Each level of advancement is designed to span one full Studio Year, over the course of eight months of practice. In order to progress to the next level of advancement, the practitioner must be able to demonstrate a high level of understanding and handling of the skills and sensibilities acquired throughout the duration of that level of progression. This ensures that all of our young practitioners that complete DVT are those who operate at their highest command of studio craft. 

Practitioners may enter and leave the program at any time, but those who successfully graduate through all three levels of DVT will be invited to apply to Big Blue Sky Creatives (BBSC), our highly successful, associate company specializing in portfolio preparation for highly achieving teens.

To schedule a free introductory class for DVT, click HERE.