Summer Camps

2026 Summer Camps are now open for enrollment

Happy Valley Art School proudly offers a unique summer camp experience that blends art, crafts, literature, STEM, and Chinese culture. Each week features engaging, theme-based projects, including life drawing sessions that inspire creativity and observation.

Our teaching philosophy centers on nurturing each student’s individual creativity. With a student-centered approach, we emphasize design principles and creative problem-solving rather than copying. Instructors provide personalized guidance, helping students develop ideas, gather references, and explore how to express concepts through visual elements.

Students are grouped by age, with a maximum of 8 students per class to ensure individualized attention. Advanced portfolio students are welcome to join any week of camp and work on their individual portfolios.

Schedule & Tuition

Half-Day (9 AM–12 PM or 1 PM–4 PM): $300/week (Early Bird), $320/week (after 5/30)
Full Day (9 AM–4 PM): $550/week (Early Bird), $600/week (after 5/30)
Optional Lunch: $80/week

Discounts

Early Bird: Pay before May 30
Multi-Week: $15 off additional half-day weeks / $30 off additional full-day weeks
Sibling Discount: $15 off one child

Additional Information

Full refund (minus 5% processing fee) with 1-week notice
Partial refund if canceled within the first two days; no refund after three days
Payment options: cash, check, Zelle (no fee), or credit card/PayPal (fees apply)
Invoice will be sent by email after registration (please check spam if not received)

Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media & Portfolio Camp

This camp offers comprehensive instruction in the fundamental approaches, techniques, and concepts of drawing and painting. Students explore a wide range of media while investigating artistic ideas through both historical and contemporary perspectives. Campers are grouped by age and level: younger students focus on observation and creative exploration, while older students work from still life, nature, and photo references to deepen their understanding of art elements and principles.

Each week features a different focus on materials and concepts, and students will build a portfolio of their completed works. High school students are welcome to develop portfolios for AP Studio Art and college applications. Multiple-week enrollment is recommended to gain a deeper mastery of skills and creative expression.

Digital Painting Camp

This exciting camp blends foundational art skills with digital technology, allowing students to explore creative expression through digital painting. Students will learn to draw shapes and forms using digital tools, apply value, space, and texture, and develop concepts such as pattern, rhythm, proportion, and composition. Building on their 2D art foundation, students strengthen problem-solving, creativity, and time management skills.

Character design is a key focus, with students developing ideas through anatomy, clothing, hair, and expressive features. They will experiment with a range of styles, including realism, abstract, technical, and graphic approaches. Through risk-taking, editing, and peer/self-critiques, students learn to create more meaningful and engaging artwork. Instruction utilizes iPad, Apple Pencil, and Procreate; students are required to bring their own device.

Clay & 3D Sculpting Camp

This hands-on camp introduces students to the exciting world of three-dimensional art through clay and sculptural materials. Students learn fundamental techniques such as hand-building, shaping, carving, and assembling while exploring form, structure, texture, and balance. Projects may include functional objects, figures, and imaginative sculptures inspired by nature, culture, and personal ideas.

Campers are guided to think spatially and creatively, developing problem-solving skills and craftsmanship as they bring their ideas to life in 3D. With age-appropriate instruction, younger students focus on playful exploration, while older students build more refined and detailed works. Each student will complete and take home a collection of unique sculptural pieces.

Stop Motion & Animation Camp

Bring your characters and stories to life! In this camp, students learn to develop original ideas by writing stories and transforming them into scripts for animated films. They design characters through drawing, then build 3D clay models to use in their animations.

Campers are introduced to the fundamentals of animation production, including storyboarding, sequencing, and timeline development. Using stop motion and simple video editing apps, students turn their ideas into real animated shorts. By the end of the week, students will take home their sculptures and a link to their animation, and proudly present their work during a special end-of-week showcase for families.

You can view examples of previous students’ claymation here: https://vimeo.com/album/4005337