Adult Summer Studio

Year-Round Adult Art Classes & Creative Workshops in North Liberty, IA

Our Big Picture Summer Studio series is a year-round series of weekend creative experiences inspired by our beloved kids’ camps — but designed especially for adults. Learn new skills, make art, meet wonderful people, and rediscover the joy of play and making, just for the fun of it.

Each four-week session explores a new theme — from board game design and pet portraits to murals, sewing, fantasy worlds, and imaginative sculpture. Come create something uniquely yours in a welcoming, relaxed studio environment.

No pressure. No perfection required. Just curiosity, creativity, and community.

Cost: Usually $35 (depending on materials) each weekly session where instruction is included. Finish things up during our Open Studio hours any time on the weekend. Pay only for extra materials you might wish to purchase, such as extra clay.

Sign up for one or just a couple or all of them!

Kids welcome with adult supervision. This would be a fun family activity!

APRIL:🐾 Paws & Claws: Adult Summer Art Series

Pet portrait painting class & DIY clay pet sculptures!

Celebrate the animals who steal our hearts! In this four-week creative series, we’ll turn our beloved pets into art through clay, paint, and playful mixed media. Whether your companion has fur, feathers, scales, or hooves, this series invites you to slow down, create, and honor the personality of the animals who make life richer. No experience necessary—just bring a photo of your favorite animal friend and your sense of fun.

Week 1 (Saturday, April 4): Sculpt Your Pet (Clay Portrait – Part 1) $45

Bring your favorite pet to life in clay! In this first session, we’ll learn simple sculpting techniques to build a charming clay portrait of your animal companion. Your instructor will guide you through shaping expressive features like noses, ears, whiskers, and fluffy textures so your piece captures the spirit of your pet. By the end of the evening, your sculpture will be ready for drying and firing in the kiln.

Week 2 (Saturday, April 11): Paint Your Pet (Clay Portrait – Part 2) $0

Your clay companion returns—this time in color! In Week 2, we’ll paint and glaze the clay pet portraits you created the week before. Learn simple techniques for layering color, highlighting fur patterns, and adding personality through expressive details. By the end of the session, your piece will be kiln-ready and on its way to becoming a finished keepsake that celebrates your beloved animal.

Week 3 (Saturday, April 18): Pet Portraits in Acrylics $35

Capture your pet on canvas! In this relaxed paint session, we’ll translate the charm and personality of our animal companions into colorful acrylic portraits. Your instructor will guide you step-by-step through sketching basic shapes, building fur texture with brushwork, and adding lively backgrounds. Whether your pet is regal, goofy, sleepy, or wild, you’ll leave with a painting that celebrates their unique spirit.

Week 4 (Saturday, April 25): Whimsical Pet Portraits in Clay Papier-Mâché $35

Let’s get playful! In our final week, we’ll create expressive pet portraits using clay and papier-mâché techniques. This lightweight sculptural approach lets you exaggerate features—big eyes, floppy ears, whiskery snouts—to capture your pet’s personality in a whimsical way. Expect a little mess, a lot of laughter, and a wonderfully quirky portrait to take home.

MAY: Game Makers—Build Your Own Board Game

Week 1: Game Makers: Build Your Board Game ($35)

Roll the dice on creativity! Campers will design and build their own board games—complete with hand-sculpted pieces and painted boards. This week we’ll design our board and paint/decorate that. We will have a jig-saw available if you want to customize the shape of your board.

Week 2: Game pieces ($35)

Next, sculpt your game pieces or minis out of clay. We’ll fire them, and then you can paint them by hand next week. Or glaze them.

Week 3: Map ($35)

Games and maps go hand-in-hand. Plan out a map of your world so that you know where your quest is taking you! Instructors will show you how to sketch out floating sky islands or create traditional maps, complete with burnt edges and symbols.

Week 4: Game Cards ($35)

Your game will needs cards that direct your players to “Pass Go”. Or perhaps your cards will describe characters’ abilities. Let’s brainstorm and make some foundational cards and some templates that you can add to as the game evolves.

JUNE Session: Under the Sea

Paint pouring workshops and Hand-built ceramics.

JUNE Week 1: June 6—Under the Sea: Paint Pour Sea Animals (e.g. Sea Turtle and Dolphin) ($35)
Dive into the mesmerizing world of paint pouring as you create a vibrant dolphin or sea turtle on a wooden cut-out. Watch colors flow, swirl, and blend in unexpected ways, echoing the movement of water itself. No experience needed—just a willingness to experiment and let the ocean guide your design.

JUNE Week 2: June 13—Two Ceramic Serving Dishes with Sea Creature Decorations ($35)
Create a one-of-a-kind serving dish inspired by the mysteries of the deep. Sculpt bold shark silhouettes or incorporate curling octopus tentacles as functional and decorative elements, perfect for entertaining or display. This class blends playful design with practical craftsmanship, resulting in a piece that’s both striking and usable.

JUNE Week 3: June 20—Two Mugs/Bowls with Sea Creature Decorations ($35)
Bring the ocean to your everyday rituals by handbuilding a mug or bowl adorned with sea-inspired textures and creatures. Add sculpted shells, coral patterns, or whimsical fish to create a piece that feels both organic and imaginative. Each creation will be as unique as the tide pools that inspired it.

JUNE Week 4: June 27—Ceramic Blow Fish or Octopus Whistle ($35)
Craft a delightful and functional blowfish whistle from clay, combining sculpture with a touch of sound-making magic. Shape your puffed-up fish, add expressive details, and learn the simple mechanics that bring your piece to life. It’s a playful, slightly unexpected project that’s sure to spark curiosity and joy. And you blow through his rear end, which your kids (and you) will think is the height of hilarity!

JULY — Stand Up! Street Art

Adult spray paint and mural classes

Bold Marks & Big Ideas: spray-paint techniques, murals on hollow-core doors, graffiti-inspired repaints.

JULY Week 1: Personal Mural on Hollow Core Door (plan to spend two sessions on this project. Next week you can continue on or pick it up for the first time. I’ll repeat instructions next week while others who came to session 1 keep working on their project. In both, we’ll begin with prepping the surface, planning the drawing (gridding or projecting) or collaboration, learning some spraypaint techniques, and using acrylics to add details. We’ll finish them off with a marine-strength varnish to prevent yellowing.

JULY Week 2: Collaborative Mural on a series of doors or 6’ wood panel or metal. You can choose to work individually or collaboratively. Instructions for prepping surfaces are the same. Your instructor will guide you through the collaborative process and will choose a theme based on an emailed poll we’ll send participants the week before.

JULY Week 3: Finishing/Details. FREE SESSION but register anyway so I can make sure we have enough paint.

JULY Week 4: No fourth session (July 4th holiday messed us up)

Coming Up!

AUGUST Session 4 — Kites, Paper Airplanes, & Bridges (STEAM)
Art Meets Engineering: Creative Problem-Solving Through Design

SEPTEMBER Session 5 — Fairies, Pixies & Goblins
Whimsical Worlds: Sculpting and Painting Inspired by Forest Folklore (Great Gift Ideas)

OCTOBER Session 6 — Legends & Lore
Mythical Creatures & Storytelling Through Clay, Papier Mache Clay, and Acrylics.

NOVEMBER Session 7 — Sew Cool (Crossbody Bag)
Get comfortable with sewing machines! Design It. Sew It. Wear It. Create a Handmade Bag from Start to Finish

DECEMBER Session 8 — When Pigs Fly
Needle felted mini farm animals and needle-felted paintings, clay figures, and papier mache clay sculptures of sweet llamas and other barnyard beauties.Playful Sculpture & Unexpected Materials — Creativity Without Rules